I would give him a score of about 5 out of 10, which was a vast improvement over John Q. Adams and his cronies. If you were a poor, white male, he was your guy. He greatly democratized the process of elections in that era and was our first grassroots president. However, Jackson usually did what Jackson wanted to do, even if it meant alienating many of the people who got him elected. He did not side with Southerners during the nullification crisis and was prepared to use troops against South Carolina to enforce a law that most Southerners hated. He blatantly ignored John Marshall’s decision in Worcester v. Georgia, but an argument could be made here that he was acting in favor of democracy in this case, as most white Southerners probably wanted the Cherokee moved off of their land. He was a very complex and fascinating guy, but his critics called him King Andrew for a reason.
