Jackson
Zero chance of being a hero
Backround
Jackson actually started out with a very humble background. He was born into the working class, and had very little formal education, but he worked hard to earn the title of first lawyer, then president. Even after the "Corrupt Bargain" he still kept trying, and became president. He even fought in the battle of New Orleans, gaining the nickname "Old Hickery". But that was all before he became President.
Presidency
At first, it he was not all that bad, he won the popular vote, and actually expanded suffrage to all white men, rather than just wealthy land owners. He was "The Common Man" President, and many liked him and felt he knew what they were going through because of his past, but he was not as good as they thought....
The Spoils System
Jackson decided it would be a great idea to give people who voted for him and other people who supported him government jobs. People who did not know a thing about politics, economy, how to run a government or keep it going were suddenly high ranking above the people who worked long and hard of those positions. Why would any sensible person decide to do that? Sure, it made the people feel involved and made them like him more, but those people did not know how to do their jobs, so the whole thing could have ended in disaster! What a horrid idea!
Abuse of power/Nullification Crisis
Jackson used his power far too often and far too forcefully. When new tariffs were placed, the south, mainly South Carolina, said that they were not going to pay them, because they were unfair, and ultimately damaged their economy. They were right! The tariffs just made the price on everything go up, and the south needed many imports to actually make money. South Carolina even threatened to secede from the U.S. if the tariffs were not lifted. What kind of president would let a state secede over that? What was the President's answer to this? Sign the Force Bill and send in the military like it was just another whiskey rebellion. Yes, it did make the people of South Carolina compromise, but do we really want to be ruled by force? I thought that was for kings....
The Trail of Tears
As time went on in Jackson's presidency, another horrid act was committed. Over time, the Cherokee had been forced into living on a very small plot of land. The Cherokee never tried to wage war on anyone, lived peacefully, and even tried to become more like the white men. People still wanted their land of course, but they had no reason to other than greed. That is, until gold was found on their land. After that, many people were trying to force them off to get the gold, but they were not supposed to. Some Cherokees even went to court over it, and won their case; but Jackson ignored the ruling. He signed the Indian Removal Act, and so commenced what became known as The Trail of Tears. The people came and forced all the natives they could find from their homes, and marched them to the Oklahoma territory. Along the way, thousands died, and many more were sick or injured by the time they reached the territory. This could have been prevented if Jackson had just said "No" but greed had gone to his head....To everyone's head....
Nullification Cartoon
Here, we see South Carolina Breaking through a wall. This represents how South Carolina was pushed through it by the Tariffs of 1828-1832. They broke through, snapped, and threatened to secede.