jacksonian democracy
- President Andrew Jackson served two terms, from 1829 to 1837. He won both the Election of 1828 and 1832. Examine the two maps above. What conclusion can you draw from the maps regarding male suffrage?
2. Based on the map to the left, can you explain how the Democratic-Republicans might have appealed to those in the south and west? What are some issues that these people might have been concerned with?
what is jacksonian democracy?
After the contentious and “corrupt” election of 1824, the Democratic-Republican Party split into the “National Republicans” (Republicans) led by Henry Clay and John Q. Adams and the “Democratic Republicans” (Democrats) led by Jackson. The Republicans favored a strong central government and an elite group running the country, while the Democrats favored a less powerful central government run by the common man. Jacksonian Democracy refers to the expansion, or extension, of suffrage to white males without property qualifications during Jackson’s time. This newly enfranchised group made growing demands on their government and started to realize the power they had through political organization. Jackson appealed to the “common man” when he ran in 1828 on a platform saying “let the people rule.” Jackson’s opponents called him a “jackass” for this and so the Democrats adopted the donkey as their party symbol.
the spoils system - "to the victor, goes the spoils"
Under Jackson, the practice of appointing people to government positions based on party loyalty and service rather than merit increased (“to the victor goes the spoils”). Jackson replaced government officials with people who had helped him get elected. This allowed the “common man” to have more participation and experience in government.
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