Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Mr. Gillard
AP US History
27 October 2006
#1 DBQ
While Andrew Jackson was president, he acquired a group of followers whom
called themselves the “Jacksonian Democrats.” They believed that they were the guardi
ans of the Constitution of the United States and of everything came with it; political
democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic opportunity. Though they did
have some successes in that claim, they still failed in other instances.
The “Jacksonian Democrats” viewed themselves as protectors of the Constitution.
When Jackson veto’s the national bank, he gives a valid explanation for his actions, say
ing that the stock was being held in the hands of foreigners and the upper class (doc B).
Jackson believed that the bank was not helping the lower classes, so he sought to do so,
and his followers supported him.
Not everyone agreed with the vetoing of the national bank, though. Daniel Web
ster was one of the people whom disagreed. In his reply to the veto (doc C), he clearly
disagreed when he accused Jackson of trying to turn the poor against the rich. He dis
agreed with Jackson on every level about the vetoing of the bank.
Though a number of people disagreed with the president’s actions, Harriet Mar
tineau was pleasantly surprised with the country when she wrote about it in Society in
America (doc D). She believed that the people of America were quite comfortable with
how the Jackson was running the country at the time she was there. She noted that there
was no poverty or ignorance, which helped to prove that Jacksonian Democrats were, in
fact, being successful in their selfproclaimed job.
Just because Martineau was happy with what the president was doing and had
done, didn’t mean that people like Daniel Webster still opposed him. Philip Hone was one
of those people (doc E). He wrote about the things Martineau didn’t. Hone wrote about ri
ots in certain cities and tried to discredit the president with accusing him of spreading
poverty and violence throughout the country.
The Jacksonian Democrats tried to safeguard the people of America, and in cer
tain cases, succeeded, but in other cases, they failed. Things still happened that were
against what the Jacksonian Democrats were trying to accomplish, no matter how hard
the tried.