Andrew Jackson's infamous status in both the US government and military helped him become president. Before Jackson became president, he had already been hailed and scrutinized for his escapades in the Army during the War of 1812, such as when Jackson would not lift martial law in New Orleans and had six of his militiamen killed for attempting to leave. Also, when Jackson attempted to start a war on his own with Spain and cause a diplomatic incident with England by killing two captured agents in Florida. On multiple occasions, Jackson was accused of violating the Constitution and actively rebelling against the U.S. government, but was cleared each time due to his status. This has a common theme; most Americans would love a tough, tough man like this in office and after the failure of John Quincy Adams to do much in reshaping America, its citizens wanted a real American man with real American experiences in charge. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayAs we see throughout history, people looking for immediate change sometimes choose a leader who gets your attention, someone who acts strongly, who has the courage to change things for the better, at that point it all depends on the character of the person and not on people's choices. In the run-up to Jackson's inauguration, America was not in anarchy but the speeches, especially in the North and South, were heating up American politics. Jackson offered the chance to ignore the problem altogether and instead focus on the traditional values established by the founding fathers and, above all, support the westward expansion that everyone liked. Jackson had very attractive ideas in common with US citizens. Give more power to the states, expand west, decrease corruption in government, provide more benefits to veterans, strengthen our military. But as some would say the bad far outweighed the good, Jackson single-handedly eliminated the entire native population of eastern America through his series of Indian removal policies, destroyed the banking system out of petty anger. Furthermore, ignoring the growing divide between North and South could only have guaranteed civil war. Yet people still loved him as president, because while he helped expand the West, which worried everyone from poor to rich, the policies Jackson was pushing looked better on paper than in actual practice. In short, Jackson seemed committed as president, something people admired. Suffice it to say that much of Jackson's time early in his presidency was spent dealing with the Petticoat affair which in today's world would destroy the reputation of any president, good or bad. However, while his expansionist and domestic policies would make him popular again, no one batted an eye when he was re-elected in 1832. After his re-election, the Panic of 1837 was what really brought his presidency under scrutiny from many American citizens, now that most of them were unemployed. So yes, Jackson was a legend in people's eyes because he embodied the tough, tough, American-style style of doing things, grabbing them by the horns that every American could identify with. Although most of Jackson's policies were questionable at best, they had an immediate effect on the outlook of American society, people could say that change is around the corner. His military career was what he.
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