Jackson DBQ

#303
Bazarsky, Alex
February 3, 2015 The Villainous Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson is not the great president people idolized but a villain who disobeyed the
Constitution and the American citizens. A villain most certainly describes Jackson instead of a hero because a villain is a person whose actions are important to a plot, in in this case America’s future, while a hero is idealized for courage and noble deeds. Looking into Jackson’s history we find the truth. In 1824 before Jackson’s presidency he ran for the position and won the popular vote but lost the electoral vote causing him to branch off and create his own political party, the
Democrats, to better represent the people and bring a new ideal to the political system. This new party stood against the previous rich federalists and antifederalists Presidents who came from the
East and were all present for the creation of the Constitution. Andrew Jackson, during his presidency, was undemocratic and didn’t support the people due to his criticism of the South’s nullification on the national tariff, his shutdown of the National Bank, and his removal of the
Native Americans.
Andrew Jackson was a villain based on his say on the South’s nullification of the national tariff. The national tariff was a tax all states had to pay for canals in the Northeast for trade. The southerners, after hearing that Jackson wanted what was best for the nation, probably went and had drawn this political cartoon showing Jackson in a crown and dressed like a king (Evidence

#4 & Document 3). Having Jackson represented that way was saying they thought he was taking away their rights and not being a person of the people like he said he was. This was also shown by having him drawn standing on the Constitution and Judiciary of the United States (Document
3). At the same time Jackson is drawn with a veto in his hand and a torn up piece of paper on the floor with the title of International Improvement of the US Bank (Document 3). Based on this cartoon, Andrew Jackson was seen as a villain by the American people who felt like they were being ruled by a monarch. This political cartoon is evidence that Jackson was not loved by all
Americans.
Many also consider Jackson to be a villain because of his shutdown of the National Bank.
The main reason Jackson is a villain due to the Bank is because he vetoed a bill that was put through Congress to renew the National Bank’s charter 4 years early (Evidence #5). The two reasons Jackson vetoed this bill were personal and not in the mindset of benefiting the nation.
The first reason, was he didn’t trust the Bank because he thought it benefited rich Eastern investors while taking away from farmers and state banks (Evidence #5). The second reason, he vetoed the bill, was to try and get the majority/electoral vote (Evidence #5). Due to the charter not being renewed the National Bank’s money was given to the state banks. The money helped people get loans easier but led to a decrease in money and having people to pay up front in silver and gold. The cause of having the money up front was the state banks ran out of money and couldn’t pay taxes and causing them go out of business. All of these reasons caused the nation to go into the Panic of 1837 and a financial depression (Evidence #5). Jackson didn’t better the nation by closing the Bank and as seen in the next piece of evidence didn’t help our country by not listening to the government.

Lastly, Jackson was a villain due to his removal of the Native Americans. During
Jackson’s presidency a national policy stated that all Native American tribes shall be moved from the East by force (Evidence #6). The policy caused some Native tribes to retaliate and lash back on the American people, other tribes wrote letters to the government stating they didn’t want to be moved and why (Native American Letter). The lash back caused Jackson to pass an official act that was called the Indian Removal act, saying that treaties made with the Indians would give them new land on the Great Plains but they could not move them by force (Evidence
#6). Jackson was not happy with the act and its rule of no force so he went against the act and
Supreme Court, who passed it, and forced the Creek Indians out in handcuffs to the reservation set up in the west (Evidence #6) This walk is now known as the Trail of Tears. As seen in all pieces of evidence Jackson was a tyrannical villain who didn’t benefit our nation.
Andrew Jackson, in the end, was a villain and an undemocratic president. He was bad for our country because he did not listening to the people, disobeyed Congress, and unlawfully forced out Native Americans to the West. Jackson’s Indian policy sadly still is evident today because Native American tribes still have to live on reservations in the West other than a few in
Florida and Michigan. Jackson could be thought of as a villainous man, for our nation, for the rest of time.