Can someone explain the importance of Jacksonian Democracy to me?
The first thing that is of importance to establish is that there is a big difference between Jacksonian Democracy, and the Jacksonian Era in general. The Jacksonian era saw a great increase of respect and power for the common man, as the electorate expanded to include all white male adult citizens, rather than only land owners in that group. Jacksonian Democracy follows quite a different spirit though, as it promoted the strength of the executive branch and the Presidency at the expense of Congressional power. It is a very important distinction to understand that Jackson’s policies that he supporters which became known as “Jacksonian Democracy” do not go hand-in-hand with what was occuring at the time during his era. It is also important to note that Jackson’s policies followed in the footsteps of Thomas Jefferson. Much of what is attributed to “Jacksonian Democracy” really could be called “Jeffersonian Democracy”. The Jacksonian Democracy occured and went hand-in-hand with the “Second
I’m not an expert in this area, but Jacksonian democracy championed Executive power, and the power of the Presidency, at the expense of Congressional power. Jackson believed all white men should participate in government, not just an elite, propertied class. So it was a very “common man” approach, and expanded the electorate beyond landowners. This is not to say that Jefferson was for government by an elite class. He thought the yeoman farmer best exemplified the American “ideal”, being agrarian in nature and supposedly free from the corrupting influence of “money” (bankers, financiers, etc.) He thought national government a necessary evil that should be closely watched and kept reigned in. Sources: http://en.wikipedia.
