Danni Wang Mr. Lange APUSH Hour 5 3 November 2011 Andrew Jackson: Demagogue or Democrat?

By the 1830s, Americans saw the rise of a power-hungry leader, Andrew Jackson. Although Jackson exhibited many democratic tendencies, these tendencies spawned from Jacksons thirst for control. Andrew Jackson was a demagogue and his quest for absolute authority was evident in the Peggy Eaton Affair, the establishment of the spoils system, and the Indian Removal Policy. The Peggy Eaton Affair symbolized Jacksons domineering personality. Everything originated with the social shunning of Peggy Eaton, who committed a deed that was considered radical social protocol. Because the government was dichotomous during this scandal, people either sided with Andrew Jackson or John C. Calhoun, the conservative vice president at the time. In the end, the scandal involved the president and his vice president fighting viciously and ultimately and Calhoun was forced to resign from his position in office and marked the first resignation of a vice president. Along with Calhoun, many other cabinet members also left office. Eliminating Calhoun and company satiated Jacksons ulterior motive- Jackson did not want opposing forces that did not harmonize his opinions part of his cabinet. Calhoun already had a plethora of polar opposite views concerning the nation than those of Jacksons and his leaving in turn served to augment Jacksons influence and control in government. Jackson also exhibited dominance during the creation of the spoils system. The spoils system was a practice that involved Jackson drawing his friends and loyal supporters for his

cabinet. His vice president, Martin Van Buren, held similar beliefs, carrying the view that states should have rights. Additionally, John Eaton, the Secretary of War, sustained analogous views to those of Jacksons. Because his followers, namely van Buren and Eaton, carried similar opinions on how the country should run, Jackson viewed this as concordance; however, these loyal supporters were just henchmen that acted upon Jacksons vetohappy moments. Although experts contend that Jackson only replaced about twenty percent of his cabinet, the average replacement statistic of all the presidents, his motives for replacement were more personal and not for the sake of the country, as Jackson desired a cabinet that would act on his command. Its no wonder that citizens at the time called Jackson King Andrew because after all, his presidency did resemble a monarchy. Jackson used his presidency to pursue his agenda, much like what a king would do. Lastly, the domineering Jackson, in an effort to expand America westward, displaced many indigenous people, the main course of action for the Indian Removal Policy. This way, while America saw much more fertile soil and more land than it ever did, a surplus of Native Americans were oppressed, dying by the thousands when marching on the Trail of Tears. However, for Jackson, the westward expansion garnered more support from the people because at the time, the growing population yearned for exploration. In time, the common man would number most of the country, as the western population multiplied. Consequently, the common man would bolster Jackson and his democratic values, giving Jackson more strength and more people to complete his mass puppeteer work. Jacksons Indian Removal Policy created a domino effect that was precipitated by his obvious thirst for power. Although he preached that power should lie with the common man, his hypocritical self yearned for power for just one person- King Andrew.