US History :: American History

In 1828 Andrew Jackson was elected as President, as a favorite among the United States many view him as the Hero of New Orleans. He is to many the epitome of a gentleman and that he embodies the ideals of many Americans. He views himself as the President of all the people and likes the idea of having those who worked for the government to depend on him. Jackson however, was ignorant to many of the fields that would have been beneficial to him and the United States had he not been so unwilling to accept advice from experts. His lack of knowledge of the banking system was evident; however, he had Nicholas Biddle to thank for keeping the system afloat. Biddle brilliantly maintained the Bank of the United States which in turn ensured that many financial institutions were able to maintain their efficiency. Despite Jackson's efforts to destroy the bank because of the monopoly it allowed, this short-lived veto was reversed. Biddle's efficient means of running the bank ensured a stab le economy for the United States. Jefferson continues to lose favor among Americans because of his tyrannical style of leadership. The creation of the Whig party, led by Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun, demonstrates the patriotic dislike held by many Americans. They aimed to influence President Jefferson and the Jacksonians to face and approach economic problems form a broad national perspective. Unfortunately there was no dominant leader who was able to achieve this goal. Society continues to change and the population within the United States continues to grow. From the span of 1790 to the 1850s the population increased from 3.9 million people to a little over 23 million people. Cities continued to grow and new towns continued to emerge causing an increase in farms and factories. This increase in population and town size was more prevalent in the Northeast in comparison to the South. The South saw its primary growth in Mobile, Charleston, Savannah, and Baltimore. During the Second Great Awakening revivals led by Charles Grandison Finney were being held in towns along the Erie Canal from 1826 to 1831 where he preached that his listeners should take their salvation into their own hands. The abolition of slavery was in the forefront by the 1820s however, there were not many supporters because many felt it could only be abolished through a revolution.