andrew jackson

andrew jackson

Andrew Jackson’s election as the 7th US president in 1828 started a new era in American politics, economic development, and social change. Changes that took place during his presidency have changed the face of America for generations to come. Andrew Jackson was first in many ways:

- He was the first “common man” president who did not come from the aristocracy or a prominent colonial family with money, an expensive education, or  upper-class connections but a Western “war hero”. He also was the first highly combative president, claiming that he could understand the will of the         people better than Congress.
- He was the first to have his vice-president (Calhoun) and all his cabinet resign.
- He was the first to be nominated at a National convention (his second term).
-  He was the first to use an informal "Kitchen Cabinet"of advisers and the first president to use the "pocket veto" to kill a congressional bill.

        Born on March 15, 1767, Jackson’s military career as a General, which had begun in the Revolution and made him a “war hero” and an “Indian fighter”, opened him the way to a successful political career filled with contradictions. The major changes during his presidency include the power shift from congress to the president, the importance of the “Union” and the commitement to the national interest and welfare, the role of the “common man”, and the beginning of partisan politics. Yet, Jackson’s presidency failed to solve the slavery problem and set the country, moving towards civil war, years later.

The First “Common Man” President
      Andrew Jackson was the first “common man” president who did not come from the aristocracy or a prominent colonial family with money, an expensive education, or upper-class connections. During the 1820s and the 1830s there was an expansion of suffrage of white adult males. Many states, especially those on the frontier, reduced or eliminated...