Jackson to Buchanan

The Jacksonian era is characterized by a burgeoning democracy that coincided with the growth of production and trade, and Andrew Jackson personified the raw energy of the nation during western expansion. By extending the electorate to include all white men—not just land-owners—Jackson sought to empower “the ordinary American.” His emphasis on individualism remains a hallmark of American society, but his legacy has been smeared by his decision to remove Native Americans from their lands. The federal policy toward Native Americans that developed under Jackson effectively enacted genocide, and it has dimmed his reputation as the “people’s president.”

In the late 1840s, against the backdrop of a dramatic population increase and mounting questions of citizenship rights for African Americans, Native Americans, and women, a wave of reform movements arose, setting the stage for intense partisan clashes.

───────────────

Andrew Jackson

Attribution: Henry R. Robinson

c. 1836

Lithograph on paper