Ethan+O.+-+AJ+-+FA09

=Andrew Jackson=
 * Political Affiliation:** Democrat
 * Dates of Office:** March 4, 1829- March 4, 1837 (two terms)
 * Vice President:** John C. Calhoun (1829-1832), none (1832-1833), Martin Van Buren (1833-1837)

Andrew Jackson is either loved or hated. He either made wonderful decisions, or perpetuated awful changed. A visionary, or a dictator. This is still debated even today. I personally believe, however, that Andrew Jackson deserves a C- for his efforts as president, specifically his overbearing "Kingly" ways, his response to the crisis revolving around the Tariff of 1832, and his handling of the so called Bank War.

Andrew Jackson's main goal as President was to BE the voice of the people, and to appease the people in every way possibly, since he was elected as a People's President. He was the first President from the West, and the second without a college education, but he was a military man. He seemed much like the people, however they couldn't have been more different, seeing as he was a rich land and slave owner, and the people he represented were poor laborers. He also wished to continue the expansion westward, as he was from the West himself. He accomplished this by freeing up territory from the Indians, and getting ready for more expansion. One of Jackson's other goals was to take the United States out of the banking industry, and he firmly accomplished this when he vetoed the bank's recharter in 1832.

Andrew Jackson did not truly even have a relationship with Congress, but it could be described as... bad at best. Instead of trying to reason with Congress to pass legislature, he instead enhanced the power of the Executive Branch by circumventing the Legislative in decisions. The only major legislature passed during the Jackson administration was the much-resented Indian Removal Act. Congress was, however, Jacksonian in majority in both houses for his all office except for the Senate from 1833-1835. Jackson however didn't like the three-pronged government and instead multiplied the power of the Executive, using his take on "Executive Privelage".

The most positive event of the Jackson administration is a tough thing to find. Through his many failures, he did deal with the South Carolina Nullification Crisis very well, however rough he may have been. The crisis erupted when South Carolina nullified the Tariff of 1832, flexing their State's Rights muscle because they felt the north was being favored by Congress. Jackson easily dealt with it though, by vowing to send troops to SC, and he said that their nullification was unconstitutional, as well as secession not being an option anyway. This showed his firm handle on a high-stress situation, however you could argue it as a bad decision considering he stressed his executive power again, but he averted secession, which is always good.

The most negative decision by Andrew Jackson would be a tossup between his stretching of executive power and the Indian Removal Act. The Indian Removal Act infringed on the rights of those Indians and was a cruel act. Cherokees especially had to fight for their land in Georgia and other states, and any Indians that didn't comply were killed. This was in an attempt to get land too, a greedy act. This alone could easily lower his overall grade, and be his worst decision. However he also stretched executive power to the limit. He overruled the judicial branch, vetoed acts at his own discretion, and didn't necessarily listen to the people. He also started the spoils system, which could be called executive power because he appointed those that donated him money and support him in the campaign, not those that deserved him. This ties the Indian Removal Act for his worst decision as president.

Jackson did leave a lasting effect on the United States, however. He invented the spoils system, appointing people who support you to cabinet positions, which is used even today in politics. His response to the nullification crisis averted secession, and also expanded the powers of the executive by far. He also veto'd the national bank, which ended up turning into a recession and large economic crisis at the beginning of Van Buren's presidency. He also set up the Indian reservations near Oklahoma that are still there today. He could be said to be one of the most influential presidents on the rest of United States history.

All in all, Jackson had an interesting Presidency. He did many things, but he too greatly expanded the executive power, and tried to rule the government as a monarchy to get a good grade as president. He also exiled the Indians in a very cruel act, their move known now as the Trail of Tears. These negatives from his presidency outweigh the positives, and force me to give Jackson a grade of C- as president.

"Andrew Jackson." //ENCyclopedia//. The State Library of North Carolina, 21 July 2009. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. .
 * Works Cited:**

"Andrew Jackson." //Miller Center of Public Affairs//. University of Virginia, 2009. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. .

"Andrew Jackson." //Wikipedia- The Free Encyclopedia//. Wikimedia Inc. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. .

"Biography of Andrew Jackson." //The White House//. The White House. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. .  Patty, Joshua. "U.S. History: Andrew Jackson." //AllExperts//. About, Inc, 2008. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. .