Nutshell #3 “Old Hickory”

The first six presidents of our country had been old money men. Andrew Jackson was not like that. He did not get a college education, he was rather rough around the edges, and as a child he got in several duels. He got the name "Old Hickory" because of his toughness on the battlefield. His election in 1828 signaled the arrival of the so-called New Democracy.Up until about 1815, presidential nominees had been chosen by party caucuses and suffrage had been limited to the propertied few. But by the 1820s, property qualifications were falling away-especially in such newly admitted Western states as a rising middle class was being heard.  Wanting to appeal to this new electorate, Jackson's politicians denounced the caucus system and promoted that, in a democracy, everybody was fit to rule. In his first address to Congress (given late in 1829), Jackson said: “The duties of all public offices are, or at least admit of being made, so plain and simple that men of intelligence may readily qualify themselves for their performance.... In a country where offices are created solely for the benefit of the people no one man has any more intrinsic right to official station than another.” Today's Democrats trace their effectiveness back to Jackson's speech.

One thing I learned from this "nutshell" is that anyone has the power to be a leader. Jackson did not fit the normal type for running for president. He wasn't extremely well off like previous presidents had been. In fact, Jackson was a bit of a rough guy. He was the one who promoted the democracy, which is what we go by now. It will help me in the future because I know that I am capable of being a strong leader in whatever I do. It doesn't matter where I come from I am capable of doing whatever I put my mind to. I can introduce new ideas that I believe will better our world in some way. Jackson's speech led way to our country using a democracy system. Later in life, I too could come up with something powerful and world changing.


To view other nutshells click on the links below:
http://whitney-2011.blogspot.com/2011/02/nutshell-1-bill-of-rights.html for the Bill of Rights
http://christiantsblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/we-hold-these-truths-to-be-self-evident.html