The Evolution of Democracy from Jefferson to Jackson
Jeffersonian Democracy
Jacksonian Democracy
POLITICAL
To what extent was
universal white
manhood suffrage
achieved?
Only 50% of the white male population
could vote due to property & taxpayer
restrictions
90% of the white male population could
vote (universal white manhood suffrage)
due to elimination or reduction of property
qualifications & westward expansion
Which citizens were
considered eligible
for office holding?
The educated elite should rule because they
possess virtue
“Common men” are eligible to hold office;
There should be rotation in the federal
bureaucracy (spoils system)
What was each
man’s view of
democracy?
A virtuous republic in which states’ rights
are protected from a powerful national
government
Democracy among white men allows for
equal opportunities, rather than preserving
power among the elite
ECONOMIC
Who did each man
view as the “chosen
class?
Yeoman farmers
Common men, including farmers, laborers,
mechanics
How did each man
view industrialism?
Feared industrialism & urbanization as
breeding grounds for corruption & tyranny;
Opposed Hamilton’s financial plan
Accepted industrialization as a necessary
part of the national economy, but
Democrats such as Jackson & Calhoun
were divided on issues like tariffs
What was each
man’s attitude
towards the Bank of
the U.S.?
Disliked the Bank of the U.S.; used a strict
construction argument to oppose the BUS;
feared economic power in the hands of
aristocrats; killed the BUS in 1811
Disliked the Second Bank of the U.S.
because it was a “monopoly of the rich”
who profited off the common man;
Killed the re-charter & the BUS in 1832
SOCIAL
What was each
man’s attitude
towards slavery?
Jefferson owned slaves but thought it was
evil; Jeffersonian Republicans
compromised on slavery because it
promoted agriculture over industry
Jackson owned slaves & supported slavery;
Jacksonian Democrats tended to support
slavery (anti-slavery Democrats joined the
Whig Party in the 1840s & 1850s)
What was each
man’s attitude
towards equality for
women & Native
Americans?
Did not see women & Indians as equals;
Emphasized Republicans Motherhood;
Supported “Indian assimilation” &
“separate reservation” policies
Did not see women & Indians as equals;
Supported Cult of Domesticity;
Supported Indian Removal Act of 1830
How did each man
view education?
Jeffersonians saw education as necessary to
promote virtue; Jefferson founded the
University of Virginia
Jacksonians saw education as an
aristocratic privilege;
Advocated for the “self-made man”
How did each man
help remove
obstacles to upward
social mobility?
Jeffersonians viewed education as the key
to upward social mobility
Jacksonians viewed hard work as the key
to social mobility