Era of the Common Man

The Jacksonian Period was marked as the Era of the Common Man because of new political ideas and changes and the focus on universal manhood suffrage. The election of 1828 proved to be the testing ground of the new voters. The presence of all of these fresh voters forced politicians to adopt and adapt new methods of getting votes, like kissing babies and flying banners. Furthermore, the rich upperclassman was no longer held in high esteem, as most new voters were working class. Therefore, the candidate who wanted the vote needed to appear as one of them. Andrew Jackson’s war hero background really endeared people to him and he easily won the election. He further helped the common man by making the Spoils System, which let any white male-loyal to Jackson-enter into working for the government, creating tons of new jobs and positions all held by the common man. In conclusion, the new methods of attracting voters and the Spoils System which supported the common man all contributed to the reasoning behind which the Jacksonian Period is referred to as the Era of the Common Man.