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   ecofan74 Teacher
   College - Freshman

   eNotes Editor

   Jacksonian Democracy refers to the political outlook characteristic of the period of Andrew Jackson's presidency (1829-1837).  The greatest difference between Jeffersonian Democracy and Jacksonian Democracy is that the latter expanded on the idea "of the people, by the people, and for the people."  Jeffersonian Democracy, though it was modeled on this idea, also restricted this statement to mean certain individuals.  Jacksonian Democracy removed many of these restrictions, including those concerning the restriction of voting privileges to landholding individuals.  Though Jefferson did reduce the restrictions on the amount of land one must own before earning the right to vote, he did not do away with the landholding requirement altogether.  Jacksonian Democracy completely removed the landholding requirement, allowing Jacksonian society to approach the idea behind the above statement to a much greater degree.  More of the population could exercise their rights than in previous years. It was only at this time that candidates actually campaigned for office; before that, it really did not matter what the public had to say.

   The political changes wrought by Jacksonian Democracy also extended to the social and economic realm.  The increased political opportunity for the people generally translated into greater economic opportunity.  Though it did not guarantee economic success - and success was certainly the exception rather than the rule - it gave the people the opportunity to "pursue happiness."  Like Jeffersonian Democracy, Jacksonian Democracy could not overcome the simple fact that most did not have the means to take advantage of the opportunities afforded them.  Socially, the requirements for pursuing specialized occupations such as law and medicine were greatly reduced, allowing more people to seek those careers.  The most fundamental difference between Jacksonian Democracy and Jeffersonian Democracy is that the former expanded on the ideas of the latter, ultimately approaching the words of the Constitution more closely than in the previous decades.

   Sources:

   http://www.enotes.com/shaping-america-almanac/democratic-...

   http://www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/preservation/epochs/vol...

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   Posted by ecofan74 on Tuesday June 9, 2009 at 9:35 AM