Jackson Vs. Jefferson

6 Pages 1538 Words

Compare and contrast the political philosophies and policies of Jefferson and Jackson.


Both Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson brought an amazing era that made a great impact in America. However, although these two men had many similarities, they also had many differences in their political philosophies and policies.
In terms of political philosophies, Jefferson and Jackson both favored a strict interpretation of the Constitution. For instance, Jefferson was against Hamilton’s financial plan with the Bank of the United States because he felt that the Constitution did not specifically authorize Congress to pass such bills. For the very same reason, Jackson did not like the Bank of the United States during his time because he too felt that it was unconstitutional. However, during Jefferson’s time, his views on a strict interpretation of the Constitution changed. Jefferson knew that the government couldn’t add new territory or grant American citizenship to the 50,000 residents in the Louisiana Territory in 1803 under the Constitution, but under these circumstances he used a loose interpretation of the Constitution and had the senate ratify the treaty of the Louisiana Purchase. With the national debt, both men had great desires to abolish it. Jefferson lowered the national debt from $83 million to $57 million and Jackson in 1836 had the whole nation totally debt free. During their campaigns, both men stated that they were for the common man, but their views and actions for the common man varied. Jefferson felt that an ordinary citizen could be educated to determine that which was right while Jackson felt that an ordinary citizen knew that which was right from his own instincts. Jefferson and Jackson both supported the fact that the majority should rule. However, Jackson did more to get the common people involved in the national government. He set up more secondary schools to help in the improvement of knowledge and...