Question

Explain why the ascension of Andrew Jackson to the presidency has been called the “triumph of the white man’s democracy.” Why did the Republican Party of Jefferson change its name to the Democratic Party under Jackson?

Answer 1

Historians refer to the rise of Andrew Jackson to the presidency as a “triumph of the white man’s democracy” because during the so-called “Age of Jackson” the right to vote was extended to nearly every white adult male, fueling the modern party system,  and slavery became stronger in the south forcing thousands of Native Americans off their land.

The Democratic-Republican Party split over the presidential succession, when the party faction that supported the old Jeffersonian principles, led by Andrew Jackson, became the modern Democratic Party.