Andrew Jackson’s term as president (1829-1837) began a new era in American politics. A man born in humble circumstances was now President for the first time in the United States history. Politicians in the previous generations gained precedence due to their family background, wealth, prestige, and education. Andrew Jackson’s election showed that a mans’ lineage did not ensure a place in office. Instead, it was the candidate’s ability to appeal to the voter. It was Jackson’s election that started the supposed ‘age of the common man’.
During his presidency, Jackson was recognized for his influence on the role of the common man and democratization of American government to a point. Many of his acts and choices including the Spoils System, Indian Removal Act, etc show this. Andrew Jackson considered himself a spokesperson for the common man. Jackson generally favored policies that benefitted the common man (who were mostly farmers) and was against interests of the eastern merchant classes.
Due to his support of the many ‘common men’, after he was elected in 1829, the number of the voters turnout sky-rocketed to about 80%. This was a great turn around for the nation due to the fact that in 1820, it only averaged 10% of all citizens voting (Doc D).
Andrew Jackson also showed his influence of the common man with his use of the spoils system. The spoils system gave government jobs to his supporters, friends, and relatives as a reward for working toward victory, and as an incentive to keep working for the party.
The Essay on The Spoils System: What Do You Think Of The Spoils System?
The “spoils system”, a system for appointing government officials, was first used by Andrew Jackson. This system allowed newly-elected presidents to replace officeholders with people who supported them. For example, Jackson replaced some of his cabinet members, so his cabinet would be more in favor of the decisions he made before those policies went into effect. Most of his cabinet ...
Jackson believed that most government jobs required no special skills and that his supporters were just as likely to be good at it as the people who had held them. This showed that basically anyone could get a job within the government without being prestigious or rich. Andrew Jackson had a strong affect on the comman man during his presidency. Although Jackson’s impact on the comman man seemed to be great and helpful for everyone, for many people, it was the exact opposite.
