Question

I need help with this, I am horrible at history and I can't retain it.

1. Was Andrew Jackson a great president? Opinions are mixed. What is yours? Consider the words that Jackson biographer James Parton wrote in 1859:

"Andrew Jackson, I am given to understand, was a patriot and a traitor. He was one of the greatest of generals, and wholly ignorant of the art of war... He was the most candid of men, and was capable of the profoundest dissimulation... A democratic autocrat [dictator]. An urbane [sophisticated] savage. An atrocious [awful] saint."

Now write a well-constructed essay.

Answer 1

So you dont know what to write? Are you taking Modern World History?

Answer 2

Positives:
-He attacked corruption in the federal government, which he distrusted.
But he also helped prevent an early Civil War. In the 1830s South Carolina nullified a federal law and threatened to secede from the Union because of high tariffs. Though he wanted to send a large force into the state, Jackson prepared a modest force just in case while Congress worked out a compromise tariff.
-Jackson was a strong supporter of the Union, influence that would be important to its cause in the Civil War 30 years later.
-He amplified the power of the presidency (which at the time was the weakest of the 3 branches), using the veto power a total of 12 times. His six predecessors altogether had used it 10 times.

Negatives:
-However, he introduced the National Spoils System, which threw out incumbent officeholders and replaced them with political supporters. As a result, people who cared little for the country and more about the rewards were in power.
-He also destroyed the Second Bank of the United States. Like other westerners, he hated big banks. The National Bank was a great asset to the nation's economy and a Panic followed his two-term presidency.
-He may have abused his power as President.
-He was largely responsible for the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the "Trail of Tears." This was actually supposed to be a noble move because he had adopted a Native American boy and did not want to simply wipe out the Native peoples.

Depends on what you think:
-His election represented the emergence of the common man in politics (universal white male suffrage in many states) and the westward movement of the political center of the nation (he was a rich gentleman from Tennessee). You could take this either way: the people were getting involved, or stupid people starting voting.
-He basically founded the Democratic Party. (And the Whig Party, which grew out of opposition to his policies. The party was simply unified by the fact that "we all hate Jackson" but later reorganized into the Republican Party.)