American History: A Survey

In many ways, populism flourished under Jackson. For example, voting rights were expanded to all white men of legal age. In the minds of Jackson’s supporters, democracy meant the right to benefit from the ever-expanding American economy, a right that in previous decades was largely restricted to wealthy people. Achieving this goal in an increasingly crowded US, they thought, meant removing all remaining physical and political barriers between themselves and economic success.

Jackson’s plan played out on many fronts. He hoped to reduce the power of the federal government, which he saw as an institution full of corrupt elites. He had some success in this regard, including disbanding the National Bank, which he saw as wasteful and unconstitutional. These acts made him popular among others in power who supported his views but did little to expand his actual influence among non-powerful people or to improve their lives.

Jackson’s most enduring legacy was his brutal treatment of Indigenous people. White views toward Indigenous Americans became even more negative throughout the 1800s. Although certain tribes, such as the Cherokee, were seen as “civilized“ and had some white support, Jackson faced little resistance when he decided to expel all Indigenous Americans from Eastern lands and move them across the Mississippi.