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Question:
What was Jacksonian Democracy? How did it differ from Jeffersonian Democracy?
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ecofan74 Teacher
College - FreshmaneNotes Editor
Posted by ecofan74 on Thursday June 11, 2009 at 10:40 PMJacksonian Democracy refers to the political ideology that prevailed in the period of Andrew Jackson's presidency (1829-1837). It sought to live up to the words: "of the people, by the people, and for the people." To that end, voting restrictions were lifted, so that all white men, regardless of property ownership, were granted the right to vote. In addition, requirements for admission into specialized professions, particularly law and medicine, were greatly lessened. All of the changes and modifications to the politics in the 1830s sought to increase the freedom of the people - to grant them greater power in the political realm. This freedom, however, does not guarantee success; it only guarantees freedom of opportunity. Being successful meant taking advantage of that opportunity.
In many ways, Jacksonian Democracy extended Jeffersonian Democracy. In the Jeffersonian period, the landholding requirement for voting was lessened, but it still remained. At the same time, Jefferson's policies sought to increase the ability of the average person to be successful in the American economy. Jacksonian Democracy sought to make this reality a greater possibility; it provided even more opportunity for the individual to succeed than Jeffersonian Democracy.
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