If we define
effective as being able to get things done, then Andrew Jackson was clearly an effective
president. It is certainly possible to argue that he was not a good president because you might
think that the things he got done were bad things. However, it is hard to argue that he was not
effective. Let us look at three instances in which he got his way, thus showing his ability to
get things done.
One of these was Indian Removal. Jackson wanted to move the
Native Americans out of the Southeast so that white people could have the Indians land. Jackson
was able to make this happen even though the Supreme Court said that he could not. This shows
that he was powerful and able to get things done in the face of important opposition.
A second episode that shows Jacksons effectiveness was the Nullification Crisis. In
this episode, South Carolina tried to nullify a tariff passed by Congress. If it had succeeded,
the Union would have been severely weakened. Jackson made it clear that he would oppose South
Carolinas efforts vigorously. His actions caused South Carolina to back down and accept the
tariff (though Jackson was able to get it lowered as a sort of compromise).
Finally, there was Jacksons war with the Second Bank of the United States. Jackson
felt that the bank was run by rich elites for their own benefit. He felt it was harmful to the
interests of the common people. Through a number of maneuvers, he succeeded in destroying the
bank. Regardless of whether this (or any of the other incidents mentioned above) was a good
thing, it clearly shows that Jackson was effective in accomplishing his
goals.
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