The Jacksonian Era

Terrance took a selfie near abonded teepees after the "Trail of Tears."

Martina and Terrance are impressed with your stamina. While you take a quick pause, think back on what you just learned. In the 1820s, many states extended the right to vote to all white men. This increase in the electorate changed the way politics worked in the United States. Groups concerned with issues specific to certain areas of the country grew in significance. Andrew Jackson took advantage of these changes by developing new campaign techniques and rewarding his supporters with public office. He personified the “democratic spirit” of the era by challenging the elites and increasing the power of the presidency.

Jackson did have his faults. Under his watch, many American Indians were removed from their lands. American Indians suffered greatly as they traveled on the “Trail of Tears” to new lands in Oklahoma. Jackson’s politics also caused the formation of two new political parties to oppose him and his political party, the Whigs and the Know-Nothings.