Considered common man, Andrew Jackson faced many challenges
during his eight years in office, Jackson juggled the Nullification Crisis, the
Indian Removal Act, the Spoils System and countless other affairs. Below, there
are several videos for you to watch and learn more about this esteemed man.
Pick three videos to watch and take brief notes about what you learn (this will
be first half of your post).
Then, critique Jackson's
presidency in light of what you have seen and read. Do you agree with his
decisions? Some of them? Which ones? Why or why not? Do you think that Jackson
would be elected in this day and age? Be sure to include specific reasons to justify
your critique.
The Corporations-
ReplyDelete-Jackson believed that as long as American remained a land full of self-employed farmers and tradesmen, our democratic system of government was safe.
-Jackson began to become afraid that the government would soon be taking orders not from the people but the ‘bosses’ or the corporations.
-Jackson became afraid of large corporations who could manipulate the economy and also manipulate politics, which would mean they were basically running the country.
-Other people completely disagreed with him and thought that his efforts to destroy corporations and banks would initially ruin the American economy.
Was Andrew Jackson a Great President?-
-The main question of his presidency was: What could he do to prevent these average Americans from being exploited by the rich and powerful?
-Jackson thought that by destroying the national bank, it would save the average Americans from being exploited.
-He believed that the bank had too much power and in a way it was running the government.
-Jackson believed that the bank’s worst sin was that it was funding new businesses or CORPORATIONS, which of course he hated.
-People thought he was insane for wanting to blow up the bank because the bank gave the paper money that people had its value. Without the bank, the money was worthless.
-Near the end of Jackson’s first term, Henry Clay and his allies passed a bill, which extended the bank’s charter. Clay thought that because vetoing a bill was considered ‘irresponsible’, Jackson would have no choice but to sign the bill or it would cost him the election.
What does America owe the Slaves?-
-Fredrick Douglas knew that slavery had been going on in America for centuries but he still thought that there was one person was the blame for the spread of slavery. That was Andrew Jackson.
-It was not surprising for Douglas to identify Jackson responsible for the spread of slavery because it was Jackson who helped form millions of acres of land into cotton plantation.
-Many slave-owners thought of the slaves as an extension of themselves. The owners often took the credit of the land they owned and the plantations they kept. (355)
(Sorry, my notes weren't very 'brief')
Many of Jackson’s decisions as president didn’t seem to reflect in a good way on the American economy in my opinion. Most of his decisions seemed poor and in no way helped America prosper. I think that trying to destroy the Corporations and the National Bank was the wrong way to go. Those businesses were becoming stronger in which helped America’s economy grow. I thought his method about slavery was morally wrong also. I understand that in that day and age, slavery was not wrong in some people’s eyes, but others disagreed. I think that Fredrick Douglas was right about Jackson being to blame for the movement of slavery in that time. He made cotton fields on millions of acres of land, (which of course was land that belonged to the natives before he pushed them out on the trail of tears) which would lead to needing more slaves to take care of the land. The worst thing about the way he treated slaves was that he took credit for work they had done and claimed it as his own. I am almost positive that Jackson wouldn’t be re-elected nowadays. If he still had the same principles and believed the same way he did back then, then there would be no way people would vote for him. Some people might still believe the same way about the National Bank and the Corporations, but I hope no one would vote slavery back into practice. That would be horrifying. (247)
I will say that this presidency has been one of the more interesting ones of the year. Jackson went into office thinking that he would change the image of the president forever. Well, he did, but in a good way or bad way? I think that the way the presidents functioned before Jackson was much better than his whole new way. Look at Monroe's presidency, he and his predecessors got much more down in the years they were in office than probably the rest of the presidents combined! (with the exception of Lincoln.) Monroe's presidency was a time of peace for the americans. It was even relatively peaceful when J.Q.A went into office. But then here comes Jackson with this whole new idea about the presidency and it screws everything up! I mean, WHAT HAPPENED? The president went from only being really able to veto a couple laws to basically doing whatever he wants! The times became even more tough, especially for the Native Americans. With his new idea of presidency, Jackson relocated not 1, not 2, but hundreds of Native tribes just because he thought that the americans would use the soil better than them. (Which I think it is a stupid state considering our use of that land lead to the dust bowl AND is effecting our forest's condition even today.) Also Jackson was able to veto any laws made by congress. Yes, Congress could override it, but not when Jackson said this: "Go ahead and TRY to override it, but I wouldn't EVEN TRY if I were you." THat's basically threatening them! I am quite surprised they didn't try to impeach or something like that. (278)
ReplyDelete~Indian Removal~
ReplyDelete-Jackson wanted people to own land so they had to move west.
-With one eye the settlers didn't notice the Native American, but with the other they did because of all of the conflicts.
-He thought Americans would use the West better.
-Cherokees embraced the white settlers' way of life by changing their clothes and making the alphabet.
-On the Trail of Tears people were treated like prisoners.
-Smallpox and other diseases spread, and over 2,00 people died.
-Jackson wanted to be known as the "Great White Father" by the Native Americans.
~Was Andrew Jackson a Good President?~
-The central question of Jackson's term was what he could do to prevent average Americans from being exploited by the rich.
-He wanted to destroy the 2nd Bank of the United States (National Bank).
-He thought it was a monster and it only benefited the rich.
-He thought the bank could control the American economy itself, and the political system.
-He didn't like how it funded corporations.
-People thought he was insane.
-A bill was made to extend the charter of the bank and it was thought that he would have to sign it because if he vetoed it then it would cost him another term.
-"Old Hickory".
~Reinventing the Presidency, Part 1~
-Presidents have an almost "mythic stature".
-The job of the president is to execute what Congress decides.
-Congress should be dominant.
-Average Americans can't make a wise choice.
-Jackson revolutionizes and reinvents politics, and people now elect the president and get involved.
-He wanted to be the most powerful president that America would have. (266)
Andrew Jackson's presidency was very eventful in all that he had to deal with. I do not really agree with most of his decisions, but I cannot imagine the pressure of being the president and making so many important choices. I think that the situation of the Indian Removal could have been handled better. I think that because the Native Americans were here first that they should not have had to move. In court it was said that a group of them would not have to move, but Jackson did not really care and moved them anyway. That is the biggest thing I would have done differently, but I don't like the way he dealt with slavery either. Jackson made a lot of big decisions during his presidency. (128)
Was Andrew Jackson a good president?
ReplyDelete• Jackson thought the bank was helping only the rich.
• Jackson called the bank a monster bank.
• He did not like that the bank supported corporations.
• He did not like corporations because he could not do anything to them.
• The United States was built on credit.
The Indian Removal
• The Cherokee made themselves civilized.
• The problem was that they were living in Georgia.
• The Gov. evicted them and made them leave with nothing.
• More than 2,000 died.
• Jackson tried to convince them that he was their “father”.
What does America owe the slaves?
• The slaves did a lot for the creation of America.
• Fredrick Douglas said Jackson was pres. Because of his slaves.
Andrew Jackson did a lot of questionable things while he was president. The bank conflict ruined Martin Van Buren’s time of presidency, because of the economic status America was in. The only reason Jackson opposed the bank was because Henry Clay supported the bank. The Indian Removal act was also a merciless thing Andrew Jackson did. There are things he did well; he put South Carolina in place when they tried to secede. I would have done a few things differently about the Indian Removal act and the argument about the bank. (211)
I think that Jackson was wrong in removing the Indians. It was their land and they were in America first. I can see how he would have wanted them gone back then but now days it would be like moving all the Hispanic people in Texas to Canada. The way Jackson changed the presidency was bad. He gave one person in the country almost all of the power. I did like the way he changed voting to the people, and the campaigning would get people more excited. Andrew Jackson might have been horrible to slaves but that doesn’t mean they can blame everything on him. Removing the Indians doesn’t mean it was his fault slaves had to work the land.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think there are many things I agree with Jackson about. One of the things I thought was good is how he gave the people the power to vote. If our country is a true republic the people need the right to choose the person who is to lead it. The thing he did that I most agree with is the Indian removal act, but I already explained that above.(191)
Reinventing the Presidency:
ReplyDelete1. The founding fathers thought that members of Congress should select the President and not Average Americans because they couldn't make wise choices.
2. Average Americans were expected to go along with whatever President should be chosen.
3. Jackson thought the Average American should select the President which revolutionized politics.
4. Jackson thought that the President was the leader of the U.S. and not just a member like the founding fathers thought.
5. Jackson fired Federal workers and replaced them with his own people. This became the spoils systems.
6. Jackson used vetoes as his weapon against Congress' descision.
7. Jackson founded the Democratic party.
8. Jackson started the tradition of making the President the head of their political party.
9. We now should prove our founding fathers wrong and choose wisely when we select our president.
What does America Owe the Slaves?:
1. Frederick Douglass blamed Jackson for the large spread of slavery and being a hypocrite.
2. Jackson helped transform millions of acres of former Indian lands into cotton plantations.
3. Jackson was surrounded by slaves all the time and believed that the whites should rule the slave because God put them on earth to work.
4. Slaves were the reason Jackson was successful.
Andrew Jackson did very many things that helped shape our nation into what it is today. He spread out the land owned by the U.S. with the terrible Indian Removal Act and invading Florida for President James Monroe before Spain sold it to us. He changed politics by introducing the idea that the common American should vote for his own president and not Congress. He shut down the National Bank because only the wealthy were benefiting from it. I have mixed feeling about some of Jackson's descisions because I agree with some and disagree with others. Jackson would most likely not be elected because he supported slavery and was a vicious man with a bad temper. I don't know this for certain though. It might be possible that the U.S. citizens of today would elect this friend of the common man even though he would do terrible things as well as good things for our country.(186)
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ReplyDeleteIndian Removal
ReplyDelete• Each new generation meant expanding west.
• People didn't really notice Natives until they were attacked by them
• Andrew Jackson asked the question who would benefit more from the land, Natives or Americans.
• Cherokee was spiritual people.
• Cherokee wanted to be harmonious.
• People of the Cherokee would go to a river and sing to it.
• Natives took Jefferson’s advice about living.
• Some Natives could take nothing except clothes.
• Americans took over the houses after the Cherokee left.
• Natives thought Jackson was their father until he removed him.
Was Jackson a Great President?
• Wanted to prevent the average from being exploited from the rich.
• Jackson disliked all banks, but disliked the National Bank the most.
• Bank was starting corporations.
• Corporations could make more money than normal people.
• Clay made a bill to extend the charter of the bank that might have caused Jackson to not be reelected
What does America Owe Slaves?
• July 5, 1852 people heard about the problem of slavery from Fredrick Douglas
• Douglas blamed Andrew Jackson for the spread of slavery
• Jackson helped create cotton farms in the land the Natives used to own
• Jackson thought there was nothing wrong with slave.
• Jackson believed the “blacks” were made to serve “whites”
• People talked the slave’s labor as their own
• People ask if we should pay the decedents of the old slaves. (224)
Andrew Jackson had many things that I would do opposite, but some things I would agree to. His actions against the people in South Carolina that wanted to secede were right in my opinion. I say this because he kept South Carolina from seceding, and made them keep paying the tariffs. The Indian Removal Act that he did was wrong. I don’t like the way he handled it because the court allowed them to stay, but he still forced them to move. This act led to the Trail of Tears and the death of many Cherokees and some Americans. The other act that I didn't entirely agree with was the act of closing the Bank. The bank closed down and caused so much trouble for Martin Van Buren and caused him to not have a reelection. I think that Jackson would not be elected today because of the many troubles that he caused in his time of being president. (159)
Some of the things I have learned in these videos are that Andrew Jackson is not the great president everybody sees him as. I do not agree with the choices he made. Some of my notes were that I do not like the choice to remove the Indians from their homes when they own it and we just walked up and said give.
ReplyDeleteIf Andrew Jackson were here today and was president he would hopefully get impeached right away. He would probably say to have slaves again because he did not want to get his shoes dirty. He had multiple slaves and did absolutely nothing involving work or manual labor. (110)
The Corporations
ReplyDelete~ Jackson believed that if America stayed full of self employed farmers and tradesmen the democratic system would stay safe.
~Jackson worried that the government would start taking orders from bosses and corporations.
~ He worried about people who was born wealthy and would advance their own interests and hurt other Americans.
~Jackson was afraid of powerful corporations that could manipulate politics.
~The bank war was one the most bitterest political feuds in American history.
Indian Removal
~The problem was that more people started to expand West on land that Native Americans were already living on.
~Jackson thought that the settlers would put the land to better use than the Native Americans.
~Every morning the Cherokee would go to the water for a blessing, and a man would sing a song.
~Many Cherokees took Jeffersons advice in change to European ways, but they were still kicked out of their land.
~Thousands of Cherokees had to walk the Trail of Tears, and most only could take with them the clothes that they were wearing.
~More than 2,000 Cherokees died from disease and other things on the Trail of Tears.
~Jackson wanted to be known as the “Great White Father” to the Cherokee, but instead he was known as “Jackson the devil.”
Was Andrew Jackson a Great President?
~Central question during his presidency was: how to prevent the average americans from being exploited from the wealthy.
~ His answer to that was get rid of the “monster bank.”
~He thought the bank only benefited the rich, and didn’t like how it funded the corporations.
~Clay and his opponents passed a bill to extend the bank’s charter, because they thought that if Jackson vetoed the bill people wouldn’t vote for him again.(289)
I think that Andrew Jackson made a lot of decisions while he was president, and really did change America. He did a lot of good things in cleaning up the issue with high tariffs and South Carolina threatening to secede. Even though he could have done several things different in that matter he did stop South Carolina from seceding. I think he also made some poor choices while he was in office. The issue on getting rid of the National Bank I believe was not very wise. Especially in how one of his reasons to get rid of the bank was,because he didn’t like the people who ran it. His decision on the issue of slavery and the Indian Removal act should have been handled in a better way too For the Indian Removal Act he should of respected the Native Americans, and went by what the courts ruling on the issue was. If Andrew Jackson was running for President today I don’t think he would have been appointed due to how much the views of this country have changed.(181)
-Indian Removal
ReplyDeleteThe Cherokee embraced white men’s way of life.
They learned to read, write, formed meetings, appointed a mayor.
More than 2,000 Cherokee died on the Trail of Tears.
Cherokee called Jackson “Jackson the Devil”.
Jackson was wondering who would benefit more from the land, the Native Americans or the white men.
-Was Jackson a Good President?
He called the National Bank “The Monster Bank’.
Jackson thought the bank had too much power and could control the economy itself.
Unelected people were controlling our economy through the bank.
Corporations made profit for their shareholders and could grow larger than an average consumer or worker.
-What Does America Owe the Slaves?
On July 5, 1852 Fredrick Douglas gave a speech about Independence Day telling about what the Fourth of July meant to a slave.
Douglas blamed Jackson for the spread of slavery.
The reason Douglas blamed him was because Native American land was turned into cotton plantations (for slaves to work on).
Jackson believed slaves were put on this earth for labor.
The key question to slavery: “Was slavery essential to our economic success or was slavery not that important to help the United States get rich?” (197)
When we think of Andrew Jackson, most of the time we think of the man who forced Native Americans off their own land. We also think of that man who had to have his way, who went crazy if something wasn’t going his way, and would do anything to get it. Jackson could have been an excellent president because of the way he could influence the people, but what he chose to do with his power as president didn’t really reflect well in my opinion. I don’t really agree with any of his decisions. Demanding that the natives go west wasn’t a very smart move on his part. Even when the issue was taken to court and the Cherokees were allowed to stay where they were, Jackson still broke the law by making them leave anyway. The way he viewed and dealt with the slaves wasn’t the best either. And of course the Bank issue was something that could have been approached in a different way. The main reason he destroyed it was because who was controlling it. I honestly don’t think he would be re-elected today. The way our country has changed so much, Jackson’s views would be looked down upon. Andrew Jackson made most of his decisions by who he knew and who he liked/disliked. Yes, he changed America, but in a negative or positive way, I’m not very sure. (232)
Just a few of my notes
ReplyDelete- Jackson disliked all banks, especially the National Bank
- Went against act and balances when he removed the Indians
- As long as America remained a land of self-employed farmers and tradesman the Democrats were safe
- Feared government would be taking orders from bosses
- Feared people who were born into wealth
- Didn’t like corporations because they were faceless
- Halfway noticed the Natives
- Knew whites would make the most use of Indian land
- Cherokee were a spiritual people
- They would put most Christians to shame
- US disturbed the Natives beliefs
- Took advice of Jefferson and formed to the whites’ government
- Still had to leave because Georgia was to be ours
- Even though America was the land of the free they owned many slaves
- The 4th of July revealed to the slaves how injustice we were
- Central question was how he could do to keep the average Americans from being exploited by the rich and powerful
- Called the National Bank the Monster Bank
- Felt bankers had their hand on the leaders in power
- Jackson’s opposers thought corporations would help America prosper
- Held a fundamentalist view of money and credit
I don’t agree with all of Jackson’s decisions, but I don’t disagree with all of them either. I agree with the Spoils System somewhat. I agree with it because it is wise to put your friends as your coworkers to prevent a disagreement and to make sure you have people that you like. But I would pick the person that is qualified for the job instead of my friend that is not qualified. But I do not agree with the Indian Removal Act. I would have left the Indians in the Southeast, or made them pay for the land instead of forcing them to leave. Especially after the won the court case I would have left them alone.
The Corporations
ReplyDelete~Jackson never disliked the rich, he even was wealthy, but he got his wealth on his own. He was worried about the people who inherited wealth from their families. ~He was afraid that Corporations would run the country if nothing was done. ~He thought gold and silver were “real” money and paper was “fake.” ~He thought the laboring classes
Reinventing the Presidency Part 1
~The Founding Fathers thought Congress should make the decisions. The president was supposed to carry out their decisions. ~ They also didn’t want average Americans to be able to select the president. ~Jackson thought the people should choose the president. ~He also thought that the president should dominate American politics. He wanted to be the most powerful president America had
Was Andrew Jackson a Great President?
~Jackson thought the Bank was giving the rich an unfair advantage. His supporters called it the “Monster Bank.” ~He didn’t like that bankers weren’t elected by the people. ~Henry Clay thought that Jackson’s veto of the new bank charter would not help him with reelection. {177}
I think that some of Jackson’s decisions were awful, while some were actually very smart. I thought that him allowing the “common people” to vote really helped shape America. People should be able to have a part in government no matter how much money they have. Then again, you have the Indian Removal Act. This was a very poor decision on Jackson’s part. The Americans just got really greedy and wanted all of the land they could get. The Natives didn’t stand a chance, they were so outnumbered. Their only choice was to go along. They were moved into lands that they had no idea how to use. I think this is totally unfair for them. I don’t think that Jackson would be elected in this day and age. Things in America have changed and some of his actions would be intolerable today. {144}
~Hey_its_Mo!:)~
-Indian Removal-
ReplyDelete- Jackson wanted people to own land, so the Indians had to move west.
- The Natives learned how to read, write, formed meetings and appointed a mayor, just like Jackson said.
- Cherokees called Jackson the “Jackson the Devil”.
- On the Trail of Tears, the Indians were treated like prisoners.
- Smallpox and other diseases were spreading. Over 2,000 people died.
- Jackson wanted to be known as the “Great White Father” by the Native Americans.
-Was Andrew Jackson a Good President?-
- The question of Jackson’s term was what could he do to prevent average Americans from exploited by the rich.
- He wanted to destroy the 2nd National Bank.
- He thought the Bank was a “monster bank”.
- He thought the bank could control the American economy itself and the political system.
- He did like how the bank funded the corporations.
- There was a bill made to extend the charter of the bank and Jackson had to sign it. If he vetoed it, it could cost him another term.
What does America owe the Slaves?
-On July 5, 1852, people heard the problem about slavery from Fredrick Douglas.
-Fredrick Douglas blamed Jackson for the large spread of slavery.
- Douglas called Jackson a hypocrite.
- Jackson helped with making more land into cotton plantations.
- Jackson thought there was nothing wrong with slavery.
- He believed that the blacks were supposed to serve the whites. (246)
I think that Andrew Jackson was a good president. Yes, I would change some of the things he did, but lets face it. We all make mistakes. He did a lot of good things in his presidency like fixing the issue with the high tariffs and South Carolina trying to secede. One thing that I would change about him/his presidency would be the Indian Removal Act. I thought that was just mean to move people, who were there first. What made it even worst was that some of the Indians could not bring anything, and that they were treated like prisoners. This act led to the Trail of Tears. Many Cherokees died and suffered with many diseases. I do not think that Andrew Jackson would not be re-elected today. The way we do stuff now is totally different than the way they things back then. (146)
All three of the videos i watched were very interesting. I watched the Indian Removal, Was Jackson a good president, and what does America owe the slaves. I think it was wrong for Jackson to move the slaves the way he did. Moving them was not the bad part, the way the whole event happened was the part that made it bad. If he would've let them keep all their possessions this story would not be as bad as it seems. Next, I do believe Jackson was a good president. The way he was a common man so he helped the common man was good for us until the Panics of 1837 and 39. Finally, Jackson along with most of America believed that the only reason that the slaves were on earth, was to work. America owes a National Free day to the decedents of all slave workers. We literally treated them like 3/5 of a person and they deserve more. (161)
ReplyDeleteAndrew Jackson made many controversial decisions during his presidency. The first video was about his hatred of corporations. He was always fighting for the common man. He thought corporations would be the death of the common American. The corporation he hated the most was the national bank he thought it was only for rich eastern people. Jackson also wanted the Indians to be moved out of the westward land so that Americans could settle there. People were also in debate if Jackson was really a good president. In my opinion Jackson was just as good as any president. He might be elected now days because of his fight for the common man.(112)
ReplyDeleteINDIAN REMOVAL, REINVENTING THE PRESIDENCY PRT. 1, and WAS ANDREW JACKSON A GREAT PRESIDNET?
ReplyDelete*To Jackson, it was clear who should own the forest lands
*Native Americans, such as the Cherokee, viewed the land in a very different way
*The Cherokee took Jackson’s advice, and yet they still had to go
*The U.S. government evicted thousands of Native Americans from their homes
*The Native Americans lost many of their possessions
*Voters were not called on to choose the president, as they were not thought to make good choices and decisions
*Jackson was the 7th president
*he thought the people should vote
*he had a whole new idea of government
*Jackson was the first “modern” president
*it was his goal to become the best president America had ever had
*one goal was to get rid of the National Bank, because it had too much power
I think that most Jackson’s decisions were good ones. He had hopes to change and improve the U.S. government. I personally agree with his want of state banks, rather than one national bank. I think state banks are more easily managed, and also portray the original idea of the U.S. government: no one, person or thing, should have ultimate power. But, I do think that the whole Indian Removal deal was a bit cruel and unmindful. The Native Americans were there first, so I think they should be able to stay if they want.(238)
Andrew Jackson was a great president who really was worried about his people. He knew what it was like to be poor because that was how he was born. He was a self-made man who had a compassionate side to his mostly rough nature. This can be seen when he fought against the bank to help those who were not rich. The bank would have made money for him, but he fought it so the people would all have a fair advantage. He wanted to have the power instead of congress being the main branch of government.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all that Jackson did because he did all of it for the better of the people. If he hadn't have cared for his people, we would have a huge monetary seperation between the rich and poor. The bank was controlled by all who owned its shares. This means that the rich made more money the more stocks they bought and the poorer the poor became because the rich owned the bank! I think Jackson was right for this. Jackson was a man of the people, just like he said he was. (191)
INDIAN REMOVAL:
ReplyDelete-He thought that one of the keys to having a successful independent country was owning private property.
-In light of that, each generation had to move farther west.
-With every generation that moved farther west, the natives got pushed farther west.
-No doubt who would use the land better, meaning the white men.
-Cherokee believed to be in harmony with nature, not to tear it down.
-Cherokee believed only one way to save their land was to take Jackson’s advice and adapt to the white man’s way of life.
-They developed an alphabet, learned to read and write, wore similar clothes, and even set up a form of government.
-They conformed to the settler’s way of life, but that wasn’t the problem. The problem was they were on “our land”.
-They could do nothing to coexist.
-The US government evicted them causing The Trail of Tears.
-2,000 Cherokees died.
-Jackson wanted them to refer to him as “their great-white father”; instead they called him “Jacksena” (I did not know how to spell that) which means “Jackson the devil”.
WAS JACKSON A GREAT PRESIDENT?:
-Main point of presidency for Jackson, “What could he do to keep the common man from being trampled on by the rich?”
-He responded by destroying the Second National Bank.
-He said it held too much power.
-The unelected bankers had all the power, which was unconstitutional to Jackson.
-Corporations were a problem for Jackson because he felt they were too powerful.
-Jackson supporters called the bank, “The Monster Bank”.
-Clay passed a bill extending the Bank’s charter, assuming that Jackson would have to sign it because a veto would look bad on him and he would have to run for second term soon.
WHAT DOES AMERICA OWE THE SLAVES?
-Former slave Fredrick Douglas gave a speech calling out America for calling itself the Land of the Free when it allowed thousands of people to be enslaved on its own soil.
-Slavery was an institution which had roots that went back farther than America itself.
-Douglas however blamed Andrew Jackson in particular for the spread of slavery in America.
-To him Jackson was a typical hypocritical white politician.
-Jackson turned millions of acres of Cherokee land into southern plantations.
-He wasn’t the only one to blame but he was the leader.
-He was constantly surrounded by slaves, but he never thought it morally wrong.
-Jackson thought slaves were put on the earth to work, and white men to rule.
-Douglas said that Jackson owed his success to the slaves.
-Slave owners often thought of their slaves as an extension of themselves, like tools they used instead of human beings.
-All of his “self-made” fame was really never self-made.
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Andrew Jackson was definitely an interesting man. I don’t know if I can say I agree with all of his decisions. However, I can say with absolute certainty that without many of his decision we would not be the nation we are today. Take for example the Indian Removable Act that was extremely tragic, but it was necessary for our nation to grow. I don’t think I could have done that, but if the Native Americans weren’t pushed west it would have affected the rest of our history. I’m not saying it was right, but it did have a huge impact on America. Based on the fact that Andrew Jackson represented the common man and the working class, I think that he would have been elected in this day and age. Most of America is the Middle Class and because of that it is safe to say that Jackson would have been a shoe-in for president.
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