Andrew Jackson

His political idealogy was called "Jacksonian Democracy". Him and his followers believed in small and limited federal government and states' rights, but the ultimate strength of the presidency. Jackson is often considered the first president from what became today's Democratic Party. A wealthly slaveholder, he nevertheless fought against aristocracy and appealed to common citizens.  

 

Jackson supported slavery and initiated forced relocation and resettlement of Native American tribes from the Southeast to west of the Mississippi River in what was called the Indian Removal Act. This act pressured Indian tribes to relocate west of the Mississippi River to aid U.S. expansion. All tribes would eventually be affected, but its initial impact was on the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole. The violence, deaths, and starvation caused by these Indian removals created what came to be known as the "Trail of Tears."