Thomas Jefferson: Founding Father,
statesman and author, Democratic-Republican, third President of the United States.
Andrew Jackson: war hero, self-proclaimed Jeffersonian Democrat, seventh
President of the United
States. These two great men were both
similar, yet dissimilar at the same time. In this paper, this writer will
attempt to compare and contrast the lives of these two Presidents, and show how
their administrations mirrored each other, and also starkly contrasted each
other.
First, let’s look at Thomas Jefferson.
Often referred to as the Sage of Monticello, the home he designed, Jefferson
was born in Virginia, educated at the College of William and Mary, and held the
titles of planter, inventor, teacher, architect, philosopher, lawyer and
statesman before ever earning the title of President. Married to Martha
Jefferson-Randolph, Jefferson and his First Lady took office on 4 March 1801.
Aaron Burr, his first Vice President, was a friend in the sense that the two
men had common enemies; namely, Alexander Hamilton. Burr eventually killed Hamilton in a duel, but the scandal that led to said duel
– Hamilton and Burr had the same mistress – so
marred Burr’s reputation, Jefferson was forced
to choose a new running mate in his bid for reelection. Thus entered George
Clinton, but he didn’t have nearly an eventful role with Jefferson.
Thomas Jefferson is most remembered for
the Louisiana Purchase, which seemed to
contradict his view of a smaller central government. For this, he was attacked
by his opponents, even though the first whispers were being heard of what came
to be known as Manifest Destiny. However, this writer would like to focus on a few
of his accomplishments that fell in line with his views on government. One of
the major items was his repeal of the tax on liquor that had sparked the
“Whiskey Rebellion”. Not only did this add stability and prevent another armed
uprising, but it meant less governmental regulation. Another interesting move
of Jefferson’s was letting the Alien and
Sedition Acts expire, instead of face repeal. The Alien and Sedition Acts were
one of President John Adams most unpopular, being seen as his way to clamp down
on a free press; Jefferson was appalled by this, but found it easier to simply
not sign it when it came up for renewal under his presidency.
After 8 years in office, Jefferson followed George Washington’s example by not
seeking a third term, and he died on 4 July 1826, just a few hours before his
rival and friend John Adams. He was 83 years old.
Andrew Jackson, or often known by his
military nickname “Old Hickory”, was our seventh president, and by far, our
most headstrong. He was educated in what he called “Old-field school”, and was
a farmer, prosecutor, judge and warfighter before becoming president. A
self-proclaimed ‘Jeffersonian Democrat’ because of his view of a smaller
government, but he, like Jefferson, expanded
the powers of the executive branch. He served two terms as President of the United States,
and both of his Vice Presidents – John C. Calhoun and Martin van Buren – ended
up being his challengers during his elections. He is known mostly for his
Indian Removal Act, but also for his balanced budget and destruction of the
national bank.
The Indian Removal Act was supported at
the time, but is now viewed as a blemish in our nation’s history. However, Jackson counted “killing
the bank” as one of, if not the most
important accomplishment of his presidency. Not only did he have a severe
distaste – and a personal vendetta – against the bank’s chairman Nicholas
Biddle, Jackson
believed, correctly, that the bank was unconstitutional, and the nation’s
finances should be handled by the U.S. Treasury. Calling the Second Bank of the
United States, a forerunner
of the Federal Reserve, which is also a private bank, a “den of vipers” and
vowing to rout them out, Jackson
refused to renew the bank’s charter, and thus began to dismantle it piece by
piece. In fact, legend says that when asked what his greatest accomplishment as
president was, Jackson
replied “I killed the bank!”
Old Hickory
was also the first, and only, president to balance the nation’s budget, which
some speculate was because of the lack of a national bank. Regardless of the
reason, it was one of the few things Jackson, his allies and his enemies could
agree on. Most of his policies were what we would call ‘politically incorrect’
today, as Jackson
seemed to hold to the adage of “It’s better to seek forgiveness than
permission.” He was a very popular president, constantly being hailed as a man
of the people through both of his presidential terms, and the entire nation
mourned his death on 8 June, 1845. Interestingly, he died of untreated heat
exhaustion.
Jackson’s enemies were so vehemently opposed to
his policies, they formed a new political party: the Whigs. Taking their name
from the British political party who championed the fight against royal
tyranny, the Whigs campaigned against Jackson’s
seemingly unbridled presidential power. Their numbers were boosted considerably
when other third parties shattered, such as the Anti-Masonic Party, and by the
popularity of luminaries, Henry Clay and Daniel Webster. They managed to get
their own candidate elected, William Henry Harrison, who – ironically – was
selected for his similarities to Jackson, and also got Zachary Taylor, our
twelfth president, elected.
The Whigs slowly began to fade along with
Jackson’s
memory and the deaths of Webster and Clay; however, many of the Whigs joined
the newly-formed Republican Party. Also, in the course of studying for this
paper, this writer discovered the Modern Whig Party, a rapidly-growing third
party based on the principles of the original Whigs, and re-founded in 2007 by Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. Truth
that history still lives!
Overall, these two presidents were some
of the greatest our nation has ever seen, even if there are only a few facts
commonly known about them. Their legacies, whether it be the Louisiana Purchase,
Lewis and Clark Expedition, or just “killing the bank”, these men and their
accomplishments should be a source of inspiration for all Americans.
References
Andrew Jackson vs.
Thomas Jefferson: A Side-by-Side Comparison (2011). Retrieved 25
September 2011 from http://us-presidents.findthedata.org/compare/8-31/Thomas-Jefferson-vs-Andrew-Jackson
The Whig Party (n.d.) Retrieved 25
September 2011 from http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h279.html
Who Are The Modern Whigs? (2011). Retrieved 25
September 2011 from http://www.modernwhig.org/handbook/who-are-modern-whigs
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