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Essay / An Opinion on Andrew Jackson's Justifiable Actions as US President
From an American's perspective, I believe the actions Jackson took were justifiable. Without his effective dealings with the Native Americans, we might not have as much land as we do today. He also fought against the Second Bank of the United States, as well as other banks and money men, for the sake of America's poor. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get Original Essay Yes, he took land from the Native Americans, which can be seen horribly. From an onlooker's perspective, it would appear that the settler came to America to steal land from the Native Americans. But that’s not the point I’m arguing for today. Jackson was known by his second name "Sharp Knife", which he earned during the War of 1812. He courageously took command in several battles with Native Americans and powers opposing the United States. The major defining battle that earned him his nickname was the Battle of Horseshoe Bend where the "Red Sticks [were] broken, 800 to 900 of them killed" (Ripper, 2008). As the Red Sticks were one of the main Native American forces opposing the United States at the time, their defeat resulted in heavy losses of land for the Americans. In total, “thirty-five chiefs ceded millions of acres. Only one of these leaders was a red stick. The others were Jackson's allies in the war, allies whom Jackson has now betrayed” (Ripper, 2008). Not only was Jackson taking land from the Red Sticks, but also from his wartime allies who fought alongside him. The Native Americans were dealt a huge blow, knowing they would have to move even further away because of this. For the average American at the time, this was revolutionary, and many loved Jackson for this reason. At the time, the United States was still small and traded and stole land from Native Americans in hopes of westward expansion. The United States of today would not have been as great as it is if the War of 1812 had not gone in its favor. Jackson then continued his fight against the Native Americans as a major general, one of his great victories being the Battle of New Orleans. "Jackson followed ancient grievances and designs: to punish the Spanish and their Indian allies and take Florida for the United States" (Ripper, 2008). During his second term as president, he expressed his hatred towards Native Americans surrounding his lands, leading him to enforce the removal of Native Americans, particularly the Cherokee, from Georgia and force them west. The Supreme Court in Marshall ruled against this decision. , but "Jackson did not want to implement the Court's decision" (Ripper, 2008), as controversial as it was, it led to more land becoming part of the United States, once again expanding the United States to the benefits of the citizens of the United States Jackson's actions against the Bank of the United States also proved beneficial in "1819, a bad banking year - a bad year for just about everyone." " (Ripper, 2008). For this reason, the Bank of the United States attempted to limit the flow of money and began taking measures such as recalling other banks' notes to regulate its value. Jackson believed that the federal government should not interfere in state affairs any more than necessary. During Jackson's second term as president, he essentially killed the Bank of the United States by taking the money out and putting it into smaller banks, giving more control to the states. He also thought that he ».?"