Introduction
The Age of the Common Men is known to be the period when Andrew Jackson was president. He was the first man from the west to become president in spite of being a Common Man. This was considered a new and different area of American politics that went through many changes. It was also different from all because of the fact that it was not the lineage of a person but his ability that can appeal to voters. He tried his best to be the part of common people but in reality, this was not true. He was anything but communal. Many of his actions regarding political, economic, and social issues led to the disappointment of many common people and women.
Discussion
Political issues
Andrew was the seventh president of America and his era is known as the Age of the Common Men, but there were many political steps taken by him against this motive. The biggest example of political failure is the introduction of the Spoil system. This system was introduced to remove corruption from the system of government. The political supporters of that time were given government posts to eliminate corruption. In the effort to do so, he brought his friends into power resulting in even more corruption.
Another political decision taken by him was in the form of the Indian Removal Act. This act was passed with good intentions. However, this also resulted in bad circumstances. According to this act, treaties were made and the land was from Native Americans. This seems to be right, but the wrong that happened in this was that the Americans were sometimes forced to sell their lands. The treaties were signed forcefully and people were compelled to leave their lands. They were sent out of the west without their will. The march of Americans at that time was known as the “Trail of Tears” (McCoy).
All these decisions show that they were made in the effort to achieve the right purpose while ignoring the fact that what is right for the nation as a whole.
Economic issues
There were many economic decisions taken to support the national economy but they also resulted in negative consequences. One such decision is the introduction of the tariff of abomination. This was introduced to boost the economy and industrial production in the North area of the United States. A high level of tax was placed on imported goods. This made Common Men pay more for the goods they could not produce in their own economy. This was done to protect jobs in America. Foreign goods were expensive for the public to purchase. This became the reason to bring outrage in the South because they had to pay a high price for the things that they could not produce.
From an economic perspective, the introduction of these tariffs resulted in a Nullification crisis. The region of South Carolina made threats to be separate from the union. The threat also included the point that will not pay the taxes. This law was declared void, no law, and null because people were.t wealthy enough to pay high prices for the things that they could not produce. In response to this threat, Jackson made a Forced bill. This bill was about making a threat of taking military action if South Caroline will not cooperate.
Another economic issue was the national bank. Jackson did not like a National bank. The bank issued a charter for the renewal. However, Jackson disallowed the bill which was considered as an abuse of his executive position. Not only this, but Andre also established many pet banks and transferred the federal reserves to them after withdrawal from the national bank.
Social issues
In that time of era, giving power and voice to Common Men was considered the best practice to help them. However, in trying to do so, Jackson took many steps that worked against Common Men’s interests. He was a man with some amazing qualities including simplicity, fearlessness, forthrightness, and self-righteousness; still, there were some things in his personality like anger and stubborn attitude that lead him to be a disappointment for Common Men (Pessen). It was not his fault particularly but all his actions lead to results that were not good for the national interest. All these things resulted in the formation of special interest groups. The turnout rate of voters increased.
In society, he was regarded as a controversial figure who played a role in dividing the nation. Not only politically, but there was also a cultural change and transformation where there was less to no self-expression. Many distinctions started in the era of Jackson. As discussed above, forcing Americans to sign treaties was not right and left a negative impact on the social settings. Jackson was a supporter of slavery while there was a group by the name of “anti-masonic” which promoted the ideals of an egalitarian society. The perspectives of both groups lead to problems.
Conclusions
All these facts show that the era of Common Men raised in Jackson’s time was a disappointment to many people. There were many issues from the economic, social, and political perspectives. Jackson tried his best to provide support to Common Men but his actions were not productive enough. He used force to impose his actions. In a few decisions, his political power was exploited to do some unnecessary things. All these mistakes changed his standpoint in general public and resulted making his reputation as “King Andrew”.
Works Cited
McCoy, Michael. Anxious Republic: A History of the New American Nation 1788-1848. Place of publication not identified: Kendall Hunt, 2015.
Pessen, Edward. Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1985. Print.
