The Revolution Of The United States - 2051 Words

Jacksonian Revolution In the early 1800s, it was generally known that in order to vote, a person was required to have a â€Å"stake† in society, they either had to pay taxes or own so many acres of land. Voting rights varied throughout the colonies, for example, some colonies added restrictions due to the religious beliefs of the voters. Furthermore, under the United States Constitution the presidential electors were chosen by the state legislatures not by the people, as well, eligibility to vote for members of the House of Representatives was left to the states. Women, Indians and blacks (slave or free) were restricted from voting almost in all regions. In our era, democracy is known as a government â€Å"for the people, by the people†, and is†¦show more content†¦Many believed that giving the vote to all would lead to misguided legislation. For the same reason they feared the control of political parties by corrupt people. The nation’s founders believe d that â€Å"democracy† could contain harmful effects, but eventually the term had become acceptable and could be functional in American institutions. Citizens in the 1820s and 1830s slowly lost their fear that democracy would lead to anarchy. Though each individual was to be given an equal start in life, equality of opportunity did not mean equality of results. In the campaign of 1828, Jackson, known as â€Å"Old Hickory†, triumphed over the unpopular President John Adams. Following Andrew Jackson’s election of 1828, a birth of a new era of mass democracy came about and influenced a revolution in American history. Of course, he could not go about making such radical changes without supports, but that never created a problem. Jacksonian Democrats (supporters) were great in number, they created a new Democratic party. Jackson s policies followed the era of Jeffersonian democracy which dominated the previous political era. Yet, in contrast to the Jeffersonian era, Jacksonian democracy promoted the strength of the presidency and executive branch at the expense of Congress, while also seeking to broaden the public s participation in government. More broadly, the term Jacksonian Democracy can be referred to as the period of the Second Party System when Jacksonian