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The most controversial founding-era president. Meacham examines Jackson's populist revolution, his destruction of the national bank, his forced removal of Native Americans, and his legacy as both democratic champion and authoritarian bully.
This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.
Highlights
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Populism is a permanent feature of American democracy, not an aberration
Jackson's populism — distrust of elites, appeal to 'the common man,' contempt for institutions — recurs in every generation. It is built into the structure of American democracy, not an occasional deviation from it.•
Jackson expanded democracy for white men while destroying it for Native Americans
Jackson simultaneously expanded voting rights for white men without property and forcibly removed Native Americans from their ancestral lands. His 'democracy' was explicitly racial — freedom for some required dispossession for others.Was this useful?