Jacksonian Democracy refers to the political philosophy of United States President Andrew Jackson and his supporters. Jackson's policies followed in the footsteps of Thomas Jefferson. Jackson's Democratic Party was resisted by the rival Whig Party. More broadly, the term refers to the period of the Second Party System (1824-1854) when Jacksonian philosophy was ascendant as well as the spirit of that era. It can be contrasted with the characteristics of Jeffersonian democracy, which dominated the previous political era. Jackson's equal political policy became known as Jacksonian Democracy, subsequent to ending what he termed a "monopoly" of government. The Jacksonian era saw a great increase of respect and power for the common man, as the electorate expanded to include all white male adult citizens, rather than only land owners in that group. Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Andrew Jackson (disambiguation). ... Thomas Jefferson (13 April 1743 N.S.–4 July 1826) was the third President of the United States (1801–09), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States. ... The History of the Democratic Party is an account of a continuously supported political party in the United States of America. ... The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. ... The Second Party System is the term historians give to the political system existing in the United States from about 1824 to 1854. ... Portrait of Thomas Jefferson by Rembrandt Peale in 1800. ... This article is about the economic term. ...

In contrast to the Jeffersonian era, Jacksonian democracy promoted the strength of the executive branch and the Presidency at the expense of Congressional power, while also seeking to broaden the public's participation in government. Jacksonians believed in enfranchising all white men, rather than just the propertied class, and supported the patronage system that enabled politicians to appoint their supporters into administrative offices, arguing it would reduce the power of elites and prevent aristocracies from emerging. They demanded elected (not appointed) judges and rewrote many state constitutions to reflect the new values. In national terms the Jacksonians favored geographical expansion, justifying it in terms of Manifest Destiny. There was usually a consensus among both Jacksonians and Whigs that battles over slavery should be avoided. The Jacksonian Era lasted roughly from Jackson's 1828 election until the slavery issue became dominant after 1850 and the American Civil War dramatically reshaped American politics as the Third Party System emerged. The executive is the branch of a government charged with implementing, or executing, the law and running the day-to-day affairs of the government or state. ... Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives President of the Senate President pro tempore Dick Cheney, (R) since January 20, 2001 Robert C. Byrd, (D) since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political... ... This article is about the history and influence of the concept. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total... The Third Party System, which began in 1854 and changed over to the Fourth Party System in the mid-1890s revolved around the issues of nationalism, modernization, and race. ...

The philosophy

Democratic cartoon shows Jackson slaying the monster Bank

Jacksonian democracy generally was built on several principles: Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1512x918, 372 KB) Summary Jackson fights the Bank in 1832 (1833 print) Licensing This image is in the public domain in the United States and possibly other jurisdictions. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1512x918, 372 KB) Summary Jackson fights the Bank in 1832 (1833 print) Licensing This image is in the public domain in the United States and possibly other jurisdictions. ...

Expanded Suffrage

The Jacksonians believed that voting rights should be more important. During the Jacksonian era, white male suffrage was dramatically expanded throughout the country.

Manifest Destiny

This was the belief that Americans had a destiny to settle the American West and to expand control over all of North America from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. The Free Soil Jacksonians, notably Martin Van Buren, however, argued for limitations on expansion to avoid the expansion of slavery within the Union. The Whigs generally opposed Manifest Destiny and expansion, saying the nation should build up its cities.

Patronage

Also known as the spoils system, patronage was the policy of placing political supporters into appointed offices. Many Jacksonians held the view that rotaing political appointees in and out of office was not only the right but also the duty of winners in political contests. Patronage was theorized to be good because it would encourage political participation by the common man and because it would make a politician more accountable for poor government service by his appointees. Jacksonians also held that long tenure in the civil service was corrupting, so civil servants should be rotated out of office at regular intervals.

Strict construction of the Constitution

Like the Jeffersonians who strongly believed in the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, Jacksonians initially favored a federal government of limited powers. Jackson said that he would guard against "all encroachments upon the legitimate sphere of State sovereignty". This is not to say that Jackson was a states' rights extremist; indeed, the Nullification Crisis would find Jackson fighting against what he perceived as state encroachments on the proper sphere of federal influence. This position was one basis for the Jacksonians' opposition to the Second National Bank. As the Jacksonians consolidated power, they more often advocated a more expansive construction of the Constitution and of Presidential power.

Laissez-faire economics

Complementing a strict construction of the Constitution, the Jacksonians generally favored a hands-off approach to the economy. The leader was William Leggett of the Locofocos in New York City. Jackson believed that when the government took a stronger role in the economy, it made it easier for favored groups to win special privileges, which was anathema to a nation run by, and for, the common man. In particular, the Jacksonians opposed banks, especially the national bank, known as the Second Bank of the United States.

Suffrage (from the Latin suffragium, meaning voting tablet, and figuratively right to vote; probably from suffrago hough, and originally a term for the pastern bone used to cast votes) is the civil right to vote, or the exercise of that right. ... This article is about the history and influence of the concept. ... The Western United States, also referred to as the American West or simply The West, traditionally refers to the region constituting the westernmost states of the United States (see geographical terminology section for further discussion of these terms). ... Pacific redirects here. ... In the United States, Free Soil was a position taken by northern citizens and politicians in the 19th century advocating that all new U.S. territory be closed to slavery. ... Martin Van Buren (December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862), nicknamed Old Kinderhook, was the eighth President of the United States from 1837 to 1841. ... ... In the politics of the United States, a spoils system refers to an informal practice by which a political party, after winning an election, gives government jobs to its voters as a reward for working toward victory, and as an incentive to keep working for the party. ... Strict constructionism is a philosophy of judicial interpretation and legal philosophy that limits judicial interpretation to the meanings of the actual words and phrases used in law, and not on other sources or inferences. ... Thomas Jefferson. ... States rights refers to the idea, in U.S. politics and constitutional law, that U.S. states possess certain rights and political powers in relation to the federal government. ... The Nullification Crisis was a sectional crisis during the presidency of Andrew Jackson that arose when the state of South Carolina attempted to nullify a federal law passed by the United States Congress. ... The Second Bank of the United States was founded in 1816, five years after the expiration of the First Bank of the United States and the chaos that ensued. ... Laissez-faire is short for laissez faire, laissez passer, a French phrase meaning to let things alone, let them pass. First used by the eighteenth century Physiocrats as an injunction against government interference with trade, it is now used as a synonym for strict free market economics. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Locofocos were a radical faction of the Democratic Party that existed from 1835 until the mid-1840s. ... The Second Bank of the United States was a bank chartered in 1816, five years after the expiration of the First Bank of the United States. ...

The historical era

Election by the "common man"

Though elected by the United States House of Representatives, John Quincy Adams was the first president ever to be voted for by the common citizenry, as the 1824 United States Presidential election was the first in which all free white men without property could vote (with the exception of 6 states). Issues of social class have been much discussed by historians (Wilentz 1982). For more details, see Social Class in American History. Type Bicameral Speaker of the House of Representatives House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Steny Hoyer, (D) since January 4, 2007 House Minority Leader John Boehner, (R) since January 4, 2007 Members 435 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party... John Quincy Adams (July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was a diplomat, politician, and the sixth President of the United States (March 4, 1825 – March 4, 1829). ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Social Class in American History has been an important theme for historians of the United States for over 100 years. ...

The Anti-Masonic Party, an opponent of Jackson, introduced the national nominating conventions to select a party's presidential and vice presidential candidates, allowing more voter input. The Anti-Masonic Party (also known as the Anti-Masonic Movement) was a 19th century minor political party in the United States. ...

Factions 1824–32

The period 1824–32 was politically chaotic. The Federalist Party was dead, and with no effective opposition, the old Democratic-Republican Party withered away. Every state had numerous political factions, but they did not cross state lines. Political coalitions formed and dissolved, and politicians moved in and out of alliances. The Federalist Party (or Federal Party) was an American political party in the period 1792 to 1816, with remnants lasting into the 1830s. ... The Democratic-Republican Party was founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in 1792. ...

Many former Democratic-Republicans supported Jackson; others, such as Henry Clay, opposed him. Most former Federalists, such as Daniel Webster, opposed Jackson, although some like James Buchanan supported him. In 1828, John Quincy Adams pulled together a network of factions called the National Republicans, but he was defeated by Jackson. By the 1830s, the Jacksonian Democrats and the Whigs politically battled it out nationally and in every state. Henry Clay, Sr. ... Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852), was a leading American statesman during the nations antebellum era. ... For other persons named James Buchanan, see James Buchanan (disambiguation). ... John Quincy Adams (July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was a diplomat, politician, and the sixth President of the United States (March 4, 1825 – March 4, 1829). ... For the party of Abraham Lincoln to George W. Bush, see Republican Party (United States) (G.O.P.). For the party of Thomas Jefferson, see Democratic-Republican Party (United States). ... The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. ...

Reforms

Jackson fulfilled his promise of broadening the influence of the citizenry in government, although not without controversy over his methods.

Jacksonian policies included ending the bank of the United States, expanding westward, and removing American Indians from the Southeast. Jackson was denounced as a tyrant by opponents on both ends of the political spectrum such as Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun. Jacksonian democracy had a lasting impact on allowing for more political participation from the average citizen, though Jacksonian democracy itself largely died off with the election of Abraham Lincoln and the rise of the Republican party. This article is about the people indigenous to the United States. ... Henry Clay, Sr. ... John Caldwell Calhoun (March 18, 1782 – March 31, 1850) was a leading United States Southern politician and political philosopher from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century. ... For other uses, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation). ... The Republican Party of the United States was established in 1854 and is one of the two dominant parties today. ...

Jacksonian democracy was also known for the economic Panic of 1837 due perhaps to policy decisions made by Andrew Jackson himself. Whig campaign poster blames Van Buren for hard times (1840). ...

Jackson created a system to clear out elected officials in government of an opposing party and replace them with his supporters as a reward for their electioneering. With Congress controlled by his enemies, Jackson relied heavily on the power of the veto to block their moves.

Jacksonian Presidents

In addition to Jackson himself, his second vice president and one of the key organizational leaders of the Jacksonian Democratic Party, Martin Van Buren, served as president. Van Buren was ousted by William H. Harrison. Harrison died just 30 days into his term, and his vice president, John Tyler, quickly reached accommodation with the Jacksonians (and, indeed, was expelled by the Whig Party while he was still a sitting President). Tyler was succeeded by James Polk, a staunch Jacksonian, who was the last of the true Jacksonian presidents. During and just after Polk's term, both the Democratic Party and the Whig Party were split by the slavery issue, with the Whig Party dissolving and ultimately being replaced by the Republican Party. Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... Martin Van Buren (December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862), nicknamed Old Kinderhook, was the eighth President of the United States from 1837 to 1841. ... William Henry Harrison, sometimes nicknamed Tippecanoe or Old Tippecanoe, (February 9, 1773–April 4, 1841) was the ninth President of the United States. ... John Tyler, Jr. ... The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. ... James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795–June 15, 1849) was an American politician and the eleventh U.S. President, serving from March 4, 1845 to March 4, 1849. ... The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. ... Slave redirects here. ... GOP redirects here. ...

References

Secondary sources

• Altschuler Glenn C. and Stuart M. Blumin, "Limits of Political Engagement in Antebellum America: A New Look at the Golden Age of Participatory Democracy," Journal of American History, 84 (Dec. 1997), 878-79. Online through JSTOR
• Baker, Jean. Affairs of Party: The Political Culture of Northern Democrats in the Mid-Nineteenth Century (1983).
• Benson, Lee. The Concept of Jacksonian Democracy: New York as a Test Case (1961).
• Bugg Jr. James L. ed. Jacksonian Democracy: Myth or Reality? (1952), short essays
• Cave, Alfred A. Jacksonian Democracy and the Historians (1964)
• Cole, Donald B. Martin Van Buren And The American Political System (1984)
• Cole, Donald B. Jacksonian Democracy in New Hampshire (1970), uses quantitative electoral data
• Formisano, Ronald P. The Birth of Mass Political Parties: Michigan, 1827-1861 (1971), uses quantitative electoral data
• Formisano, Ronald P. The Transformation of Political Culture: Massachusetts Parties, 1790s-1840s (1983), uses quantitative electoral data
• Formisano, Ronald P., "The Party Period Revisited". The Journal of American History 86.1 (1999): Online through JSTOR
• Formisano, Ronald P., "Political Character, Antipartyism, and the Second Party System," American Quarterly, 21 (Winter 1969), 683-709; Online through JSTOR
• Formisano, Ronald P., "Deferential-Participant Politics: The Early Republic's Political Culture, 1789-1840," American Political Science Review, 68 (June 1974), 473-87. Online through JSTOR
• Hammond, Bray. Andrew Jackson's Battle with the "Money Power" (1958). ch 8, an excerpt from his Pulitzer-prize-winning Banks and Politics in America: From the Revolution to the Civil War (1954).
• Hofstadter, Richard. The American Political Tradition (1948), chapter on AJ
• Hofstadter, Richard. The Idea of a Party System: The Rise of Legitimate Opposition in the United States, 1780-1840 (1969)
• Holt, Michael F. The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party: Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War (1999)
• Holt, Michael F. Political Parties and American Political Development: From the Age of Jackson to the Age of Lincoln (1992)
• Howe, Daniel Walker. "The Evangelical Movement and Political Culture during the Second Party System," Journal of American History, 77 (March 1991), 1216-39. Online through JSTOR
• Kohl, Lawrence Frederick. The Politics of Individualism: Parties and the American Character in the Jacksonian Era (1989)
• Kruman, Marc W. "The Second Party System and the Transformation of Revolutionary Republicanism," Journal of the Early Republic, 12 (Winter 1992), 509-37. Online through JSTOR
• McCormick, Richard L. The Party Period and Public Policy: American Politics from the Age of Jackson to the Progressive Era (New York, 1986)
• McCormick, Richard P. The Second American Party System: Party Formation in the Jacksonian Era (1966) influential state-by-state study
• Mayo, Edward L. "Republicanism, Antipartyism, and Jacksonian Party Politics: A View from the Nation's Capitol," American Quarterly, 31 (Spring 1979), 3-20. Online through JSTOR
• Marshall, Lynn. "The Strange Stillbirth of the Whig Party," American Historical Review, 72 (Jan. 1967), 445-68. Online through JSTOR
• Myers, Marvin. The Jacksonian Persuasion.- Politics and Belief (1957)
• Pessen, Edward. Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics (1978)
• Pessen, Edward. The Many-Faceted Jacksonian Era: New Interpretations (1977). Important scholarly articles.
• Robert V. Remini, The Life of Andrew Jackson. Abridgment of Remini's 3-volume biography, (1998)
• Remini, Robert V. Martin Van Buren and the Making of the Democratic Party (1959)
• Sellers, Charles. The Market Revolution: Jacksonian America, 1815-1846 (1991), influential reinterpretation
• Shade, William G. “The Second Party System” in Paul Kleppner et al, Evolution of American Electoral Systems (1983) uses quantitative electoral data
• Schlesinger, Arthur M. Jr. The Age of Jackson. (1945). Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for History.
• Schouler, James. History of the United States of America: Under the Constitution vol. 4. 1831-1847. Democrats and Whigs. (1917) online edition
• Sellers, Charles. "Andrew Jackson Versus the Historians," Mississippi Valley Historical Review, 49 (1958), 615-34, in JSTOR
• Sharp, James Roger. The Jacksonians Versus the Banks: Politics in the States after the Panic of 1837 (1970). Uses quantitative electoral data
• Silbey, Joel H. The American Political Nation, 1838-1893 (1991)
• Silbey, Joel H. Political Ideology and Voting Behavior in the Age of Jackson (1973)
• Syrett, Harold C. Andrew Jackson: His Contribution to the American Tradition (1953) online edition
• Taylor, George Rogers, ed. Jackson Versus Biddle: The Struggle over the Second Bank of the United States (1949), excerpts from primary and secondary sources online edition
• Van Deusen, Glyndon G. The Jacksonian Era: 1828-1848 (1963) standard scholarly survey
• Wallace, Michael . "Changing Concepts of Party in the United States: New York, 1815-1828," American Historical Review, 74 (Dec. 1968), 453-91. Online through JSTOR
• Ward, John William; Andrew Jackson, Symbol for an Age (1962) online edition
• Wilentz, Sean. "On Class and Politics in Jacksonian America" Reviews in American History, Vol. 10, No. 4, The Promise of American History: Progress and Prospects (Dec., 1982) pp. 45-63. [1]
• Wilentz, Sean. The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln (2005), highly detailed scholarly synthesis.
• Wilson, Major L.; Space, Time, and Freedom: The Quest for Nationality and the Irrepressible Conflict, 1815-1861 (1974). Intellectual history of Whigs and Democrats online edition

Robert V. Remini (b. ... This article is about Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. ... The Pulitzer Prize for History has been awarded since 1917 for a distinguished book upon the history of the United States. ...

Primary sources

• Blau, Joseph L. Social Theories of Jacksonian Democracy: Representative Writings of the Period 1825-1850 (1954) online edition
• Eaton, Clement ed. The Leaven of Democracy: The Growth of the Democratic Spirit in the Time of Jackson (1963) online edition

External links

• American Political History Online
• Second Party System 1824-1860 short essays by scholar Michael Holt
• Tales of the Early Republic collection of texts and encyclopedia entries on Jacksonian Era, by Hal Morris
• A Dictionary of Selected Jacksonian Writers
• Register of Debates in Congress, 1824-37; complete text; searchable
• Daniel Webster
  • debate, 1830 on nullification & tariff
  • The works of Daniel Webster... 6 vol, 1853 edition
• documents on Indian removal 1831-33
• war with Mexico: links
• Hammond, The history of political parties in the state of New-York(1850) history to 1840 from MOA Michigan
• Triumph of Nationalism 1815-1850 study guides & teaching tools