Lately in history class we have been working on determining the true legacy of Andrew Jackson and answering the essential question, whether or not his long - standing reputation as the “people’s president” is deserved. We observed three major effects Jackson had on America to determine our conclusion, including the Indian Removal Act, the Spoils System, and the Bank War. The Indian Removal Act was essentially the banishment of five different Native American tribes from their homes. They were forced to walk a “Trail of Tears”,resulting in the deaths of over 2,000 of the about 16,500 banished Cherokee. This act only served as additional evidence to the fact that whites and Native Americans could not peacefully live together. The answer to the essential question based on this document is that Jackson was really only the white people’s president, and was inconsiderate of other races. A spoil system is a political action in which a newly elected leader removes people from their current government positions and gives the positions to supporters as a reward for their loyalty. Jackson was the first to instate this system and ended up removing 919 people from their jobs and giving them to others. One person he gave a very important job to was Samuel Swartwout, who eventually accumulates $1.2 million in money stolen from the government. This situation clearly exemplifies the flaws in Jackson’s spoil system. According to this document, the answer to the essential question is no, because Jackson displayed too much favoritism. The Bank War was essentially a collapse in the banking system in America. Jackson fought against the fact that stock was held mostly by either foreigners or very rich people. He vetoed a request by congress to reauthorize the bank, and in his statement he classified all rich people as predators to the average person. We were put into groups and made projects explaining an assigned topic, the Indian War, Spoil System, or Bank War. Our group had the Spoil System.
This is our group's project:
