What Was Andrew Jackson's Concept Of Democracy?

Andrew Jackson’s elections, both in 1828 and in 1832, began a new era in democracy. During the 1828 elections, public rallies, parades and picnics highlighted the campaign. There were large turnouts for events and historians believe that this represented a renewed interest in politics (329). Jackson’s election in 1832 was a milestone in American political history because for the first time presidential candidates were chosen by political conventions, consequentially, the origins of the Democratic Party can be traced to this period in our history. Unfortunately, Andrew Jackson’s concept of democracy did not extend to Native Americans. Andrew Jackson’s victory in 1828 depended on the Southern states where he won major victories. Jackson leaned toward favoring states’ rights and limited government interference. This stance went against his previous support of the federal government during the Nullification Crisis. Jackson’s newfound support of state’s rights led to conflicts with Native Americans.
During Jackson’s two terms in office, over 94 Indian treaties were signed at the expense of the Native Americans. The Cherokee treaty displayed a lack of democracy in that no tribal officers were present at the signing and so few Cherokees were involved in the negotiation. The Cherokees resisted, which led to the “Trail of Tears”, a trek that was made under severe conditions and ultimately led to the deaths of 4,000 Cherokee Indians. Indian removal had profound consequences, one of which was the strengthening of Jackson’s reputation as an enemy of the rule of law. Jackson was known as a friend of local “democratic” solutions and it reaffirmed the link between racism and white democracy in the South. It also showed Jackson’s commitment to state sovereignty and limited