The Age of Jackson (1829-1849) was a time of sweeping government changes and reforms in the US, led by President Andrew Jackson. This era saw the rise of career politicians and the “booty system,” as well as the Indian Removal Act, the opening of the US border, and the growth of democratic government and two-party political system. Jackson’s policies aimed to uplift the common man and allow non-land owning men to vote, but were also controversial, such as the Indian Removal Act. The Whig party arose to challenge Jackson’s policies, but ultimately the Age of Jackson’s appeal to the common man and the slavery issue led to his demise and the development of the Democratic and Republican parties.
Jackson’s age refers to the period from 1829 to 1849 in United States history, when President Andrew Jackson led the national government through a series of sweeping government changes and reforms. This era gave rise to the career politician and the “booty system,” two components of political culture that remain in US politics to this day. Highlights of this historical period include Jackson’s Indian Removal Act, the opening of the United States border, the rise of democratic government and two-party political system, the battle for a central bank and the growing power of the office presidential.
Andrew Jackson was elected in 1828, the first man born west of the Allegheny Mountains to become president of the United States. Jackson’s political platform was to uplift the common man who, lacking wealth and land, had been unable to participate in politics. Previously, the political culture and governmental positions of the United States had been occupied by members of the upper class, composed of free men, Caucasians, landowners of high social standing. Andrew Jackson’s policies fundamentally changed this policy by allowing non-land owning men to vote in elections. For this reason the Age of Jackson is often called the Age of Democracy.
Almost immediately after his election, President Jackson rewarded his supporters of the presidential bid with nearly 2,000 government jobs. Political opponents strongly objected to this “booty system,” calling the Jackson administration its “kitchen cabinet.” While a government statesman had once served in public office as an honorable duty under the auspices of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, men now sought permanent posts of political power. Jackson’s age is associated with the rise of the career politician and the favoritism evident in modern day politics.
In 1830, President Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act into law. This policy, which later haunted his administration, displaced Native Americans from their ancestral lands and forcibly relocated them to lands west of the Mississippi River. At the time, the United States was breaking out and white settlers wished to establish the southern and western frontier. The Indian Removal Act was considered a voluntary act, but the indigenous people were either heavily forced to cede their lands or escorted west by the United States Army. This blot in American history is called the “Trail of Tears” by the Cherokee tribe, who suffered great depravity and humiliation since their forced exile.
The radical changes and reforms introduced during the Age of Jackson burned Jackson’s political opponents. A new, if short-lived, political party arose to challenge Jackson’s policies: the Whigs, led by John Quincy Adams, William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor. The Whigs challenged the executive office’s growing powers and fought Jackson’s refusal to file charter for a national bank. This party saw a short-lived surge in popularity, but Age of Jackson’s appeal to the common man and the rising antebellum tensions of the slavery issue led to his untimely demise (Ref. 5). Later, former Whigs united to create the Republican Party, while Jackson’s supporters developed into the Democratic Party.
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