The Jacksonian Period of common man.

Essay by AzAzn264High School, 11th gradeA+, March 2004

download word file, 4 pages 4.1 2 reviews

The Age of Jackson must have been an exciting time. There were electoral scandals, Indian removals, bank vetoes, and nullification. Jackson was the first president from the west, the first to be nominated at a formal political convention, and the first to hold office without a college education. Jackson owned slaves, many acres, and a mansion; he was a frontier aristocrat. He was a fierce military man who had headed the campaign to acquire Florida, and he was seen as a national hero. The Age of Common Man included equality in economic, politic, and reform movements benefited the common people.

When Jackson came to power, the nation had been drastically changed by the Industrial Revolution. The simple, pastoral, agricultural lifestyle was being replaced by the manufacturing world, of cities and factories. On the other hand national bank became a major problem in nation's economy .Nicholas Biddle proved great opposition to President Jackson.

He wanted to re-charter the National Bank; however, many people were against Biddle's decision. This was particularly true of people in the west. They were still wary of a national bank, after the Panic of 1819, which involved mishaps in land speculation. Jackson shared the predominately western opinion that several small banks would be a better service to the nation than one, large bank would. A major problem with a national bank would lie in its willingness only to make loans to the wealthy. This would be of no use to the middleclass. Jackson would not allow Biddle to gain any more power than he already had.

Politically, the nation was in great turmoil. There was still an everlasting debate among men in power, over what should prevail. The right to vote was still a major issue, the middle class feeling robbed of power in governmental decisions, the...