Jacksonian era Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Jacksonian era - Essay Example Worldwide, this time was a fairly peaceful one, taking into account various national movements and smaller wars; however, in 1848 there were mass revolutions of the lower classes in Europe. This key event had global implications which were played out over the next few decades, and vastly changed the nature of history after the Jacksonian era. What historical evidence was used by the author, Robert Remini, to write this book, and was the historical evidence accurate? The historical evidence on which this book is based is a large collection of secondary source material. Remini used a large number of texts in researching for this book – forty-three, to be precise – but it is difficult to ignore the fact that none of these appear to be primary sources. History is a field where interpretation of sources is key, and it is slightly worrying that the author would have only focused his interpretation on other interpretations rather than on any original source material. Any perso nal flaws and biases have been magnified in Remini's analysis of purely secondary sources. That said, the wide range of sources is somewhat reassuring, and without reading all forty-three books, it can only be hoped that his biases allowed him to take an accurate and fairly un-prejudiced view. How did slavery and Indian removal affect the United States during the Jacksonian era? Before Jackson's ascent to the presidency, slavery in the United States had started to come to its end. In 1822 a small group of black slaves revolted, causing the deaths and banishment of at least 72 slaves. Throughout the Jacksonian era, slave-owners â€Å"dreaded† (Remini, 59) the eventual uprising of their slaves, and an 1831 rebellion fuelled these flames. The Nat Turner Rebellion involved the murder of roughly sixty white people, but, Remini argues, had less of an influence on abolition than the example of other countries and states at the same time. The slow emancipation of the slaves caused mu ch cultural discourse, some of it constructive, some of it less so – â€Å"race riots became a regular occurrence in Jacksonian America† (61), even reaching Washington D.C. in 1835. It was feared that the abolition of slavery would shatter the Union, and indeed there was almost civil war over a slavery-related issue in the early 1830s, with threats of secession coming from several states. Ultimately the slavery issue did cause civil war, creating a stronger and more equal United States. Although the book calls it 'Indian removal', a less racist and euphemistic term would be Native American banishment or deportation. Like slavery, the banishment of Native Americans from their homes was a way in which the white leaders of society prioritized their own desires above the needs of others, to the detriment of North American society. Jackson â€Å"demanded† (46) that Native Americans concede their land to him. In 1830, a Removal Act was passed, in which Native American s were guaranteed land in the west, and transportation thereto, if they would give up their land in the east; the Cherokee tribe refused and took the matter to the Supreme Court, arguing that they were not subject to state laws. The ruling, that they were neither subject to state laws nor independent, set a dangerous precedent as Native Americans as â€Å"domestic dependents† (47). Again, like slavery, states and races were divided along fault-lines, with radicals on each side respectively supporting Native American protection or