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= **Andrew Jackson** = = = March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845 7th President of the United States Martin Van Buren (1833-1837)
 * Political Party:** Democratic-Republican
 * Terms:** (1828-1832) (1832-1836)
 * Vice Presidents:** John C. Calhoun (1825-1832),

Andrew Jackson was a large symbol of the Democratic Party and a strong believer in ascendancy of the masses. Many of his decisions made reflected this belief such as the Spoils System, which rewarded political supporters with public office. His decisions usually pertained to the wants of the people but they did not always have the most positive outcomes for the country. Jackson used the powers of his presidency strongly, sometimes going against Congress, and vetoing more bills than any other president before him. While doing so he expanded the executive powers and created a stronger role for the presidency. Jackson had many supporters, but he also had several enemies, resulting in the growth of the Whig Party. With all things considered Andrew Jackson deserves the grade of a C for his entire presidency.
 * Thesis:**

Throughout Jackson’s presidential campaign he was portrayed as a frontiersman representing the common man. However untrue this may be Jackson tried his best to act as a representative of the people during his presidency. This goal was accomplished through many of his decisions, the first being the Spoils System. He also represented the majority of the people during the Bank War, vetoing the re-charter, going against the “best people.” Another of his goals was to settle the disputes with the Indian tribes. This being a large priority, he moved quickly toward western expansion. On the way establishing the Indian Removal act, which transplanted all of the Indian tribes east of the Mississippi. This became a success freeing the land for settlement and farming but was harmful to the Indian tribes. Another very large goal of Jackson’s was to end the Bank of the United States because of the amount of power he felt it had. He was able to accomplish this goal with enough support that he was re-elected the following term.
 * Goals:**

President Andrew Jackson and his administration did not get along very well, and most of the time Jackson took matters into his own hands, expanding his executive powers. This resulted in the majority party of both houses to be Democratic. Jackson vetoed a dozen bills and was the first to use the pocket veto; a bill passed within 10 days before congress adjourns does not become a law if the President does not sign it. Early on in Jackson’s presidency the Peggy Eaton Affair took place with one of the members of Congress causing much distraction and many issues within his administration. Jackson shuffled his cabinet around and replaced members if they would not do as he wished. He even abandoned regular cabinet meetings and resorted to discussing and developing policy with a less formal group of advisers known to be his “Kitchen Cabinet.” Some of the major issues that Congress dealt with were the nullification crisis, resulting in a compromise to lower the tariff, the bank war, ending the Bank of the United States, and western expansion leading to the Indian Removal Act. Jackson was strongly opposed to the American System and one of the pieces of legislation that was vetoed was the Maysville Road Bill in 1830.
 * Andrew Jackson and Congress:**

During Jackson’s presidency he never really made a decision that shined. With many of his decisions came disagreement from somewhere, as the country was slowly dividing during this time. However, Congress’s greatest accomplishment was passing the compromise bill which resolved major issues with the South and turned out to have the most positive outcome. When Jackson took his term as president he first had to deal with the issue of the tariff. In 1828 Congress had passed a high-tariff bill. The Southerners were shocked and angry by the tariff’s high rates, referring to it as the “Tariff of Abominations.” The South stated that the tariff was unjust and unconstitutional, also proposing that the states should nullify it. Congress attempted to resolve the issue by passing the Tariff of 1832, but even this small compromise did not meet the Southern demands. A convention took place in South Carolina, declaring the tariff null and void, also threatening to secede from the Union. Andrew Jackson would not allow defiance or disunion and planned to take military action. Fortunately, Henry Clay devised a compromise bill to lower the tariff over the course of eight years by ten percent. The compromise plan passed by Congress, was the most positive decision for obvious reasons. Although the entire issue may seem negative it was resolved in a way that was peaceful and met the needs of the South and Jackson. His persistence in trying to settle the dispute is demonstrated by the Tariff of 1832 which and then later agreeing to the compromise. Also, by agreeing with this compromise they avoided any military action and did not allow for anyone to succeed at that time, keeping the country united.
 * Most Positive Outcome:**

The Indian Removal Act of 1830 passed by Jackson was by far one of the worst decisions he had made. While it eventually cleared the lands for western expansion, the process was brutal and had large consequences. This act gave the president power to negotiate removal treaties with Indian tribes leaving east of the Mississippi. The removal was supposed to be peaceful and voluntary, but to those who resisted it was quite the opposite. Many Americans saw this law as an excuse to take brutal action and they protested. The removal continued whether Indian people signed the treaties or not. The Indian Removal Act was no doubt one of the most negative decisions passed by Congress because it not only resulted in the trail of tears, but also in wars with the Seminoles. Thousands of lives were lost in the wars and it cost the Jackson administration millions of dollars; much more than they had allowed for the Indian Removal. Jackson’s administration continued removing Indians, disregarding Supreme Courts decisions. By the end of the two year contract with the Cherokees 16,000 remained, all of which had to be forcefully removed, beginning the trail of tears where 4,000 Cherokee people had died.
 * Most Negative Outcome:**

One of the biggest decisions Jackson was forced to make was whether or not to re-charter the second Bank of the United States. In 1832 he vetoed it, believing that Congress lacked the constitutional authority to create it, but essentially he believed it was harmful to the nation. His decision was to the country's best interest and the majority of the people did agree. People disliked the special privilege enjoyed by private stockholders in a government chartered corporation. With the bank expiring, Jackson was convinced to rid the bank of its funds. He did this by instituting "pet" banks. Sadly, the death of the bank was followed by a financial crisis in the American economy because the "pet" banks had caused inflation. This was solved quickly when Jackson issued the Specie Circular which ended the inflation and land speculation. Overall, ending the United States Bank influenced the future in several ways. It first amplified the power of future presidencies and was also in many ways, a trial and error situation. From then on the government tried issuing new things such as state banks, printing money, independent treasuries, and other banking systems which have progressed until this day, where we have several smaller and different kinds of banks. The last thing it did was develop the Whig Party which strongly influenced future political parties.
 * Influence on Future:**

At the end of President Jackson’s two terms the country was in a far worse condition than at the beginning. Not many of his decisions ended up being positive for the people, besides settling the tariff issue peacefully with South Carolina. Several of his actions faced severe consequences such as the Indian Policy and the ending to the charter of the United States Bank. Many times he abused his power as President and did things out of his own selfish interests, resulting in a financial crisis, the Panic of 1837. Jackson’s behavior toward Congress, and the decisions he made earn him the grade of a C for his terms as president.
 * Conclusion:**

Work Cited ---

American President: Andrew Jackson: A Life in Brief." //Miller// //Center// //of Public Affairs//. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. . "Andrew Jackson | The White House." //The White House//. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. . Degregorio, William A.. //The Complete Book of// //U.S.// //Presidents, Seventh Edition (Complete Book of Us Presidents)//. 7 ed. Fort Lee: Barricade Books, 2009. Print. "Indian removal." //PBS//. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. . Kennedy. "The Rise of a Mass Democracy." //American Pageant Twelfth Edition and American Spirit Volume 1, Tenth Edition and Geoquest//. Alexandria, VA: Not Avail, 2002. 260-272. Print.