Presidency Video Exercise and Discussion

Please watch the video, “Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil, and the Presidency” athttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kJmw3nzuB4, review the text (if necessary), and respond to the questions below. 

After completing the questions, you will be posting your responses as your initial discussion post. This initial post is due no later than Friday at 11:59pm.  Students may NOT edit initial posts once posted.  Discussion scores will be based on the original post. 

Your initial post should be a minimum of 8 lines in length and be written in sentences (rather than just listing the letter, or a short phrase).

Before Sunday 11:59pm, please respond to two other classmates’ initial posts (not follow-up posts) for Question #5, Part 2, with meaningful responses that address the substance of their post. Each of these follow-up posts should be a minimum of 4 lines in length.

Question 1

According to Jackson’s biographer James Partin, which of the following is NOT among the contradictions exhibited by his subject?

1. Democratic autocrat
2. Urbane savage
3. Atrocious saint
4. Populist technocrat

Question 2

In the eyes of the historians interviewed, which of the following is NOT one of Jackson’s key accomplishments?

1. He was loved by the American people
2. He enlarged the possibilities of American democracy
3. He advanced a more far-reaching role for the federal government
4. He broadened the reach of the presidency as an institution

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a reason Jackson remains controversial?

1. His policies encroached on the rights and lands of Native Americans
2. He advocated more democracy in the realm of voting rights
3. He was moody and hot-tempered
4. He was a slave owner

Question 4

According to the video, Jackson was viewed during his lifetime as the most popular living president, the “idol of the American people.” Why is this? What factors contribute to the popularity of an American president?

Question 5

The history principle holds that “past events shape current viewpoints and perspectives.” Describe how this is evident in the presidency of Andrew Jackson, both among his contemporaries and in more recent years.

Part 2. Discuss how our view of the presidency as an institution has evolved over time. Is this evolution positive or negative?  Why?