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Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767-June 8, 1845) Democrat (March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1837) (2 terms) John Calhoun (1829-1832) 1st term Martin Van Buren (1833-1837) 2nd term

 Thomas Jefferson was not a normal president of his day, but a newer breed of officials who no longer appealed to the “better men” of society, but the common man who made up the new workaday America. During the course of his presidency, he never ran on a truly concrete platform, instead opting for whatever would win him the most votes, even if it meant rushing into a decision without proper consideration; an action that would later cause financial turmoil in the United States. Although he made many questionable decisions, he represented a new and now significant era in which the country would be ruled by the masses. Despite some good moves, he still was never anything more than the masses favorite, and was not the most apt statesman, earning an overall grade of a solid “D” for almost completely below average decisions and not delivering on on many of his promises. During his first inaugural address, Jefferson represented a more moderate Democratic-Republican exemplified in his statement, “In administering the laws of Congress I shall keep steadily in view the limitations as well as the extent of the Executive power...without transcending its authority,” effectively acknowledging that his capabilities were limited by other branches of government. However, in dispensing the powers of office, he often times ignored his limitations in events such as with the Seminole Indians and the Trail of Tears. Not only were his actions in violation of formal treaties and the Supreme Courts' ruling in //Cherokee Nation V. State of Georgia// with the Indians since the Washington Era, but it was also motivated for religious reasons. In his annual message to the nation, Jackson stated “[the move was]...to cast off [the Seminole’s] savage habits and become an interesting, civilized, and Christian community.” This kind of irrational decision to blatantly favor one group over another due to religion is unacceptable by any elected official, much less a President. This decision not only displaced the Indians, but also resulted in much of their tribes being destroyed while on forced marches westward. In addition, he took his own personal crusade against the bank, which blinded him to the importance it still had to the nation. While it was corrupt and Jackson was right to ignore the supreme court in //McCulloch v. Maryland//, he made a terrible decision in killing it the way he did. With the death of the bank, wild-cat bills flooded the economy, sending the country into a series of booms and busts. This mistake, followed by the blunder of issuing metallic money by the federal government, and over-speculation and over-inflation during the Jacksonian era, led to the Panic of 1837. Although Jackson entered with the good intentions, he ultimately fell short of in some areas, such as the integration of the Spoils System, which was received with mixed opinions across the country.  Jackson managed to push his agenda throughout both his terms, despite opposition from Congress, and attempts to usurp his powerr. Not only did partisan struggles divide the Senate, but also sectionalism issues such as the Nullification Crisis, which successfully alienated Vice President Calhoun as well as many other Southern representatives. While Jackson did not actually enact the Tariff of 1828, his handling of the situation was neither diplomatic nor effective; he failed at diffusing the situation completely, leaving the situation not satisfactorily resolve for either the North or the South, which eventually contributed to the Civil War. Jackson's relative unpopularity in Congress can also be attributed to his vetoes of popular bills. He also vetoed Clay's banking plan, which was supported by a majority of the senate. This opposition only distanced him from the Senate, while bringin him closer to the people.  The best decision that by Jackson's administration was the choice to “kill” the bank, despite the incorrect way that it was executed. While the power needed to be limited to prevent the bank from acting as an arm of the government the enactment of this was not carried out correctly. Jackson’s “quick and dirty,” approach to solving problems was not suited for the intricacies of keeping the economy stable while removing the single largest bank power from the economy. Despite this, it successfully established that the Executive Branch of government is superior to a private entity when it involves a matter of Federal expense - a key decision in today's society and allowed a less corrupt bank to be established. The worst decision made by Jackson was the treatment of S outhwestern Indians. The valuable land that Jackson gained was not worth the mistreatment that Jackson used to remove the Indians from the lands that had been formally recognized as their own in both landmark court cases and with formal treaties dating to the founding of the country. This was a blunder for multiple reasons: It resulted in armed conflict with the Indians, destroyed a civilization, and made it nearly impossible for them to restore their population to numbers seen before the Trail of Tears. To add to the problems surrounding the dubious legality of the eviction of the Indians, Jackson's was also motivated by religion, and he tried convert them to Christianity which is strictly forbidden by the Constitution. This decision went against the founding moral standards of this country, and lead to a a severe degradation of civil liberties for some members of the population.  The most important decision to be made by Jackson during his term was to deploy federal troops to ensure to collection of the Tariff of Abominations. This decision was extremely important to future generations, as it helped to ensure that the Federal government was superior to the states, and upheld many of Justice Marshall's rulings. Emotions were so high during this ordeal, that the leader of the South Carolina nullies (former vice-president Calhoun) was known as the “ “First President of the Confederacy”. These emotions, which were only multiplied by Jackson's decision to use force to collect the tariffs, were a major contributing factor of the Civil War; one of the bloodiest wars in American history that wrought significant destruction upon the south.  Jackson served as the usher of a new era in American democracy where the masses ruled, and personality and reputation and likability preceded that of skill as a statesmen. While he served a pivotal role in American history both as a general and a president, he did not do so with a dazzling display of aptitude at negotiations or policy, or even that of an average president. At various points he went so far as to carry out actions with questionable legality, opting out for support of people instead. Overall, no significant positive strides were made by Jackson, and he left the country in worse economic and social shape, with tensions between the north and south increasing and the panic of 1837 on the way. The lack of positive decisions as well as poor leadership clearly deserve nothing more than a “D”.

"Andrew Jackson." //The White House-Barack Obama//. The White House, n.d. Web. 10 Mar 2011. .  DeGregorio, William A. // The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents //. Fort Lee, NJ: Easton, 2009. Print."President Washington Inauguration Speech."   //Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States.// Washington, D.C.: U.S. G.P.O.: for sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., 1989; Bartleby.com, 2001. [|www.bartleby.com/124/].  //Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States.// Washington, D.C.: U.S. G.P.O.: for sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., 1989; Bartleby.com, 2001. [|www.bartleby.com/124/].  <span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">President Jackson's Message to Congress "On Indian Removal", December 6, 1830; Records of the United States Senate, 1789-1990; Record Group 46; Records of the United States Senate, 1789-1990; National Archives.