To what extent did the Jacksonian Period (1824-1836) live up to its reputation as the era of the "common man"?
The Jacksonian period had long been touted as the “Era of the Common Man” due to the economic and political changes that occurred during the presidency the era’s namesake, Andrew Jackson.
Andrew Jackson himself was considered a “common man” due to the circumstances of his birth and his frontier upbringing....
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Because of his simple roots, he resonated with poor farmers and western settlers, two groups who began to gain more and more political power thanks to changes in state voting laws in the 1820’s. For the first time, land ownership wasn’t a requirement for voting in many states, and as a result Jackson won the presidency in 1828.
Jackson had a style of politics all his own which helped to solidify him as the “common man’s president” He fired many federal employees who he deemed to be corrupt or incompetent and instead hired people from his own party, many of whom were commoners like himself. Also, he opened the doors of the White House to anyone who wanted to stop by going so far as to set a giant block of cheese in the foyer where people could come and snack with him whenever they pleased.
Beyond the white house, he quickly enacted several reforms, which endeared him to his allies and made him the bane of his political enemies. His most famous reform was his destruction of the Bank of the United States. Jackson felt that a government bank was corrupt and favored only the very wealthy city dwellers that were lucky enough to live next to one of its branches. Jackson decided to wreck the bank and spread the money out into state banks that ensured more equal access to the funds. The ensuing battle sent the country into depression, but Jackson’s supporters lauded his efforts on their behalf.
To what extent did the Jacksonian period live up to its characterization as the era of the common man?
The period of time when Andrew Jackson was president was called Jacksonian Democracy. It was a time when the common man became more involved in government and when the needs of the common man were considered more by government.
During Jackson’s presidency, the common man was able to become more involved in government. In some places, the requirement of needing to own land in order to vote was dropped. This led to a significant increase in the number of white males who voted between 1824-1840. Another change that was made was that the people began to choose the electors to the Electoral College instead of having the state legislature do it. A third change was having nominating conventions choose the candidates of a party instead of having caucuses do this. This allowed party members, instead of party leaders, to choose the people who would run for office. Finally, the spoils system was developed. The spoils system is when a winning candidate gives government jobs to his or her supporters. Andrew Jackson was able to give government jobs to the common man. Thus, instead of these jobs going to the wealthy or upper class, more common people were working in government. Andrew Jackson’s presidency helped the common man a great deal.