Jacksonian Democracy
...her tariff rates in order to keep New England industries from becoming too powerful. The Northerners believed they needed this protection for their new industries because, like a small child, they (the industries) weren’t mature enough in order to support themselves. On the other hand, Southerners didn’t want this protection because it would increase the cost of imports and because it made it more difficult for foreigners to buy American goods because the Europeans would have no profit from selling their goods, due to the tariff. In order to get rid of the tariff, South Carolina voted that the tariff would be nullified. However, by doing this, South Carolina presented a large threat to the sanctity of the national government. Jackson avoided conflict with South Carolina by lowering the tariff by about 50%R over the next 10 years, as well as passed the Force Act, which allowed the President to bring in the Army and Militia to enforce the law it passed. Jackson’s solution wasn’t necessarily democratic, because it didn’t do what the people of South Carolina wanted, but it was democratic in other ways. Jackson believed a lower tariff was necessary because with it so high, it would be dangerous to the stability of the Union. Another issue Jackson dealt with in a Democratic fashion was the issue of Bank of the United States. He believed that the US bank placed too much control into the hands of a wealthy few. The bank issued weak credit, and the director of the bank, Nicholas Biddle, has been using bank money to distribute information favorable to the bank. Jackson thought that the bank was a tool for transferring wealth from the laboring (poor) to leisure (rich) class, and it was, as the bank was being corrupt to allow its trustees to get more money. Due to this fact, Jackson vetoed the bank's re-charter in 1832. In attempt to benefit the lower, working classes, he placed the federal money in "pet" state banks. This attempt destabilized the national currency, decreased specie in markets, and displayed favoritism in Jacksonian policies. Even though this policy failed, it still showed Jackson’s Democratic ideals. He wanted to do what seemed best for the common people, rather than the rich men who ran the bank and get rid of the wealthy men who controlled the nation’s economy. He had a paranoid obsession about the Bank. It symbolized the ascendancy of the Eastern financial elite; it was that of course, but also much more, a most useful device for keeping the country's financial system in order. While the state banks ran amok, issuing paper money, lending freely, and speculating wildly with depositors' funds, Jackson was hotly promoting metal money - the result was fiscal chaos, panic, depression. Picturing him who ruined the currency on the modern $20 bill is an ironic twist of history. The third major issue that Jackson faced, that dealt with democracy was the issue of the Cherokee Indians in Georgia. In late 1828 and early 1829, the legislature of Georgia passed a handful of laws that asserted its authority over the Cherokee Indians living there. These laws invaded upon the rights that these natives had. They gave away some of the Cherokees’ land, outlawed meetings of the Cherokee legislature and required Cherokees to obey the laws of Georgia. Also, Georgia prepared to lottery off the Cherokee land. With the ratification of the Indian Removal Bill, the Native Americans could either move to their allotted territory in Mississippi or be subject to their state’s laws. After the Georgia lottery in which the Cherokees were basically kicked off their land, some left peacefully, while others were rounded up and forced to make the journey. Some 4000 of the 15000 who made the forced journey died. This resolution again was democratic in some senses, but not in others. What was done to the Cherokee was not considerate of their needs at all. They didn’t deserve to be moved, just that the white majority wanted to expand and nothin...