A Comparative Analysis of Democracy: Jefferson's Era to Jackson's

This essay examines the evolution of American democracy, focusing on the contrasting presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson. The essay highlights how democracy changed during these periods, including differing views on industrialization, education, and the role of the common people. Jefferson, representing an elite-driven government, is contrasted with Jackson, who embraced industrialization and championed equality of opportunity, reflecting a shift towards greater inclusivity. The essay analyzes the significant factors that shaped these changes and their lasting impact on American laws and regulations, emphasizing the contributions of both presidents through their distinct approaches and ideas, shaping the future of the United States. The essay also references key academic sources to support its arguments.

Running head: EVOLUTION OF DEMOCRACY FROM JEFFERSON TO JACKSON
Evolution of Democracy from Jefferson to Jackson
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Author Note

1EVOLUTION OF DEMOCRACY FROM JEFFERSON TO JACKSON
America has witnessed the rise and fall of several Presidents from the past till today.
From the times of George Washington to the present day today, democracy has played an
important role in America. Each President elected till the present time had made certain
contributions to the country. Democracy in America has changed in many ways from the time
Jefferson was President to the time Jackson became the President of the United States. There
were also other changes along with the democracy of the country.
The purpose of this essay is to determine how democracy in America has evolved
from the time Jefferson was the President till the time Jackson became the President of
America.
Democracy has been constantly changing in the United States of America during the
reign of each of the Presidents of the country. Both Jefferson and Jackson were known to
have played prominent roles as the Presidents of the United States of America. Each of them
had different perceptions about what democracy should be in a country. Thus, democracy for
each one of them, had different rules and systems. As stated by Cheatham (2015), Jefferson,
during his reign as the President of The United States, believed that the ruling of the country
should be done by the rich and the elites who were educated. However, he also advocated the
education of the poor people of America. Jefferson was a demanding person who wanted his
decisions to be followed by all others, as he thought that his decisions were best, in spite of
receiving negative opinions from others. He was not much supportive of the system of
industrialization as he feared that It would have bad consequences on the American Society
itself. He believed that education was necessary for the development of the country.
On the other hand, Jackson was a lenient man who wanted to be surrounded by the
people whom he could trust and they could trust him back in return. He was not much
educated and did not lay much emphasis on the system of education in the country. As stated

2EVOLUTION OF DEMOCRACY FROM JEFFERSON TO JACKSON
by Milkis (2016), he included industrialization in the country as he felt that could lead the
country to innovation.
Jacksonian Democracy proved to be quite different than that of the Jeffersonian
Democracy. There were several factors that caused the change to the democracy. While
Jefferson was scared of the consequences of industrialization in the country, Jackson
welcomed industrialization as he felt it would lead the country to its innovation and
development (Albertone, 2016). Apart from that, in Jacksonian Democracy, there was
another change in that Jackson wanted equality of opportunity which was not available
during Jefferson’s reign. The reason for this change was the protest from the common people
who wanted the equality of opportunity in the Government of the United States.
These changes were significant to the future of the United States because a lot of the
laws and regulations in the country have been influenced by the steps laid down by these two
presidents of the past. Both these Presidents made had made their mistakes and learned from
them. It is through their similar and different minds and the comparison and the contrasting of
their ideas that they contributed to the system which was significant for the future of the
United States.

3EVOLUTION OF DEMOCRACY FROM JEFFERSON TO JACKSON
Reference List
Albertone, M. (2016). The Cosmopolitan Vocation of the Agrarian Model: Thomas Jefferson.
In National Identity and the Agrarian Republic (pp. 72-112). Routledge.
Cheathem, M. R. (2015). Andrew Jackson and the Rise of the Democrats: A Reference
Guide: A Reference Guide. ABC-CLIO.
Cheathem, M. R. (2018). The Coming of Democracy: Presidential Campaigning in the Age
of Jackson. JHU Press.
Milkis, S. M. (2016). The Presidency and American Political Development. The Oxford
Handbook of American Political Development, 287