Andrew Jackson and Constitutional Ideals

Andrew Jackson

    Andrew Jackson held two terms as the 7th president of the United States from 1829-1837. He is often put in the same era as the 8th president, Martin Van Buren, who only won one term. They were both Democrats, holding the Lockean liberal beliefs of the party in their day, and they were both against the National Bank; however only one is often remembered today. Only Jackson has his face in our pockets and held two terms.

     Jackson wanted to emulate presidents before him like Thomas Jefferson, but he was never the most methodical type and didn’t always go about it correctly. As with Jefferson before him, Jackson's belief that a state-sponsored monopoly was unconstitutional, benefited a few wealthy at the expense of common citizens, and threatened states' rights, was why he hated the National Bank: he was all for following the Constitution, like Jefferson, in theory. It was in practice where he fell short. Overall, he did good for America by losing the 1st National Bank in an effort to stick to the Constitution. However, he was more tyrannical than many give him credit for. For example, he used his political power against individuals he had personal issues with, and fought States’ rights in the South Carolina nullification crisis to try to gain and keep more power for himself within the Federal system.

Martin Van Buren

     Martin Van Buren gets less credit and ultimately didn’t serve a second term, even though he too aided in the end of the 1st Bank and stayed true to the Constitution. This is where the Presidential system has some flaws. Van Buren didn’t remain president because he was too good, aligning himself with Constitutional rules. When he became president, he came up with a new banking system so that a new National Bank wouldn’t need to be instated. Aside from that, he didn’t do anything extraordinary; he stayed out of everything, minded his own business, and did as little as possible. By the standard of the Constitution, he was the best at his job out of every other president. He kept us out of war with Britain over the northeastern border between Maine and New Brunswick, and he allowed the economy to recover quickly from a recession without causing new distortions. Neither activity being flashy, he was too “boring” for the public, so to speak; they didn’t see any great accomplishments, so the more tyrannical of the two men was the most successful and is still today.