Andrew Jackson

President Andrew Jackson was both one of America's most and least popular presidents. Many of his actions raised questions and presented a certain level of controversy. One of the most talked about events during his presidency was "The Bank War." Jackson vetoed the Bank of America while he was in office. It was his belief that the bank had far too much power, especially when the people controlling it were not elected by the American people. He thought that there were too few people controlling a branch with such power. Five  of the twenty-five bank directors were chosen by the governemnt; the rest were chosen by the bank's stockholders. The problem with this was, all the stockholders were either wealthy American citizens or from foreign countries. This was not representative of the American people and in no way represented the democratic governemnt Jackson was working towards. The wealthy stockholders would simply elect directors that would most benefit them, not the rest of the population.
While some agreed with Jackson's actions and reasoning, some thought his actions were undemocratic. The use of the veto comes off as undemcratic because the president is using powers that only he has. The over rules decisons that congress or the people have come to, just like a monarch might. Not only this, but, Jackson's actions divide the American people and cause resentment between the two extreme social classes. Following through with his actions and knowingly causing a divide between people within the country can also be considered undemocratic.
The question remains open, were Jackson's actions in "The Bank War" heroic and democratic? Or were they selfish and wrong?

The artist of the cartoon clearly thought that Andrew Jackson was doing the right thing. Jackson was a known war hero and in the cartoon, he is depicted as a general. He fights of serpent with the heads of the twenty-five bank directors. He is clearly being shown as a great hero. The bank is seen as a slithery, sneaky and corrupt serpent.

I don't believe that Andrew Jackson is the democratic ideal. However, I don't think that he  is the worst thing that ever happened to America either. I agree with his treatment of the Bank. It was too one-sided and corrupt. There were some instances such as the Trail of Tears and his treatment of the Natives that I did not agree with though. I didn't agree with his "Spoils System" either. I do believe, though that he deserves the "people's president" repuatation. Most of his actions were for the American people. "The Bank War" was definitely for the majority of his country. Even though kicking the natives out was morally wrong, he did it for his country and his people. The spoil system was the one outliar where he utilized his power in an inappropriate way. Even this, had its upsides. Despite the corruption that it had the potential to cause, the idea of changing people in different positions every now and then was new and had its upsides. Despite the fact that some of Andrew Jackson's actions were morally wrong, he, in my opinion, remains one of the most modern, cuttng-edge and democratic presidents, definitely the "people's president."