Kaylee Sterling

P3
Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson, also referred to as Old Hickory, was elected the seventh president of the
United states in the election of 1828. In his life before presidency, Jackson was a lawyer, a
landowner, and as a thirteen year old boy he volunteered to fight for our country in the war of
1812. Andrew Jackson stood to protect the United States both before and during his presidency.
Everything Jackson did during his presidency was to protect the union and the citizens that lived
within it. By destroying the national banks, sending troops to South Carolina, and removing
Native Americans from the East, Jackson accomplished this goal.
First of all, president Jackson vetoed the National Bank of the United States, because he
saw it as an obstacle to removing the national debt. Jackson believed that if he dispersed gold
from one national bank to many different state banks, also referred to as pet banks, then the
money would be closer to the people. Jackson could have never predicted the inflation caused by
the overprinting of money in these pet banks, that eventually led to the panic of 1837. Jackson
also vetoed the recharter for the bank, because he believed it was a corrupt system that benefitted
foreign interests and stockholders more heavily than the common man. President Jackson, the
father of the democratic party, based his beliefs highly on helping the common man. For he,
himself, as a younger man was just a common southern man. The veto of the national bank was
totally called for in protecting our nation.

Furthermore, in response to South Carolina's threat to cede the nation, President Jackson
sent troops to South Carolina to begin the process of going to war. South Carolina was angry
with the federal government for establishing the tariffs of abomination in 1828. This tariff was
meant to support domestic production and Henry Clays vision of the American System, but
South Carolina saw it as an unfair and nonuniform tax. After hearing their complaints Jackson
passed the Compromise tariff of 1833 which lowered taxes on foreign imports. South Carolina
still rebelled against the nation, and acted unconstitutionally towards the federal government.
Jackson had no other choice, but to take matters into his own hands, and send troops to the
Carolinas to require force on taxes. Jackson grew up in the Carolinas. He had no biased against
them, and did not want to resort to using force, but as the President he had to make harsh choices
for the benefit of our nation.
In addition, president Jackson removed native americans from the eastern part of the
United States, to the west. This subject is extremely controversial, because morally it is
understandable that the natives were here first, but since they never directly claimed the land as
their own, we took it as our own. In respects of making sacrifices for the union, Jackson made
this decision to better the nation. The native americans were not considered American citizens
during this time period, so they were seen more as squatters on american soil. With this in mind,
it is easy to see why Jackson went through with the Indian Removal Act. Jackson removed
natives for the common good of the citizens of the united states, and to reduce debt by taking the
gold under the lands the lived on.
In sum, President Jackson was not the crude king the newly created Whig party made
him out to be. The whig party was a political party started to reform the bad things Jackson did

during his presidency. President Jackson did good for the united states with what he had during
the time period he was in office. By vetoing the second charter for the national bank, sending
troops to South Carolina, and by removing native americans from the east, Jackson stood for the
common man and for the United States.