Political Ideology and Voting Behavior in the Age of Jackson - Essay Example

Throughout the vast majority of American history, the Government has prided itself in being a government for the people and by the people. This notion entails mass participation in the governance of the country. This call for mass participation is at the heart of the democratic process and is facilitate through a systematic course of suffrage. In the beginning of this country's rich history, very few individuals were viewed as "qualified" to take an active role in the process of electing their representation. The quest for suffrage is one that has been arduously fought by many groups who were not afforded this right. It began with an extension of voting rights from white men of privilege to the "average" white male citizen. Suffrage was then extended to all men and subsequently to include all adults within the United States under the provision that these individuals are citizens of this country. At the heart of the quest for increased suffrage is the notion that the only way to establish a truly democratic nation is to ensure that all eligible citizens participate in the political process of selecting a representative. Many historians credit politics as practiced during the Jackson presidency with strengthening and advancing the democratic agenda by emphasizing suffrage.1 In order to fully examine this notion, it is prudent that some background information be given on President Jackson as well as his policies with regards to suffrage. First and foremost, the Jackson Era, often delineated as between the years of 1828 and 1837, represents the period in the history of the United States when the governance of the nation rested in the strong personage of President Andrew Jackson. The majority of all historical accounts depict President Jackson as a strong and aggressive individual who frequently resorted to bullying as a means of championing the causes of the common man. He has been reputed to have bullied the Indians, the national bank and the states. Despite his strategic and methodic bullying of others, he is remembered as being responsible for bringing democracy to the "common" white man and championing one of the most poignant and vigilant suffrage movements of all times. His great favor for the common white man can be directly attributed to his humble beginnings. He was a fairly uneducated individual who received formal education sporadically throughout his formative years but was successful in applying himself to the study of law for a period of two years. As a direct result of this, he became an excellent lawyer and gained acclaim. His fame and fortune were strong testament to the notion that with hard work and perseverance a common man can achieve success irrespective of his beginnings. This fame and fortune, however, was very costly in that President Jackson was greeted with great hostility by individuals fueled by jealousy. This jealousy resulted in the death of a man at the hands of President Jackson when he attempted to defend the honor of his wife, Rachel.2 President Jackson went on to become a national war hero when he led a brigade which was responsible for defeating the British at New Orleans during the war of 1812. Despite the fact that he did not win his first bid for presidency in 1824, his candidacy was historical in that he was the first individual to lose an election despite the fact that he amassed the most popular vote.3 He went on to become the seventh president of the United States. Since his election in 1828, he has been depicted as a democrat who has gone above and beyond to represent the common, working people with what became known as Jacksonian democracy. At the heart of Jacksonian democracy is the notion that the lion's share of the power to elect the leaders of the United States should reside with the people and not with the Electoral College or the House of Representatives. This notion was made salient by the 1824 loss he suffered when he won the popular vote and lost the election as a direct result of what he considered to be "corrupt bargain".4 This most disturbing loss fueled President Jackson's quest for reform within the electoral process. As a direct result, he began his quest for white male suffrage and a transformation of the democratic process wherein the majority of the power resided in the "common" man. Over the course of time, many individuals felt that they were denied their rights and the need for an increase in the scope of suffrage became apparent. In order to achieve this, it became evident that a change in the prerequisite for voting was needed. It meant that property ownership could no longer be utilized as a criterion for voting. For the first time, the contribution made to society in the form of tax paying was considered as a criterion for voting. With this came varying connotations of tax paying and a severe relaxation of the voting rules. Within this realm, even the most remote civic contribution would be seen as taxation and thus the criterion for suffrage was met.5 It became evident that despite the fact that the rules of suffrage were essentially relaxed, many individuals were prohibited from exercising those rights. Essentially, the prohibition was only applicable to the common man. This coupled with the fact that President Jackson felt that the needs of the common man was not honored during his bid for the presidency in 1824 successfully led to an expansion of the suffrage movement wherein a new political theory of human nature was developed. This theory, the interest group theory of representation, was developed to counteract the discriminatory practices of property-oriented suffrage. Under this theory, the qualities which were presumed to be inherent in property owners were present in the common white male. These qualities included independence, virtue and intelligence. 6 Pessen (1977) points out that an examination of the Jacksonian era is one that needs to be conducted within its social and economic context. Much of the politics in this era especially as it relates to suffrage was a mere extension of the social climate at the time. He is really poignant in his indication that politics does not occur within a social vacuum. The politics of the era in many cases occur as a direct result of changes in the perception of economic class and class distinction. In the case of the Jacksonian era, it became socially unacceptable to discriminate against a man by virtue of his lack of property ownership. Essentially, it was strongly felt that the common man should be afforded equal rights and equal representation irrespective of his economic status. This proves most important in that for the first time in the history of the United States, the rigid class barriers were being broken for the common man. This had implications for both women and blacks. 7 Seller (1991) portrays the Jacksonian era as one that is very paradoxical in nature. During this era, there was an increase in suffrage for the common white man while there was a systematic discrimination against women and blacks. Women [especially married women] were still being thought of as chattel while blacks were literally chattel and treated as such. He portrays this era as one which was very ambiguous with regards to suffrage. The ambiguity can be seen in the fact that democracy was pushed to the limit for the common white man while the politicians were subjugated to the will of the masses.8 The advancement of suffrage along with the constriction of constitutional rights was seen as being influential factors in the quest towards an increased democracy championed by Jacksonian democrats. In light of the advancement of the white male suffrage, the notion of female suffrage was called to task as the terms for suffrage had undergone a recent metamorphosis. When suffrage rested in property owners, very few question the gender limitations placed on the right to vote. This notion was made poignant by Colonel William Jarvis, a aristocrat who readily pointed out that married women simply "conferred upon their husbands, by the marriage contract, all their civil rights: not absolutely, . . . but on condition, that the husband will make use of his power to promote their happiness, and the propriety of their children." Based on this fact, women were precluded from owning property and as a direct result of their legal status, did not quality for suffrage.9 A logical extension of this notion, however, was the fact that unmarried women or widows did not fit this criterion and as such, they should be afforded the right to represent themselves as they were not represented by others. This notion gave rise to the women's suffrage movement and was very instrumental in spearheading the movement to establish that women were competent to vote. Despite the strong push for sufferance black men were deemed as not suitable for the right to vote in that it was felt that they lacked the three prerequisite criteria for voting as determined by Jacksonian democrats. They were viewed as dependent as illustrated by their status as slaves, lacking virtue and ignorant. In fact, many of the states had constitutions which specifically prohibited black men from voting. The first attempt towards black male suffrage was made in 1835, when North Carolina's constitution was clarified and the few free black men who met the general suffrage criteria voted. This action incited several debates in varying states which finally culminated with the adoption of the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States in 1870. This amendment guaranteed the right of each citizen to suffrage irrespective of race, color or having been a slave. Unfortunately this right was only symbolic in nature as many blacks were systematically and categorically denied this right. 10 After having examined suffrage during the Age of Jackson, it is prudent that we make the determination that President Jackson's push towards increased white male suffrage was instrumental in increasing democracy as a whole. It is interesting to note that a quest that was fueled by the perception of an act of injustice has effectively and efficiently led to increased suffrage for all. When President Jackson first sought office in 1824, he was defeated despite garnering the majority of the popular vote. This fact fueled a great disdain for the aristocratic bureaucratic political machine at the time. Operating with such disdain, President Jackson set out to impact systematic modifications wherein the notion of a government for the people and by the people was put to task. This involved the restriction of constitutional rights in favor of increased executive power as well as increased suffrage for the common man. In the long-run, a delicate balance was met and suffrage for all was achieved. One can say that Jackson did in fact pioneer the quest for suffrage. His motives might have been selfish but history does credit him with the increase in white male suffrage and a champion for the rights of the common man. In this case, one can make a strong argument for the end being able to justify the means. Bibliography Cogan, J.K., 'The Look Within: Property, Capacity, and Suffrage in Nineteenth-Century America', Yale Law Journal, Volume: 107. Issue: 2, 1997, pp.473-498. Cornell Law School, United States Constitution, Retrieved 17 February 2007 from The Electoral College, Controversial Elections, Retrieved 17 February 2007 from . Pessen, E., The Many-Faceted Jacksonian Era: New Interpretations, Westport, CT, Greenwood Press, 1977, pp. 255-257. Sellers, C. The Market Revolution: Jacksonian America, 1815-1846. New York, NY, Oxford University Press, 1991, pp. 202-237. Silbey, J.H. Political Ideology and Voting Behavior in the Age of Jackson. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1973, p.10. The State Library of North Carolina. Andrew Jackson-1767-1845. Retrieved 17 February, 2007 from . The White House, Biography of Andrew Jackson, Retrieved 17 February 2007 from . Read More