Freedom in the Jacksonian Era
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HIST100B
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March 27th, 2024
Freedom in the Jacksonian Era
Freedom underwent both expansions and declines during the Jacksonian era of American history (Estes, 2020). Data from the study by Estes (2020) shows that segments of the population like the previleged white males experienced an increase in their freedoms while others like the indigenous people, African Americans, and the dissenting voices challenging the status quo faced constraints in their freedom. This essay examines whether the Jacksonian era spawned freedom on all fronts or conversely, restricted freedom for some, especially marginalized groups such as indigenous peoples, through the discourse on the expansion of voting rights, the rise of the common man, and the concept of Manifest Destiny coupled with a little assessment of the opposition to slavery and the nullification crises which all triggered reactions in the country.
The expansion of voting rights among non-property whites during the Jacksonian time is a pivotal mutation in American democracy (Cheathem, 2019). Voting system reform that was based on the abolition of all property qualifications constituted an enormous step away from the previous instrumentalist practices and widened the scope of political participation to the greater number of the white male population. These changes, that is, the extension of universal white male suffrage were viewed as democratic concerns defining the whole concept of Jacksonian democracy (Estes, 2020). Thus, the movement to expand the franchise was correlated with the possibility that the biggest portion of the population received political agency. The common people now had political power.
The doctrine of Jacksonian democracy focused on the fact that political authority shouldn't be granted to the upper class, which included only a small number of people but should be the right of the common folk (Cheathem, 2019). This opinion was conforming with the general social movement, which favored democratic equality, the doctrine that all people were truly equals, and challenged old and hierarchical elitist structures. The expansion of voting rights brought out the recognition of the value of the common legal entities in taking the initiative to influence the process of American politics for the works policy-making and improving its ideologies (Estes, 2020). By dismantling barriers to political participation, the Jacksonian era heralded a new era of popular sovereignty, wherein the voices of the common man carried greater weight in shaping the nation's destiny.
Democratic reforms known as "Jacksonian democracy" that started to take place around 1829–1854 represented a move towards people-led leadership that did not depend on the support of aristocrats (Estes, 2020). This populist agenda focused on revolutionizing the existing power block competitions and allowing the ordinary people to speak on behalf of their condition. Therefore, political engagement both in terms of political activism and participation was observed among Americans with a broad sharing of socioeconomic status (Cheathem, 2019). The commoners' movement did not only indicate social change but as well an ethnic arena where individuals felt needed not to vie for political influence but also to acquire it. Residents, who had been marginalized previously began to exercise a bigger role in the government, effectively uprooting the established dominance of the political elites and planting a seed of a more robust and participatory democratic culture within the United States.
During the period referred to as the Jacksonian Age, Manifest Destiny became the main driving ideological force in the United States' westward movement (Gailmard & Jenkins, 2018). This sort of spiritual faith sparked by the belief that America had a God-sponsored mission to expand itself in all the territory from the Atlantic to the Pacific was as powerful as the frontier itself. Manifest Destiny recognized and voiced a breed of cultural superiority and divine providence reasoning that the Western expansion was right and unavoidable (Cheathem, 2019). The idea to which they referred gave moral purpose for their domination and appropriation of the vast lands of the original inhabitants. For the first settlers from the East and the Mediterranean Sea, the principle of Manifest Destiny offered an irresistible narrative of freedom and success which inspired them to take risks by crossing the ocean in search of land, wealth, and new life (Estes, 2020). The development of the West gave unlimited potential for economic prosperity, following the discovery of never seen territories, agricultural land, and the conception of the American dream ideology.
Though it is known for the Jacksonian Era expansion of political freedom, this time of the nation also showed a slump in freedom among the marginalized people especially indigenous peoples. The implementation of the westward expansion spawned from Manifest Destiny was brought as a consequence of the Native Americans being forcefully displaced and mistreated (Cheathem, 2019). The Indian Removal Act was the final instance when this policy of dispossession was enacted, causing the Trail of Tears and other atrocities. Forcibly separating Native Americans from their ancestral lands and inflicting the offspring by such a practice, US citizenship had brought a legacy of marginalization and cultural erasure (Estes, 2020). Estes (2020) emphasizes that while the inequality between different classes was acknowledged in the Jacksonian era, the systemic injustices and oppression inflicted upon native American communities remain far from being resolved.
The nullification crisis that occurred at the time showed that the freedom and democracy in the Jacksonian period were not as stable as they seemed. The opposition of state authority and federal power from the principle of 'The Constitution' and the rule of law raised questions about the integrity of the Union. (Gailmard & Jenkins, 2018). On the one hand, some even defended nullification as a way to shield themselves from the federal government's intrusion, however to others, this proved to be the very foundation of the country threatened. The crisis proved to be a direct depiction of the invisible boundaries between liberty and governance, which exist in the American political system, and which make it impossible to imagine life without these two political powers. Estes (2020) further observes that the nullification crisis reflected the vulnerability of the country in dealing with the issue that still confronts it today – the conflict between the different concepts of freedom and government.
The Jacksonian era includes the enslavement of the southern United States, although scuffling with the passage of the Abolitionists in the North. Slavery was not abolished by the Constitution which meant that the enslaved African Americans were subjected to systematic oppression and exploitation leading to moral hypocrisy that went against the principles of freedom and equality which were held in high esteem by America (Gailmard & Jenkins, 2018). By creating a social order that developed a belief of inferiority among black people and underpinned pervasive injustices of the white-dominated society, slavery deepened the racial gaps and contradicted the American ideal of liberty for everyone. However, the moral and ethical dilemma of slavery was of no effect on the South because of the economic and political elements that made slavery persist in the Jacksonian era (Cheathem, 2019). The captivity of African Americans had a great impact on every black's life freedom as well as the attitude of the society which was fine with things that had to do with human slavery and exploitation. The Jacksonian period enshrined slavery and the persistent battle for fairness and equality in the history of the United States which calls attention to the intricate web of freedom with its underlying limitations within a society divided based on race and power.
In conclusion, the Jacksonian era both brought the expansion and decreased the freedom of the American people. The inclusion of women in the voting rights and the rise of the common man were signals of democratization while progress was infringed by the suppression and exploitation that indigenous people, black people, and the dissenters experienced. The Jacksonian age manifested mixed impacts on the freedom of dwellers in the United States because it is a controversial period that is peppered with both contradiction and the struggle to realize the ideals of equality and justice.
References
Cheathem, R. (2019). The stubborn mythology of Andrew Jackson. Reviews in American History, 47(3), 342–348. https://doi.org/10.1353/rah.2019.0062
Estes, T. (2020). Beyond Whigs and Democrats: historians, historiography, and the paths toward a new synthesis for the Jacksonian era. American Nineteenth Century History, 21(3), 255–281. https://doi.org/10.1080/14664658.2020.1846288
Gailmard, S., & Jenkins, J. A. (2018). Distributive politics and congressional voting: public lands reform in the Jacksonian era. Public Choice, 175(3/4), 259–275. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11127-018-0518-4