Andrew Jackson: Democracy or Failure?

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               The Spoilage System gave voters of the political party that won the election government jobs. Andrew Jackson sent a letter to congress that explained how he wanted to put a four year limit on appointments, so that more people had the opportunity to have appointments. President Jackson allowed Swartwout to be the collector at the port of New York. This port was the most important trading point in the United States at that time, and Swartwout was responsible for all of the trading goods. Van Buren cautioned Jackson that Swartwout had a criminal history and people were not a fan of him. Jackson appointed Swartwout to office, regardless of what Buren told him, because Swartwout was an early supporter of Jackson. Swartwout ended up stealing $1,222,705.09 at the port of New York. The political cartoonist drew Jackson holding all of the benefits that the citizens are jumping up to get. Jackson has control over the jobs that the people want, so the cartoonist drew Jackson holding the jobs with puppet strings. Jackson controls all of the peoples’ movements. The people are puppets, while President Jackson is the puppet master who controls the puppets. Andrew Jackson wanted to be the democratic ideal, however his actions failed. He does not deserve the “people’s president” reputation. Jackson believed that it was democratic to change up the appointments so that more people had a change to become appointed. He thought a limit time on appointments would allow new ideas to develop from the different people. His plan backfired by causing the government to lose $1.2 million. Although he tried to make the United States more democratic, he failed.

Democracy Duel in the 19th Century

Democracy is a government run by the people. The people are the majority of the population. In a democracy, people vote in a free election that is held periodically to make decisions. The United States was not very democratic in the beginning of the 19^th century because voting conditions were unfair. In The County Election, Bingham explained through his painting the lousy voting routines in 1852. He showed that voters had to say what their vote was to another person so that that person could write it down. People could not know if the scriber wrote down their vote correctly. People in line to vote were drunk, which means that the election was not taken seriously. This painting shows how only a few people were able to vote by not including any women in the painting and by having the only black man as a bartender. Townshend explained that not enough people had the right to vote. He said, “The attempt to govern men without seeking their consent is usurpation and tyranny…” People were governed without consents. Governing without citizens’ consents is tranny, not democracy.

            However, overtime the United States become more of a democracy in the 19^th century. The Property and Taxpaying Requirements for Suffrage graph shows that the number of states with property requirements decreased, which allowed more people to vote. At first the number of states with taxpaying requirements increased, but by 1830, the number started to decrease. More people could vote with no taxpaying requirements. The Methods of Electing Presidential Electors graph shows that in 1816 all of the eight states had their president elected by legislature. This gave the people no say in who they wanted as president. By 1836, all twelve states except for one were elected by the people. Overtime, more people in the United States were able to vote, which enforced democracy.

Romanticism

 

 

Romanticism is a movement that responded to the order that was inspired by the Enlightenment. This was a movement of art, music and literature. This piece of artwork, called Culmin's Ghost Appears to his Mother, by Nicolai Abildgaard, displays awe of nature with the moonlit sky and the two vicious dogs walking around. The dogs were too powerful to control, so they killed the man and woman. This piece is emotional because the viewer is sad that these two people died and there was nothing to do to stop their deaths. Nicolai made his piece horrific because the man and woman are lying there dead. The dogs look scary and dangerous. The background is dark and mysterious. The two dead bodies are collapsed on the bed. This piece of artwork is irrational because it does not make sense that two dogs would kill the man and woman. People might think, “Why would two dogs kill a man and woman?” It shows that the world is not perfect or fair because these two people were killed.

Revolutions of 1830 and 1848

The revolutions of 1830 and 1848 were mostly failures, but some success was accomplished. The revolution of France in 1848 was mainly a failure because their success only lasted for a short period. French citizens wanted to change their government and get rid of the monarchy. In Documents of the Revolution of 1848 in France, J. H. Robinson wrote, “Let us retain that old republican flag whose three colors made with our fathers the circuit of the globe.” France got what they wanted by kicking Louis Philippe out of power, however shortly after that Louis Napoleon used his popularity to become emperor and changed things back to how they used to be in France.

            The Decembrist Revolt in Russia in 1825 was a complete failure because the conditions of people became worse. Liberals were going against the conservative Russian government and Tsar Nicholas I. John Etty describes Tsar Nicholas I in The Decembrist Revolt, Russia 1825 by saying, “As such he had never been expected to become Emperor of Russia, and therefore received no preparation for the role. Appointed to his first post in the army at the age of four months, he grew up to admire military discipline and believe passionately in notions of duty, order and honor.” The Russians wanted a constitution and a political reform. By the end of the revolution, the revolutionaries were crushed and the monarchy remained the same. This revolution was violent and conditions decreased by the end of the revolution.

            The revolution in Germany got some success, but only for a short time, just like in France. Germans fought against Fredrick William IV and the conservative Prussians for a constitutional monarchy and to unite Germany. It is written in the background for History of the Frankfurt Assembly, 1848, “Finally, the assembly offered Prussia's Frederick William IV the crown of a united Germany. To their dismay, the conservative king rejected the offer.” For a year, Germans got a monarchy but then Fredrick William IV shut it down. The constitution was rejected and many Germans were killed or imprisoned.

 

 

French Revolution of 1848:

 

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Link to Project:

http://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/french-revolution-of-1848/13391014/?s=0TRVqY&ref=app

 

Monroe Doctrine

When Russia wanted to claim America’s land, the United States decided to meet and negotiate with Russia. President Monroe wrote in The Monroe Doctrine, “. . . At the proposal of the Russian Imperial Government, made through the minister of the Emperor residing here, a full power and instructions have been transmitted to the minister of the United States at St. Petersburg to arrange by amicable negotiation the respective rights and interests of the two nations on the northwest coast of this continent.” The United States refused to let Russia claim their land without doing anything. Monroe did not try to push Russia out, but he did not want Russia to take over American land. He chose to talk in Washington D.C. with the Russian emperor to make an agreement. When the “Holy Alliance” was talked about helping Spain recover its colonies in South and Central America, which had recently gained their independence, the United States wanted to protect the New Nations. Monroe wrote, “But with the Governments who have declared their independence and maintain it, and whose independence we have… acknowledged, we could not view any interposition for the purpose of oppressing them, or controlling in any other manner their destiny, by any European power in any other light than as the manifestation of an unfriendly disposition toward the United States.” The United States wanted the Europeans to back off. They didn’t want their hemisphere to be taken over by European powers. When George Canning, the British foreign secretary, asked Monroe to make an alliance with Britain against the ‘Holy Alliance‛ trying to regain colonies for Spain and against Russia‛s claim to the Oregon area, Monroe did not agree to the alliance. In the Doctrine, Monroe stated, “to consider the government de facto as the legitimate government for us; to cultivate friendly relations with it, and to preserve those relations by a frank, firm, and manly policy, meeting in all instances the just claims of every power, submitting to injuries from none.” Monroe decided to be friendly with the British. He wanted to work with them, but not be too involved.

 Latin America was pleased to get protection from the United States. Latin America knew that they could not stand up to European power because the European army would defeat theirs’. Latin America’s army was not as strong as Europe’s. Without the help of the United States, Latin America would fail.

 

 

 

Congress of Vienna

When Napoleon ruled Europe, hereditary monarchs lost their power. In 1792 Louis XVI was beheaded so that Napoleon could take his place as ruler of France. The Congress of Vienna used the principle of legitimacy to establish a new French leader. This meant that lawful monarchs ruled their land. The Congress of Vienna decided to give the French throne to Louis XVI’s brother, Louis XVII. This pleased Metternich because he was conservative. His priority was to keep a traditional government, which included absolute monarchy. Louis XVII was the next absolute monarch. With the Congress of Vienna’s concept of principle of legitimacy, the Bourbon monarchy was rebuilt in France.

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