Andrew JaksonEssay Preview: Andrew JaksonReport this essayThe New DemocracyWhen Jackson took office many things changed. The Spoils system was put into affect. The everyday man now had a bigger voice, and for once in a long time the people; not the electoral collage or corrupt senators and congressmen ran the nation.
When the Federalists had dominated, democracy was not respected, but by the 1820s, it was widely appealing. Politicians now had to bend to appease and appeal to the masses, and the popular ones were the ones who claimed to be born in log cabins and had humble backgrounds. Those who were too clean, too well dressed, too grammatical, or too highly intellectual were not liked by the public.
Jacksonian Democracy said that whatever governing that was to be done should be done directly to the people. It was called the New Democracy, and it was a great idea based on universal manhood suffrage. While older federalist senators taunted and ridiculed the younger and humbler senators when the messed up these new democrats argued that if they messed up, they messed up together. The flowering political democracy was in part caused the logical growth of the open-minded ideas that had taken root in colonial times. More and more people understood how banks, tariffs, and internal improvements affected the quality of their lives. The panic of 1819, the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the steadily improving economy helped this idea nourish greatly. In the panic of 1819, overextended banks had called back their debts, and often, farmers unable to pay up lost their farms while the bankers didnt have to lose their property because they simply suspended their own payments, and the apparent favoritism caused outcry.
The problem with Missouri had aroused Southern awareness to how the North could try to crush their slavery once and for all. But the new democracy allowed the people (even the southerners) to really have their voice heard and they took full advantage of this luxury. During the Jacksonian era voter turnout rose dramatically, clear political parties developed, and new styles of politics emerged. In 1824, only one fourth of all eligible voters voted, but that numbered doubled 4 years later. Candidates increasingly used banners, badges, parades, barbecues, free drinks, and baby kissing in order to appeal to the public and get the votes. Now, more members of the Electoral College were being chosen directly by the people rather
The Electoral College as our nation’s political form of power.
The founding of the United States had a strong economic system rooted in the Federal government. As a consequence, a strong political system was rooted in the Federal government. The Founding Fathers held that the Federal government of the United States was the sole authority, whether it been State, Federal, or local. The Federal government could not coerce its recipients: Washington did it, not the Congress.
In 1813, the House of Representatives adopted the “First Amendment”, an amendment to the U.S. Constitution which permitted any person to join another state, or of a foreign military or naval power, in the United States. This would be the same power, since the President was not bound by it. In 1813, the Supreme Court of the United States declared that in the Constitution that the federal government had not to give full power to the states. The constitutional law was so simple, in fact, that it could be read easily by any person, including a Supreme Court. In the course of its judicial work there did be times when federal judges were removed from office because they had not followed the rules set by the Supreme Court, and some of these judges had to resign. As historian, I have seen examples where judicial elections were canceled after they had never been held for their integrity. They were not allowed; instead, federal officeholders were appointed.
Today, as President with less power (though his will remains the same), the federal government can still violate Article I of the Constitution (which limits where state legislators shall sit, but excludes all elected state government bodies). While President Johnson’s election to the U.S. Senate in 1823 was not just another attempt to protect himself, but a recognition of the power of the legislature, it was a political coup against the federal government. The Republicans attempted to establish a new system of taxation and taxation, so that the tax system would not be subject to a congressional coup. This would require the state governments to approve the proposal they had been considering. This was not done. As a result, the people decided that they were not allowed to be involved in political elections, and the state government simply repealed and replaced the electoral system.
The Congressional Black Caucus members were concerned that this would be a new way of controlling the political system. . They wanted to abolish the federal government’s role as a conduit to a federal government that was beholden to them. For instance, they wanted to eliminate the “tax” that the states received from the federal government when they took those state funds. They wanted to eliminate the requirement that each taxpayer with income above the $40,000 threshold in the state system have an income up to $150,00. So, because the federal government could not provide them with money for the state school meals for the state as a whole, the federal government was able to use every tax they gave to the state and take a portion of that money and tax it on the individuals with lower incomes. This is something that the states could not do now as a function of their tax base.
The Congressional Black Caucus also worried that this would lead to a more corrupt system of taxation, and therefore more direct control of political power.
In the House, The Committee to Prevent Judicial, Anti-Trust Abuse, and Responsible Oversight (C.C.A.H.E.A.R.O.), they said that the federal government violates a “very basic constitutional guarantee”: the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Congressional Black Caucus wrote:
Article I of the Constitution of the United States: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Article II of the Constitution of the United States: “Whereas in this present Commonwealth, under the United States Constitution, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Article III of the Constitution of the United States: “But as this Convention of the State of New York recognizes, by the authority of the Constitution and laws of the United States, religion may still be prohibited in the State of New York, when religion in whole or in part is admitted under it, or is expressly authorized by law to be admitted by Congress. It shall be the duty of all States to take advantage of this right, and do the same in every State, and to take the same precaution as in other respects.
The United States Constitution states
“…The rights of free commerce are founded on the belief that all men hold the same prerogative as property,” and that if such rights are established by law, it is no crime for the government “to take into control” such monopolies as are secured by statute.
The current system of taxation is in fact “the most oppressive and criminal system in the country.” Â The Congressional Black Caucus, in another recent piece on the U.S. House Bill 1123 , writes,
…The federal government is entitled to a monopoly over its own national affairs. Not all states and counties are governed by the federal government, but all have some form of State Government, which they do not control. Each State may be governed by a common government system, or by two independent local authorities, either of which are incorporated into one State, or of local governments, having the means of governing themselves independently of other central or local governments. Each county is free from government interference, but not all are free.
And we have this as an example of how the federal government is controlling our sovereignty, and what it does in our name.
The House legislation is a step toward eliminating the ability of Congress to control the government. It states
1. This section shall
The Electoral College was not only meant to protect the national aspirations of the people. In fact, because of the power of the Electoral College the national parties could vote for and support candidates they did not want to vote for, as opposed to the Republican Party. The Founders would have never liked to lose this power again, and the states would have had to change their law because of the Electoral College. In 1861, however, they were not opposed to this change, and to the Electoral College in 1865. This meant the party that won the popular vote in 1860 would be responsible for choosing the president for the first time