From Hero To Zero
How Andrew Jackson Abused the President's Power
"Spoils System"
When Andrew Jackson first entered office, he had a very vague plan for "reform" and better relationships with Indian tribes. But once he got into office, he fired a lot of political officials that disagreed with him and replaced them with people from his party and others that supported his campaign. He claimed to be making the government better by bringing in people better suited to serve the "common man".
The Indian Removal Act of 1830
The Indian Removal Act allowed Jackson to forcibly remove all Indian tribes that lived east of the Mississippi River. The Cherokee tribe in Georgia refused to leave and took their case all the way to the Supreme Court. Chief Justice John Marshall ruled in favor of the Indians and said that they should be allowed to stay. Jackson then went against the court's ruling and forced all of the Indians, at gunpoint, to the west. Jackson had no right to purposely disobey the Supreme Court's ruling and should have allowed the Indians to stay on their land.
The Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears was the path that the Indians were forced down when they were forcibly removed from their land at bayonet point. It was called the Trail of Tears because an estimated 1 of every 4 natives died while on the journey to "Indian Territory". Whooping cough, typhus, dysentery, cholera, and starvation were just some of the hardships that the Indians had to endure. While they were promised food and covered-wagons for all their people, they were not provided and most people had to walk, some barefoot, for the 1,200 mile journey.
History vs. Andrew Jackson - James Fester
King Jackson
In this political cartoon, Andrew Jackson is depicted as a king. This is because he abused the executive power that he was given. At the bottom of the cartoon, he is stepping on a ripped version of the US Constitution. Jackson disregarded the constitution during his presidency, like hiring only people in his favor to positions of great power and forcing the Natives to reservations.