Describe the Jacksonian Era What were some of the highlights of this period - Essay Example

Topic: Essay, History and Political Science Topic: Describe the Jacksonian Era. What were some of the highlights of this period?Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) was the 7th President of America from 1829-1837. His policies had great impact in every segment of American society during that turbulent period of his Presidency. Arthur M. Schlesinger argues, “The clash of ideas in these years reveals, moreover, a number of characteristics of democracy in transition. It may help perhaps in building up a conception of the peaceable “revolution” by which our democracy has, save for the tragic exception, thus far avoided the terror of violent revolution.”(x) The vitality of American democracy owes much to the contribution of Andrew Jackson.

He was a creator and destroyer, but he destroyed to create! He destroyed Bank of the United States and left the nation without the financial authority to regulate and oversee the economic health. On the social and political front, he arranged the relocation of more than 90,000 Indians. He established direct rapport with the voters of the country. Though democratic to the core, he often worked against the mandate of the Congress, and he was a firm believer in the rights of the states.

But he knew how to maintain the sanctity of the federal structure of America when he threatened federal military action against South Carolina, when it claimed that it has legal right against federal law. The heritage of Andrew Jackson, as President Roosevelt said, is “his unending contribution to the vitality of our democracy.”(x) He was compassionate and he adopted an Indian child. He encouraged interracial marriages and left an inedible imprint on the American political and societal map.

Works CitedSchlesinger, Arthur M. The Age of Jackson. Konecky & Konecky, 1971