Unit 2 FRQ

The presidential election of 1828 brought a great victory for Andrew Jackson. Not only did he get almost 70 percent of the votes cast in the electoral college, but popular participation soared to an unheard amount of 60 percent. Along with Jackson, came Jacksonian democracy also known as “The Age of the Common Man” which impacted further advances in political process by the “common man” and minorities, the economic stability of the nation, and the status of the Union and sectionalism. These impacts were caused by the end of white men voting restrictions, creation of the spoils system, vetoing of National Bank policies, distribution of currency to smaller banks, fair laws for states and enforcing Indian Removal from lands in the West.

Andrew Jackson’s election marked a new direction in American politics. He was the first westerner president elected and he declared himself to be the “champion of the common man”. Jackson gave political power to the common man as seen by Margaret Bayard Smith on the day of Jackson’s inauguration in 1829. (Doc. A) Smith describes the Western farmers going crazy in the streets and at the White House which wasn’t seen as an ordinary inauguration. Usually an inauguration would take front of politicians and not just the common people. Jackson was able to provide political power to the common man by ending voting rights to just white males and this meant any man could vote versus white landowners. To provide even more power to the common man Jackson invented the rotation policy of officers also known as the Spoils System which was designed to fill positions in congress with Jeffersonian-Democrats that had helped Jackson win the election. Jackson felt this was a win, win situation because he was providing more power for the common man but he also justified it by saying he needed loyal people in congress. Jackson stated his rotation policy to explain his primary purpose, which was to allow “common men” positions in office because the