Why was jacksons inauguration vulgar

To be sure, there was still a long way to go. Jackson, a major slaveholder himself, made no attempt to end or even limit slavery, and his treatment of Indians was, to modern sensibilities, shameful. It would take the Civil War in the s and the civil-rights movement in the s to bring democracy to American blacks and make Mr. Obama's election possible. Whether Barack Obama will have as profound an impact on the country as Andrew Jackson, only time will tell.

But it is, perhaps, unlikely. Jackson's America was still only half formed and far more politically malleable. Indeed, George Bancroft, the great 19th century historian, thought Jackson's influence on the country so profound that he dubbed him the last of the Founding Fathers.

Still, it is clear today, even without the benefit of hindsight, that Mr. Obama's accession to the presidency is already the symbolic equal of Jackson's.

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Dow Jones. Opinion Read the Latest. By John Steele Gordon. The Opinion Journal Widget Download Opinion Journal's widget and link to the most important editorials and op-eds of the day from your blog or Web page. Sponsored Offers. These tokens were usually presented to chiefs or prominent tribal leaders on special occasions.

The Debilitated Situation of a Monarchal Government. A uniformed President Jackson holds the treaty obligating French payments, while the French king Louis Philippe holds a paper representing the amount owed, as other massive debts spill out of the overturned money chest behind him. Qui paye ses dette s'enrichit ca. View Next Page. Modern historians have picked up the argument, which then and now divides on ideological lines. Jackson's opponents, and their present-day counterparts, say the moral of the story is we need to be vigilant against the possibility of mob rule.

Jackson's supporters, and their counterparts, say the episode was exaggerated by democracy's enemies. The deplorable history of U. Long before Bernie Sanders, there was Eugene Debs. It's happened before: Truman's defeat of Dewey had hints of Trump-Clinton. Skip to content. Presidents have not always followed such inauguration protocol.

Both elections were marked by wholesale mud-throwing. It was what Rep. James Hamilton Jr. As a member of the upper crust, Smith saw the torch of history being passed. Related stories:. Latest Commentary. Op-ed: Cancer is not pink. Column: The inflation uptick is no cause for alarm. Most Read. And the tactics employed were outrageously underhanded. The election had not been marked with strong party affiliations.

But during the Adams administration the defenders of the status quo began calling themselves "National Republicans. The election was thus a return to a two-party system, and was the precursor of the familiar two-party system we know today. For those who detested Andrew Jackson, there existed a goldmine of material. Jackson was famed for his incendiary temper and had led a life filled with violence and controversy.

He had taken part in several duels, killing a man in a notorious one in When commanding troops in , he had ordered the execution of militia members accused of desertion. The severity of the punishment, and its shaky legal foundation, became a part of Jackson's reputation. Those opposed to John Quincy Adams mocked him as an elitist. The refinement and intelligence of Adams were turned against him.

When Jackson first met his wife Rachel, she mistakenly believed her first husband, whom she married as a teenager, had divorced her. So when Jackson married her in , she was still legally married. The legal situation of the marriage was eventually resolved. And the Jacksons were remarried in , to ensure that their marriage was legal. But Jackson's political opponents knew of the confusion. And his wife was accused of bigamy. John Quincy Adams , the son of founding father and second president John Adams , began his career in public service by working as the secretary to the American envoy to Russia when he was still a teenager.

He had an illustrious career as a diplomat, which formed the basis for his later career in politics. The supporters of Andrew Jackson began spreading a rumor that Adams, while serving as American ambassador to Russia, had procured an American girl for the sexual services of the Russian czar. Adams was also attacked for having a billiards table in the White House and allegedly charging the government for it. It was true that Adams played billiards in the White House, but he paid for the table with his own funds.