Analysis of Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren

The presidents have always played a crucial role in American politics and are known for their roles in unifying the nation. They are glorified for their charisma and ability to lead, but even these brilliant men make economic, political, and social blunders. Andrew Jackson, who was in office from 1829-1837, was a president of many firsts as he was the first frontier president, first to have a kitchen cabinet, and first to use a pocket veto. Jackson was later succeeded by his vice president, Martin Van Burden. Van Burden, who was in office from 1837-1841 , was known for his shrewd political skills.Both these men laid down the foundations for a stronger, more centralized national government with methods that garnered mixed responses. Andrew Jackson was a war hero turned president, but his battles did not end with his election. One type of problem Jackson faced was economic. South Carolinian planters saw that the protective tariff, passed by Congress in 1 824, as oppressive since most of the revenue made from it was invested in the northeasts manufacturing industry. They were more infuriated when the tariff was raised in the summer of 1828 (Brinkley 207).The South Carolinians and Vice President John C. Calhoun saw the taxes as blatantly unconstitutional, exceeding Congresss powers to raise necessary revenues and oppressing one section of the country while enriching others (Willets 63). A nullification document written by Calhoun known as the South Carolina Exposition and Protest was passed by the state legislature in 1 832 as a response. This text announced that any state could declare its original sovereignty and disregard federal laws that are found offensive in their borders.In retaliation, Jackson sent federal troops to South Carolina to enforce the law, but before any violence could ensure the state backed down Brinkley 207). This created a strong rift between the Jackson and his vice president that turned in to a bitter rivalry between the two. Jacksons strong approach caused the executive branch to become unstable and eventually Calhoun and he split in 1832 (Willets 64-65). Another negative economic event that Jackson faced was his clash with the Second Banks of the United States. The Second Bank of the United Sates was a privately owned institution with an outrageous amount of public influence. With a congressional charter, it was the national governments sole fiscal handler and could use public ends without interest for its own discretion (Brinkley 211). Due to this, Jackson saw the Bank as an unconstitutional aberration and an affront to popular sovereignty (Willets 75). There was also opposition of the Banks by advocates of soft money, who were mainly state banks, and advocates of hard money, who were people that disapproved all banks and believed only in coins for currency (Brinkley 211). O when it was time for the Banks charter to be renewed in 1832, Jackson. He removed all federal funds the following year and when the original charter expired in 1 836 all operations as a national bank ended. This would subsequently cause the economy to become unstable a year later (Willets 79-80). Although there were no wars during Jacksons administration, there have been close calls. A treaty was created, in 1831 a year before Jackson took office, whereby France agreed to pay reparations for damages made on American shipping under the reign of Napoleon.The French Chamber of Deputies, however, later refused to allocate the appropriate funds. Jackson infuriated with this called on Congress to allow for reprisals should the French not pay. Both nations refused to back down and the bickering spiraled to the point where they recalled their ministers and a war seemed imminent (Willets 138). The crisis was averted with the French eventually ceding with urgings from Britain. Jacksons stubbornness and refusal to back down landed the United States in hot water, especially in provoking a nation like France that she would not be able to fight. Jackson also faced the issue of American advancement into the west. The removal of Indians was a major concern of his administration and management of the situation was the most notable gaffe of his administration. Like many other Americans at the time, he believed that the Indians were inferior to white men and saw them as savages. Once in office, Jackson urged the Indians to move westward and give up their land, but he was adamantly opposed. The first of the land battles began with Georgia when the state claimed millions of acres of Indian land.The Indians responded with a suit in the Supreme court that was ruled in their favor, stating that Georgia had no authority over their land. The Georgians ignored this and a white invasion of the land ensued. Jackson did nothing to enforce the ruling and there was no consequences to the blatant disregard of the Supreme Court (Ermine 60-61 Later, the Indian Removal Act of 1 830 was eased and signed by Jackson which gave him the authority to make treaties that would exchange land in the west for Indian land east of the Mississippi.It also stated their relocation would be paid for by the federal government. The Indians opposed this act because although it seemed peaceful, they were removed forcefully. This led to many bloody conflicts in which one side would try to seize the land while the other side tried to protect it. The struggle continued and many citizens were polarize on the issue as some saw the Indians as hindrances to American expansionism while the others saw it as outright disrespect of the Indians rights.Eventually in 1835, after the anti- treaty supporters negotiated better terms, a treaty was signed in which the Indians would give up their land in exchange for other lands wes t of the Mississippi (Willets 139-141 This later led to the Indians large exodus where thousands suffered. Although Jacksons decision allowed for the nation to expand, it was at the enormous expense of the Indians. He forcefully kicked them Off their land and treated them as if they were livestock that did not deserve basic human rights. Jackson served for two terms and remained incredibly popular even after resigning.He was the true epitome of a poor, country boy who grew up to become president. He was a self-made man that used his presidency to help ordinary people rather than the rich. Although he had he helped the nation to grow, it came at the sacrifice of so many innocent lives. His popularity with the people led to the election of Martin Van Burden, who was his vice president and once the most powerful member of Jacksons cabinet as Secretary of State. At the very beginning of Van Burdens presidency, he faced the first major economic crisis that America had experienced thePanic of 1837. This fiscal fiasco was triggered by Jacksons withdrawal from the Second Bank of the United States and deposition into state banks of federal funds. Consequently, there was reckless speculation by the banks in lands westward (Willets 1 19). The bubble finally burst in 1837 and hundreds of businesses and banks failed, causing the worst depression of the economy at the time. Van Burden did little to relieve popular misery as he called for less government intervention and created no programs to help with the massive unemployment rate (Wider 102).He later proposed for the rancher of federal funds to an independent treasury. This bill would eventually be passed year latter, but many blamed him for the crisis and inadequate response to it. It ultimately led to his crushing defeat by the William Henry Harrison, the Whig candidate, in the following election (Wider 103-104). During his presidency, Van Burden also faced raising tensions with Great Britain as there was a heated border dispute near the Canada-Maine border. This skirmish brought the two on the brink of war. However, Van Burden sought to revolve this conflict before violence resulted.General Winfield Scott and an envoy were sent to Britain to negotiate a treaty, which subsequently concluded the conflict. Many criticized Van Burdens cautious diplomacy as they felt that he should have taken a stronger stance against Britain and assert the United States as a force to be reckoned with (Wider 131). Slavery at the time was a controversial topic as many northern cities saw it as an abomination that should be abolished while in the south it was the center of the economy. Starting in 1836, many slave owners looking for space to expand saw Texas as the solution to their problems.

Caribbean Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Caribbean Literature - Essay Example These woman writers were born in the late 1940s and 1950s and they produced their first major works in the 1980s. "The term 'Caribbean women writers' describes an extremely diverse collection of women: women of numerous racial and ethnic groups who reside in many nations and write in at least four European languages and many Caribbean Creoles." (Rody, 117) Significantly, the most acclaimed woman writer of the region, Jean Rhys, is a white woman identified with English modernism who lived in the wake of Caribbean women's renaissance in the 1980s. Jamaica Kincaid, Michelle Cliff, and Maryse Conde are some of the prominent figures during the Caribbean women's renaissance in the 1980s. Therefore, a profound analysis of the Caribbean literature of 1980s, one recognizes a key stage of development in women's writing. In the critical work 'The Invisible Woman in West Indian Literature', Ramabai Espinet investigates the 'invisibility' of East Indian woman in Caribbean literature and one gets the notion that women arbiters are marginalized by virtue of their ethnicity a

HarperCollins Publishers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

HarperCollins Publishers - Essay Example Personal research on the development milestones of HarperCollins publishers revealed that the company is an auxiliary of News Corporation. The company has experienced different acquisitions and mergers with the latest acquisition of Thomas Nelson, a Christian book publisher in 2011 (Mu?Hlbacher, Dahringer & Leihs, 2006, p. 67). The company publishes a wide range of imprints that are either new or from earlier independent publishing companies. The most recent influential marketing strategy is the web approach whereby book sales and reach is achieved through the online market (Blythe & Zimmerman, 2005 p. 43). This strategy is advantageous whereby the consumers could access selected extracts from a book before purchasing. On the other hand, the downfall of the same is as a result of concern from other publishers who believe that the availability of books online could be exploited through file sharing. HarperCollins publishers have managed to maintain their competitive advantage by devel oping imprints that are unique from other publishing companies such as MacMillan and Random house. ... The operating profits shown to have increased by over 100% indicated that the restructuring strategies in the past two decades were successful. Presently, HarperCollins publishers continue to explore innovative strategies to enhance its growth. Marketing strategy review blog 2: value HarperCollins publishers enjoy the business strength of publishing literature in spiritual and religious books, cookbooks, mystery and romance, literary and children’s books. With consumers spread all over the world, corporate value is a very vital concept in the development of the company. This review explores the extent to which customer relation can be implemented. The company offers customer value on a different basis. The readers have the satisfaction of pleasurable and affordable reading experiences. The authors on the other hand, have the satisfaction of their work being published by a globally reputable brand; enjoy editorial support and widespread marketing reach (Gay, Charlesworth & Esen , 2006, p. 89). The value proposition of customer satisfaction would enhance the company’s position in the global market that is increasingly becoming a village due to technological advancements. HarperCollins publishers have adopted the target marketing initiative in order to position their highly competitive products in the minds of the target consumers. Market segmentation adds value to customers by providing dynamic, user friendly and customized products (Hall, 1992, p 84). This has been achieved using different innovative mediums such as technology for example, the progressive expansion of the e-book collection developed the â€Å"HarperCollins 360† initiative that ensures that every book published in the different