Why do we hate Andrew Jackson?
- Thread starter Stolengood
- Start date
Ain't no party like a Tennessee party 'cause a Tennessee party don't stop.
I voted for that wheel of cheese three times. And then another three times the second time it ran.
Stolengood
Banned
Unfortunately, by the time it won this year, it had become now more mold than cheese, twisted and evil.
And yet it was still only our fourth-most twisted and evil president. And our third-most moldy.
Stolengood
Banned
Not president, yet; only president-elect. So it's only going to get stinkier, folks.
Who said anything about most of America wanting the Trail of Tears? There was significant opposition by both American citizens and Congress, and the Cherokee certainly tried every legal route they could.
ManintheField
Banned
It's not like appointments were made on merit before him. It's just that the circle of patronage was much smaller. Jackson widened the circle. Real meritocracy at the Federal level was half a century away at that point.
No.
People need to understand this: The Second Bank was not a benign, technocratic institution like the modern Federal Reserve System. It was a political actor with policy preferences and the power and influence to pursue those preferences. Nicholas Biddle happily used the wealth and power of the Bank to influence elections and elected officials. He did so in a way that was not only corrupt, but contrary to the wishes of the broader population. Killing the Bank was one of the best things Jackson did.
That nothing worthwhile replaced it isn't his fault: There was literally no conception of a modern central banking system in the proto-economic science of the time period for him to draw on. The very concept didn't exist anywhere else. The national banks in Europe were not modern central banks, either, mostly being fiscal agents of their respective governments rather than managers of the money supply charged with economic stability. That was also something half a century or more away.
I would say that any component of a government is, inherently a political actor, with all that comes with that. Going into too much detail would be better left for a more political part of the forum.
Even if we accept the excuse that the American people wanted the Trail of Tears Jackson is still the guy who ignored the Supreme Court (violating the Constitution mind you) to get rid of the Native Americans.
Stolengood
Banned
It's like saying we can't blame FDR for Japanese internment, because it's "what the American people wanted at the time" -- well, you know what? The American people want a lot of bad things a lot of times -- we just got Donald fucking Trump as President because of it. So FUCK the American people!
ManintheField
Banned
No matter what it is doing today, it is nothing like on the level of the Second Bank.