Jacksonian Democracy Essays -- essays research papers

Jacksonian Democracy and the Bank WarOne of the things that made Andrew Jackson unique and contributed to the style and tone of the new political ripen was his commitment to the idea of democracy. By democracy, Jackson meant majoritarian rule. The people are the government, he said, administering it by their agents they are the Government, the sovereign power. In his message to coitus he announced his creed The majority is to govern, he declared and he repeated this commitment at every opportunity. He felt that the electorate should select every its officials in Washington, starting with the President. Jackson advocated a single term of either four or six years for the chief executive and he proposed this wobble to Congress. Jackson also felt that Senators should be elected to four-year terms by the people, non by the state legislatures. He would even have the electorate select its federal official judges for terms of seven years which indicated his commitment to revolution of office as a means of democratizing the government. (Schlesinger pp.314, 402-406) Jacksons argument for the principle of rotation of office was the argument of democracy. Offices exist to serve the people, no one has a special claim to office, and there are no elites, therefore, removal from office is not intrinsically wrong. So when the people elect a new President, it is only right that he be given the opportu...