Similarites Between Jackson and Jefferson Essay - 622 Words

Though nearly thirty years separate the time when Presidents Andrew Jackson and Thomas Jefferson were elected into office, the ideas that they brought with them into the White House are very similar. The importance of common man resonated largely with both of these leaders, and they worked extremely hard to make life for them as fair as possible. However, there are many other similarities between the presidencies of these two men, so I believe saying that they had ‘virtually the same political views’ is a very plausible statement. Thomas Jefferson, who led from 1801-1809, was an avid enthusiast of the common man and self government. He believed that the sole purpose of the government was to look out for and support the interests of†¦show more content†¦States rights were a thing that Jefferson was also very passionate about, as he believed that the central government was strictly meant to handle foreign affairs and that the states were able to govern themselv es. Because of this, he strongly opposed the Alien and Sedition Acts, which he believed were a violation of states’ rights. In retaliation, he made the Kentucky Resolutions, limiting federal powers to what they were written in the Constitution. Although Jefferson was an avid supporter of common man, it seemed that he wasn’t as partial towards minority groups like Blacks and Native Americans. Jefferson owned slaves himself and had suggested removing Native Americans from their homes after the Louisiana Purchase. Andrew Jackson, whose presidential term lasted from 1829-1837, was the first president to ever be chosen by the people to lead. Because he was not born into a rich family, people felt that they could relate to him better. He too preferred supporting the common public over the wealthy aristocrats. During Jackson’s period in office he was able to shift the majority of power in the United States to farmers and small businesses in the western part of the country. Jackson vetoed many bills in order to benefit common people and also created the spoils system to balance out his cabinet. Like Jefferson, Jackson was extremely opposed to the Bank of the U.S., believing that it would only make the wealthy even