HIS-144-RS-Evolution of Democracy Worksheet
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Grand Canyon University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
HIS-144
Subject
History
Date
Feb 20, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
2
Uploaded by SuperHumanWhalePerson876
Name: ___Amelia Copeland_________
HIS-144-ONL: Evolution of Democracy
Directions:
Respond to the three question prompts below using resources from the Topic 3 Readings, including your textbook, materials provided by your instructor through class discussion, and materials from the GCU Library
Guide for HIS-144 U.S. History Themes. Please note that the minimum word count varies for each of the questions.
While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
1.
Compare and contrast the nation’s government from Jefferson’s era with Jackson’s era. Who was eligible to participate in the democratic processes when each was elected (who could vote)? How did that impact who was
represented in the federal government? (200-300 words)
During the Jefferson era his vision was to not have an overly strong centralized government and to have many self-
sufficient farms. Jefferson expanded the boundaries of the nation to help continue the westward expansion. During this time period the yeoman farmers is what Jefferson considered to be the ideal democracy and would fight Federalists. The Jefferson era wanted a smaller size of the government and also started making the first national court system. During the Jackson era slavery was still legalized in the southern states and racism ran high with his supporters. Jackson used political patronage to gain control over the federal government. In the Jackson era he made a proclamation to the nullification act stating that no individual state had the right to reject a federal law, that
only the Supreme Court had that right. The people that were eligible to participate in the democratic processes during the time of Jefferson’s era was limited to white male property owners whereas during the Jackson era voting was open to all white males regardless of their property ownership. The impact of this in the Jefferson era meant that the federal government was mainly representative in the interest of the people in the property-owning class and therefore policies were made to help landowners gain wealth. The impact within the Jackson era would be more towards all people. Because more people were able to vote the federal government was more representative of the overall population and this helped policies be made that focused on the needs of the common people.
2.
Explain three ways the federal government changed or expanded from the time of Jefferson to Jackson. (200-
300 words)
From the time of the Jefferson era to the Jackson era there were large changes and expansions within the government. There are three many areas in which these changes happened. The first would be the expansion of territories. During the Jefferson era there was a huge expansion when the Louisiana Purchase happened in 1803 where the United States gained around 828,000 square miles of land from France. This purchase alone doubled the
size of the United States Nation. The second way the federal government changed and expanded would be by the strengthening of the Executive Branch. In the Jackson era this branch was immensely strengthened. Because of the
use of Jackson’s political patronage this gave many of his supporter’s government jobs and in turn strengthened his presidency and changed the way the United States politics were operated. And thirdly the federal government
changed and expanded was the restrictions against white men. During the Jefferson era only, property-owning white men were allowed to vote where during Jackson’s era all white men were allowed to vote regardless of property ownership. This in turn allowed the politics of the economy to expand to more people such as the common population rather than just the wealthy white property-owners.
3.
Identify one way that democracy changed after Jackson. How was this done? How does this impact America’s government today? (100-150 words)
One way that the democracy changed after the Jackson era was the right to vote was for all white men. In the times
before Jackson, it was limited to white property-owning men. This was done through a series of state reforms. Many states changed their constitutions making it to where property-ownership was not required in order to vote. This impacts today’s America because it set the tone for change in the voting process. Without this large change there could have never been the change in which all men were able to vote, then leading up to women being able to
vote. It helped pave the way for all Americans being able to vote.
References
Ackerman, B., & Fontana, D. (2004). Thomas Jefferson Counts Himself into the Presidency. Virginia Law Review, 90(2), 551–643. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.2307/3202441
Schultz, K. (2018).
HIST 5
. Cengage. ISBN-13: 9781337294140
Wulf, N. (2006). The Politics of Past and Progress in Jacksonian Democracy. American Transcendental Quarterly, 20(4), 647-659. https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-
journals/politics-past-progress-jacksonian-democracy/docview/222380859/se-2
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help