Biography and Presidency of Andrew Jackson – an American Soldier and the Seventh President of the United States

December 21, 2021 by Essay Writer

Andrew Jackson was born into a poor family. With the death of his father before his birth he had no male role model within his life and that had made him a fairly bad kid. At the age of 13 he had listed in the revolutionary war and was wounded by a British Officers. Soon after he had come back his mother had died and he was left to fend for himself. He would fight anyone that wanted to fight including a 75 year old man. By the age of 17 he had begun law school. By age 21 he was a public prosecutor and only 8 years later becoming the first representative of Tennessee. He had become a real hero during his war time. Pushing through enemy’s front lines and taking the fight to them. He was an outstanding General and never told his soldiers anything that he wouldn’t do. From the first time that Jackson had joined the revolutionary war to fight for freedom people knew that he was going to be democratic, willing to lay down his life to fight for a cause and to fight for the people. He also had tendencies to do things not so democratic, such as the extinction of the Indian people and taking away their homes. But with all the positives and the negatives he still had some tendencies that had showed both sides fairly well where he had done things for the people but the way that it was done was questionable. Since he originally had joined the war people knew he was a patriot and with that title people knew that he was for the people and what they wanted to say. He didn’t want the British to take and guide everything that they (colonists) had built and started.

Robert V. Remini had stated in The Course of American Empire that Jackson as he had gotten older his views had become more democratic in the sense that the control must fully come from the people and the appointed and elected offices should be filled by the people, and they can be removed when the people think it is best. What this is showing is that he has the view of a democracy, he wants the people to have control, he wants the government to be within the people’s grasp, he wants the people to tell the government when they had screwed up and he wants the people to run their country. His views on this show that he wants the United States to be a democracy. Throughout his election he had spoken about what he wants to do and his plan, he spoke highly of how he wanted the people’s voice to be heard. During his first presidential election he had tied with the popular vote, this had resulted for the House of Representatives to pick the top 3 of the candidates for being the next president. But Clay, who was another candidate, was left out of this top 3. He then made a deal and traded his support and 37 votes to Adams which in turn resulted in Adams win. This had angered Jackson as by him doing this shutout everything that the people had done and ultimately made what they thought useless silencing their thoughts, which is what Jackson is all about.

After this had happened he had devoted his time to winning the next election. With his main statement being the voice of the people must be heard. This is shown in a letter than he had written to the Congress regarding the National Bank. What he had said was that the Bank is a monopoly for overseas and domestic. Where ¾ is held by the rich upper class and the rest by foreigners. Where they have some electors put in by the government and the rest voted in by the rich citizens, but the rich have known to bend the acts of government for themselves. Through this letter it shows that Jackson was democratic. The bank was exclusive only to the rich, whether it be foreign or in the country, and he made sure to tell them that this wasn’t right. For a bank in America only a few hundred rich Americans, and rich foreigners can use this bank. He told them that if only a small part of the country can use this bank than it would be unconstitutional. Jackson thought that everything should be for the people and he made sure that everything that he had done was for the people. Though there is many evidence showing that Jackson was very democratic and he was for the people, there have been tendencies that he had done in his past and in his presidency that weren’t so democratic. In a political cartoon that was put out during the election of 1832, we are shown Jackson dressed as a king stepping on the constitution and holding a veto.

What they had tried to portray was that Jackson really only cared for himself, if he saw a bill that he didn’t like he would veto it which is why he is holding a vetoed bill. He is also stepping on the US Constitution and the International Improvement US Bank. What this symbolizes is he doesn’t care for the people. He is stepping on the Constitution showing that everything they had fought for was for nothing and he will go back to the days of ruling and putting unnecessary taxes. He is also surrounded by various phrases one being “Had i been Consulted” and what this symbolizes is that he just does what he wants. Nobody is there telling him not to do certain things. To the colonist this made them feel like if they were to elect him for president than he would be just like their former King. In a study done by Robert Remini in 1988, he had found that Jackson was a slave owner.

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