Jacksonian Democrats View of Themselves

Document Based Question
Shayne Tillman

Many people today believe that the Jacksonian Democrats were hypocritical in their statements.   If we examine the Nullification Crisis, economic issues and the treatment of minorities through the Jacksonian Democrats perspective, it is found that they were guardians of the United States Constitution, political democracy, individual liberty and equality of economic opportunity.
The Nullification Crisis all started when South Carolina was objecting to the Tariff of 1828 and the Tariff of 1832. South Carolina decided to publish the 1832 Ordinance of Nullification which proclaimed the two tariffs "unconstitutional and therefore null and void within the sovereign boundaries of South Carolina." Another Document published was the Acts and Resolutions of South Carolina. (Doc. F)   They also had John C. Calhoun write his 35,000 word draft that would be called the South Carolina "Exposition and Protest."   They had expected that when Andrew Jackson took power that he would lessen the Tariff of Abominations to protect the common man, when Andrew Jackson did take power he did not lessen the Tariff of Abominations, therefore, South Carolina wrote their Ordinance of Nullification and their South Carolina "Exposition and Protest."   South Carolina then threatened secession.   Andrew Jackson considered nullification as treason and quickly dispatched ships to Charleston Harbor. He also passed the Force Bill which allowed the Federal Government to use military force to collect tariff dues. Andrew Jackson also passed the Tariff of 1833, which provided for "the gradual reduction of the Tariff of 1832 over 10 years down to the level which had existed in 1816." Later, South Carolina actually nullified the Force Bill too, but Andrew Jackson overlooked that. In our perspective, this all seems hypocritical to the Jacksonian Democrats view; but if we look deeper we see that he was trying to preserve the Union so that the common man would be able to...