History

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Examine some of the major issues which affected the country during the Presidency of Andrew Jackson and show how true, two-party democracy was firmly established by the time of the "log-cabin and hard-cider" campaign of 1840.

To address your question let me first explain a little about the political parties during this time. When the Federalist party died out in 1816, the Democratic-Republican party was basically the major political party. Sometimes this time period is called the "Era of Good Feeling" because of the seemingly absence of party strife. However by 1824 this good feeling was gone and sectional disputes served to split the Democratic-Republican party.

Between 1824 and 1840 a new party structure began to take shape. The Democratic Party under the leadership of Andrew Jackson made appeals to the aspirations of the "common man." They consisted of farmers, small business-owners, and city workers. They opposed an all-powerful federal government and urged greater democracy. The National Republicans (replaced by the Whigs in the 1830s) under the leadership of Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and John Quincy Adams sought mass support but derived their strength from the well-established propertied classes (i.e. bankers, merchants, manufacturers and large land owners). They stood for a strong federal government, a national bank, and a protective tariff.

After losing the election in 1824 to John Quincy Adams and the National Republicans, Jackson and the Democrats were successful in the election of 1828. Jackson believed in minimal federal action and repeatedly emphasized that the federal government was one of limited powers. There were four major areas in which Jackson demonstrated this type of principle in his presidency. Each of the following issues had a major affect on the U.S. during Jackson's presidency:
1. Internal improvements
2. Native American Policy
3. The tariff and nullification
4. The National Bank

Below I have briefly summarized the major issues of Jackson's administration, ...