E x a c h i i n g O u t t t t o t t h e W o r r k i i n g m i i n i i n g J J a a c c k s s o n i i a n D e m o g c r r
C a l l c a s y s s s
U.S. History
R e a a c y
The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution begins with the three words “ We the people ”, but at the time it was written, American democracy was not open to most citizens. While the Founding
Fathers were opposed to the idea of tyranny, they also feared that allowing all people to participate in government could be equally dangerous. Nowadays, people might use the term “ e l l i i t t i i s s t the view of our government’s founders. The Founding Fathers believed that most Americans were not educated enough to weigh in on the important decisions facing our nation. They created many safeguards to ensure that our government would be lead by only the most qualified individuals.
Participation in democracy was limited to wealthy, educated, landowners. However, that began to change in the late 1820s. The years immediately before and during the presidency of Andrew Jackson are often referred to as the time of J J a c c k s s o n i i a a n D e m o c c r r a a c c y political power was spread to more people in the United States in a variety of different ways.
One way that political power was spread during the 1820s & 1830s was through the expansion of voting rights in the United States. During the late
1700s and early 1800s, s s u f f f f r r a a g e land or paid state taxes were allowed to vote. However, before Jackson was elected voting restrictions had been eased and many more people gained the right to vote (though voting was still limited to white males). During his campaign in 1828, Jackson appealed to those new voters. Previous candidates had ignored them and focused their attention on wealthy members of society.
Throughout his campaign, Jackson made promises to look out for the needs of the common people. He promised to end the long tradition of a government controlled by the wealthy elite. Jackson’s victory in the 1828 election is viewed as a victory for the common man. Their vote put an end to the idea that the government should be controlled by the upper class.
S S i i g n c c e l e b r a t t i i n g J a a c c k s s o n ’ ’ s s v v i i c t t o r r y i i n 1 1 8 2 8
President Jackson’s inaugural ball is another example of how democracy was expanding to more people in the United States. On March 4, 1829, Andrew Jackson was sworn in as the 7 th president of the United States. Thousands of people came to Washington, D.C. to celebrate his victory. Senator Daniel Webster said of the event, “I have never seen such a crowd before. Persons have come from five hundred miles to see General Jackson, and they really seem to think that the country has been rescued from some dreadful disaster.” One person described the crowd as containing, “all sorts of people, from the highest and most polished, down to the most vulgar and gross in our nation.” At the inaugural ball, the crowd grew rowdy. People broke china and glass as they grabbed for food and drink. Previous inaugural balls had been very s s o p h i s s t t i i c c a a t t e d in attendance were well dressed and well mannered. Jackson’s inaugural ball was a celebration of the common man.
There are other examples of how democracy was expanded during the Jackson administration as well. In his campaign, Jackson had promised to reform the government. He started by replacing many government officials with his supporters. This practice of giving government jobs to political backers became known as the s s p o i i l l s s s s y s s t t e m belongs the spoils [possessions] of the enemy.” Jackson’s opponents charged that the practice was corrupt. Jackson, however, believed that giving government jobs to his supporters would breath new life into the government by bring a wide variety of people with new ideas to government jobs.

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D i i r r e e c t t i i o n s s : : Use today’s reading to answer the following questions.
1.
Which of the following best describes the s s t
“Examining Jacksonian Democracy”? t r r u c c t t u r r e a) cause/effect b) compare/contrast c) main idea/supporting details d) sequence of events
2.
Provide some e v i i d e n c c e t t e x t s s t t r r u c c t t u r r e:
 Something from the text that helped me determined its structure was: _____________
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 Another piece of the text that helped me determine its structure was: _____________
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M o r r e o n t t h e B a a c k !
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3.
Which of the following probably means the same thing as the word “ e l l i i t t i i s s t” in the text below?
Nowadays, people might use the term “ e l l i i t t i i s s t” to describe the view of our government’s founders. The Founding Fathers believed that most Americans were not educated enough to weigh in on the important decisions facing our nation. a) A belief that all people are created equal and should be treated the same b) A belief that government is evil c) A belief that certain members of society deserve special treatment d) A belief that democracy is the best form of government
Some clues in the text that helped me choose this answer were: _________________________
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4.
Which of the following probably means the same thing as the word “ below? s s u f f f f r r a a g e
During the late 1700s and early 1800s, s s u f f f f r r a a g land or paid state taxes were allowed to vote. e was very limited. Only people who owned a) wealth b) the right to vote c) harsh treatment d) happiness
Some clues in the text that helped me choose this answer were: _________________________
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5.
What is the t t o p i i c of the text? ____________________________________
6.
What is the m a i i n i i d e a of the text? _________________________________________________
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7.
Which of the following is a detail that should n o t t b e i i n c c l l u d e d s s u m m a a r r y of this text? a.
The expansion of voting rights to men who did not own land in the 1800s was an important way that political power was spread to more people in the United States. b.
Jackson’s inaugural ball was quite different from other presidents because the common people were invited to participate in this political celebration. c.
Daniel Webster was a Senator who attended Jackson’s inaugural ball on March4, 1829 in Washington, D.C. d.
Jackson replaced old government employees with new people as a way of reforming the government and spreading political power to more people.