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UNDERSTANDING JACKSONIAN “DEMOCRACY”: A HARBINGER OF SELF-CENTERED PRESIDENTS TO COME?
By S.C. Burns
Most Americans do not understand the full hypocrisy behind the oxymoron, Jacksonian Democracy, especially as it emerged more clearly during President
Andrew Jackson’s presidency (1929-1937).
From the Native Americans of the Southeastern United States, to the
plantation slaves of the South, to the poor whites on the frontier and in the
factories—Jackson spoiled the American dream. His “kitchen cabinet” of friendly
but uninformed advisors was famous for receiving appointments as the “spoils of
war.” They were his pals who
supported him as an Indian fighter, during his election, but were not intellectually
prepared to be presidential advisors.
CLEARLY, this story starts with Jackson’s election campaign promises!
Before
he was elected, Jackson played the role of the self-made man of the frontier,
raising himself up from his bootstraps to grab the American dream—wealth and
fame—from the War of 1812 to the Indian wars, and plantation life. Old Hickory was idolized as the common man who, through strength, rose from nothing to become the nation's leader. The fact that he was raised in a middle class
family was quietly hidden. Don’t forget
that, at this point in history, the voting franchise had changed
dramatically. In the Early Republic,
only elite, propertied white males could vote, and thus hold office. By
the 1820s, the franchise had been extended to all white men, 17 and older. They
did not have to be literate, own property, be employed or even sober. This was the group to whom Jackson must
appeal, in order to get elected. To best
woo this forgotten man sector, he
had to identify an enemy to destroy. Sound familiar?!!
In Jackson's mind, that
enemy emerged in the form of the 2nd National Bank of the U.S.—the
bank which regulated lending practices.
If Jackson could convince the public that this institution was
unconstitutional and responsible for farm foreclosures on the frontier, he could secure his popularity
and appearance of strength, especially important for an election to a second term as president. (Voters, take note!) Why was this
important? Because many poor farmers on
the frontier were losing their farms, thanks to easy lending practices by the
wildcat banks. These banks (often referred to as Jackson's "pet banks") tried to
blame these foreclosures on the Second National Bank, which regulated interest
rates and required regular payments (like any responsible lending institution). Jackson fanned the flames of the fires which his “pet
banks” lit, in order to win the votes of the common man. So how did Old Hickory carry out this crime?
The
National Banks (1st and 2nd) were the depositories for
all federal funds. Jackson knew that,
without these funds, the bank would immediately become unstable. His first Secretary of the Treasury was asked
to remove all federal funds from the national bank. This man, Samuel D. Ingham
(appointed in 1829), refused to do so—stating that this action was
unconstitutional. He was fired. Jackson’s second Secretary of the Treasury
was Louis McLane (appointed in 1831). He
was given the same command, refused on the same grounds, and of course, was fired. This continued with his third Secretary of
the Treasury, William J. Duane (appointed in 1833), who followed suit—and was fired. Alas!
Jackson finally found a man who would do his bidding. His Attorney General (appointed in 1831) was
named acting Secretary of the Treasury.
In this position, Roger B. Taney
agreed to remove all federal funds.
When
Treasury Secretary Duane refused to do so, Jackson named Taney Acting Secretary
in his stead. Taney's appointment was never confirmed by Congress, but during
his nine months as Acting Secretary he transferred the Government's deposits
from the Second Bank to designated commercial banks.
Interestingly, Congress refused to confirm Taney as
Secretary of the Treasury. That didn’t
deter Jackson from saving his favorite son:
Taney
resigned when Congress refused to confirm his appointment as Secretary in 1834.
Two years later, Jackson, in gratitude for Taney's actions against the Second
Bank, appointed him Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
The immediate legacy of this
action was the 1837 Bank Panic, as one after another of Jackson’s “pet banks”
failed. Because of their lack of
regulation, these banks struggled to stay afloat by forcing mortgage payments
from unqualified farm buyers. AGAIN, sound familiar? As farms were foreclosed upon, banks folded
as well, and this scenario repeated itself.
For the remainder of the 19th century, cycles of recession
and depression occurred. In the 1890s,
wealthy financier J.P. Morgan loaned moneys to the federal government to secure
stability. When he passed away in 1913,
the federal government established the Federal Reserve. What was its role? To stabilize and regulate lending practices!
That is not the end of the Jackson/Taney story,
however. Neither Jackson nor Taney would
be deterred by law and precedent! Taney
would go on to make many famous rulings, including the 1857 Dred
Scott decision—which informed Dred and his wife, Harriet Scott, that
all slaves were property of their masters and mistresses. Whether they were in slave or free territory,
they were property. As property, they
were not citizens, and could never file a suit or testify against their owners—or
any white person. This is the precedent
upon which Lincoln and Douglas conducted their famous debates. Now, back to another of Jackson’s
unconstitutional legacies (dark spots) on U.S. History
The Native Americans of the western hemisphere were
constantly destroyed by bacteria, viruses and bullets by the various Europeans
who invaded their territories. After the
United States was firmly established by the 1787 Constitution, those that
remained in the Southeastern United States were eventually given a new
promise. The men they called the “great white fathers,” Presidents Washington
and Jefferson, promised them that their best course would be to accustom
themselves to the idea of private land ownership, and also assimilate to white
ways. If they would dress, talk and
educate themselves in the ways of the white man, they would be secure in
holding onto their native lands. The
five civilized tribes of the Southeast (Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, Cherokee and
Seminole) followed their advice. The
Cherokee did this so well that they became very wealthy in the state of
Georgia, building great plantations, owning slaves to assist them. They not only went to mission schools to
speak, read and write English, but Sequoyah secured the preservation of the Cherokee language by
establishing an alphabetical method for writing that language. Their Cherokee
constitution mirrored that of the United States. The Cherokee fulfilled their part of the
bargain, and were eventually declared a “nation within a nation,” by the
Supreme Court ruling of the Marshall court.
The following is in response to Jackson’s 1830 Indian Removal Act:
1831: Supreme Court rules
Indian nations not subject to state law
The second of three
court cases (the “Marshall Trilogy”) that become the foundation of American
Indian law is decided. The case involves whether state law can apply to a Native
nation. In Georgia, the state has been steadily moving onto Cherokee Nation
lands, trying to impose state laws on the tribe. Despite Cherokee efforts to
halt these acts, Georgia refuses to stop. In Cherokee Nation v. Georgia,
Chief Justice John Marshall finds that the Cherokee Nation is not a foreign
nation as originally defined under the U.S. Constitution’s Commerce Clause but
is instead a “domestic dependent nation,” under the protection of the federal
government. State laws therefore cannot be imposed on the tribe.
Did that deter Jackson from removing these natives,
especially after gold was discovered on Cherokee lands? Absolutely not! The
Indian Removal Act of 1830 would be carried out, in spite of the Supreme Court
ruling. Poor white men were still
looking for fertile lands upon which to build their American dream, and these
“five civilized tribes” were targeted. The
first to be removed were the Choctaw tribe.
One of their chiefs described their trip (to a newspaper journalist) as
a “Trail of Tears.”
A
Choctaw miko (chief) was quoted by the Arkansas Gazette that the removal was a "trail of tears and
death." After removal the Choctaws became three distinct groups, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Jena Band of Choctaw Indians, and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw
Indians.
By this Indian Removal Act, Jackson broke all former
treaties with the Native Americans of the Southeastern United States, and
defied the Supreme Court as well. Was
this constitutional? Absolutely
not. It is the story of an American
president grabbing power, outside of his job description—not being taken to
task by Congress or the American people!
Congress enabled the president to go beyond the bounds of his executive
powers:
The Indian Removal Act of 1830
authorized Pres. Andrew Jackson to
accelerate the westward movement of
Europeans by relocating Indian tribes to unsettled land west of the Mississippi River. While the act
had explicitly provided for the purchase of land from willing parties, the
Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole had little desire to leave
their established communities to begin
anew beyond the frontier. When faced with forced removal, the Cherokee used the
American federal court system to press their claims against the state of Georgia. Although the Supreme Courttwice ruled in
favour of the Cherokee nation, Georgia ignored the ruling, and Jackson is said
to have declared privately, “[Chief Justice] John Marshall has made
his decision, now let him enforce it.”
By 1839, the majority of these five civilized tribes had
been marched along this trail, through freezing cold weather, hot weather,
exposed to the elements, thousands dying along the route to Oklahoma.
Is
it any wonder that historians continually warn Americans about the dangers of HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF? We
are appalled, frightened, disgusted beyond belief that the American
populace—through the people we elect—will not learn from history. To state that Jackson’s actions impacted
the economy for decades to come is not an overstatement. Neither is it an overstatement to warn
Americans to wake up, read the new tax bill, and become aware of how Congress
tends to vote on their own behalf—not in the interests of the American people. The
U.S. and world economies, the environment and the future of our planet all depend upon every
American becoming alert, engaged and responsive to the dangers immediately
facing us.
