Compromise between the President and Congress, political canvassing, and debates are things that define American democracy in the 21st century. America's political landscape would seem foreign without the bickering of the party not in power, or the role that every person plays in electing public officials. As odd as it may seem, our democracy did not always pursue the vote of the common man, or even have two warring political parties. These aspects of American democracy can be traced back to changes that occurred between 1820 and 1840. Jacksonian Economic Policy and Changes in Electoral Politics advanced the development of democracy between 1820 and 1840.
Jacksonian Economic Policy advanced the power of the presidency in ways that the framers of the constitution could have never imagined. George Washington, the first president under the Constitution, set precedents for how the constitution should be interpreted for the job of the presidency. He only served for two terms, He didn’t believe in permanent political parties, and he only vetoed a bill when it questioned constitutionality. Jackson’s Economic Policy broke one of those precedents and advanced the development of American democracy for generations to come. Jackson believed, as did many of his supporters, that the bank was far too powerful. The bank answered to private investors, and not the common people. In 1832 when Henry Clay, one of Jackson's political enemies, proposed an early recharter of the Bank of the United Sates he hoped to alienate Jackson's wealthy supporters if Jackson vetoed the recharter, and if he passed it then the common man that Old Hickory championed would feel betrayed. Andrew Jackson, a war-hardened general, immediately vetoed the recharter once it passed through congress. His veto of the recharter bill marked the first time in American history that a president vetoed a bill simply out of dislike, and not out of the possibility of constitutional infringement. That single veto evolved American democracy in a stupendous way; it made the president's power equivalent to two thirds of congress. Democracy was still a long way from ever becoming a monarchy, but the will of one man mattered a lot. The will of one man could even conflict with the third branch of the federal government, the Supreme Court. In the landmark case McCulloch v. Maryland the Supreme Court had ruled that the Bank of the United States was constitutional, and Andrew Jackson denied that constitutionality. Andrew Jackson's economic policy between 1820 and 1840 developed American democracy by expanding the power of the presidency.
Changes in electoral politics between 1820 and 1840 altered American democracy by establishing the two party system. The Era of Good Feelings, which began around the end of The War of 1812, lasted until the mid 1820's. The end of one party rule was marked by opposition to Andrew Jackson. Andrew Jackson's political opponents came to be known as the Whigs; the name was a reference to colonial politics. At first the Whig party had little holding it together, except for hatred of Andrew Jackson. Then the group developed some unified themes. The Whigs believed in internal improvements like: canals, railroads, telegraph lines, prisons, asylums, and public schools. Soon The Whigs and The Democrats established the two party system we see around us today. The two parties realized how much the common man's vote counted. Soon political canvasing ensued, and both the Whigs and Democrats sought the "common man's" vote. The two party system is quintessential to American democracy. The system provides the much needed watch-dog role, which ensures that the party in power is kept in-check. Changes in Electoral Politics between 1820 and 1840 established two parties that fought for the common man's vote, almost exactly like we see today.
Between 1820 and 1840 American democracy changed in unforgettable ways. The two-party system developed, courtesy of changes in the electoral politics of the time. The President's job was changed forever as a result of Jacksonian economic policy. These political changes were felt strongly in their own time, and even stronger today. American democracy has constantly been changing since the founding fathers framed the Articles of Confederation, and between 1820 and 1840 the time was ripe for beneficial evolution.
