Jackson DBQ

	In the 1820s and 1830s, The Jacksonian democrats rose to power, finally gaining the presidency in March 1829. The Jacksonians were made up of a wide base of support, and thus had a plethora of views, many of which were contradictory. The only thing common among the party was the liking of Andrew Jackson who, himself was a man of contradictions. On one hand Jackson was against the National bank, as it was not one of the powers allowed by the constitution, and on another hand, Jackson was against the idea of nullification as in the case of the attempt by South Carolina to nullify a tariff that hurt it economically, when nullification should be spelled out by the tenth amendment. Though despite all of these differences, the typical Jacksonian thought of themself as a defender of the United States Constitution and individual liberty, and a champion of political democracy and equal economic opportunity.
	Jacksonians were believed to be strong defenders of the constitution, and their primary target was the unconstitutional National Bank. Jacksonians were against the bank because there was no clause in the constitution that specifically allows for it's creation. Jackson himself however, despite this clever argument, was against the bank more because of his personal dislike for it's president Nicolas Biddle, than for the actual constitutionality of it. Jacksonians would also champion free speech, though in the case of document F, Jackson himself would support the resolutions as he himself was an owner of over one hundred slaves. As such, it is hard to tell which side the typical Jacksonian would fall on.
	Jacksonians believed themselves to be protectors of political democracy, and in truth, Jackson was able to capitalize on the large surge of new voters that came with the elimination of property as a requirement to vote. Some foreigners were inclined to agree that Jacksonians protected political democracy, such as Harriet Martineau; author of document D, who claimed that every man was independent, and that the people were judging political office candidates on hard issues. The Political opponents of the Jacksonians, the Whigs, describe a different picture however. The accounts of document E tell of the conflicts that have come up between the majority and minority of the country including a riot between the irish and other americans, as well as open hostility to blacks and people of darker than white skin. Though Jackson did capitalize on the surge of new voters, only white males could vote, to the exclusion of women and people of color. Thus, despite the claim of defense of political democracy, the jacksonians were unable to extend the vote to anyone not already able to.
	Many Jacksonians were in support of individual liberties, and believed that they should be secured by constitutional means. The rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness were at the core of many political parties, including the Jacksonian democrats and the Working Men's Party. Despite this belief however, many people had no problem violating the rights of Native Americans in order to be able to obtain their land such as those of document G. The Cherokee were a prime example of the hypocrisy of Jacksonians, as they followed all of the rules set up by the government in order to retain their land, and still were moved. The Cherokee took their case to the supreme court, which ruled in their favor, and Jackson still portrayed them as savages and had them relocated to Oklahoma by way of the trail of tears. Jackson's famous hatred for Native Americans was very personal, and part of his fame was for his fighting the "savage" Native Americans, and he, like many typical Jacksonians, was willing to compromise their beliefs for personal prejudice and gain.
	Jackson and his followers were avid supporters of equal economic opportunity. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney was a known supporter of Jackson, and in Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge ruled that the owners of the Charles River Bridge could build their bridge and collect a toll, so long as the ability of other companies to build their own bridges wasn't infringed upon, which upholds the belief in equal economic opportunity. Harriet Martineau commented on America stating that every man in the rural areas owned their own land. Jackson himself however seemed to contradict the ideals of his party. When Jackson dismantled the National bank, he did not distribute the money evenly between all state banks, instead giving money only to his pet banks that supported him in the election. Jackson also supported an increased tariff, which benefited the northern manufacturing industries, but hurt the south, which relied heavily on foreign importation of manufactured goods. Though he withdrew his support for the tariff eventually, he was able to pass the force bill in it's stead, which allowed federal troops to collect duties owed by the states for tariffs.
	The Jacksonian democrats believed themselves to be defenders of the constitution, political and economic freedom, and individual liberty. Their beliefs however put them at odds with their one commonality: Andrew Jackson, and in many cases each other. The fact that so many people considered themselves Jacksonians makes it difficult to define any one Jacksonian's beliefs as typical, as is the case with any diverse group of people. Jackson, like many politicians didn't always follow his beliefs, and as such, even he couldn't be classified as a typical Jacksonian. With such a diverse group of individual thinkers like that of the Jacksonians, the only typical belief is the liking of Jackson.