Nutshell #3 "Old Hickory"

Andrew Jackson, known as "Old Hickory" for his toughness in battle, was the begining of a new era of politics.  All six of the presidents before him were considered "old money" men, they were part of the founding fathers and had their leadership role from hereditary.  They were smarter than the common man, aristocrats, that were well equiped to lead a nation.  A "New Democracy" was born when Jackson was elected in 1828.  He changed all these views and showed that the "common man" could become involved in politics.  He appealed to the common man, which was where the future seemed to be heading.  He made this clear to Congress in his first address in late 1829.

Later in his presidency, he was called "King Andrew I" by his opponents because he used his presidential power to its full extent.  He used his veto power twelve times in his eight years as president.  Up until then, it had only been  used ten times total.  He was also responsible for ending the national bank of the United States, that he described as a "moneyed monster."  He favored the state banks, however, the Panic of 1837 was a result of this action.

Despite all that Jackson did to bring the common man to power, he was not fond of American Indians.  He was known as an Indian fighter because of his success at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend and in the Seminole Villages.  He also was a part of the removal of 1838 American Indians in what came to be known as the Trail of Tears.

Andrew Jackson was the first president that represented the "common man."  His "New Democracy" was unpopular with aristocrats, but the majority of people were glad to have a voice in the government.  His opponents thought he overused his veto power.  He didn't like Indians and the removal of the American Indians in the Trail of Tears became a bad spot in his reputation of being a president that represented the "common man."

Nutshell #1: The Bill of Rights
Nutshell #2: "We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident..."