Jacksonian Democracy

In 1824, Andrew Jackson created a new political party called the Democrats. Jackson won the popular vote in the Electoral College to win the electionn.

The contest was decided in the House of Representatives, with the help of Henry Clay they selected John Quincy Adams as President in what Jackson declared a “Corrupt Bargain.”

-Jackson was finally elected President in 1828. Jackson saw himself as a spokesman of the “common man” or the average American.

-Jackson's supporters were the “common people” – laborers, farmers, and frontiersmen. Many were just like Jackson and were Poor, White, Males who voted for him just for the fact that he was them.

-Jackson believed the government should be more responsive to popular needs.

- Jackson favored the “spoils system.” Supporters who helped in his election campaign were appointed to government jobs in place of existing officials.

-His opponents made fun of his choices and consistently referred to them as his “Kitchen Cabinet”

-Jackson greatly disliked the national bank. He thought it gave an unfair monopoly to wealthy moneyed interests in the Northeast.

-When he was re-elected in 1832, Jackson ordered the removal of all federal deposits from the National Bank. This had a crippling effect on the National Bank.

-Jackson ordered all funds be placed in state banks, which he felt were more agreeable to lending money to farmers.

-He refused to renew the National Bank’s charter.