Answer:
Step-by-step explanation:
1. POLITICAL CONTEXT
This political cartoon represents the different ideologies in US politics during the early 19th century. Shown in this picture is Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the United States, serving from 1829 - 1837. During this time, the rise of the modern two-party system had started to take form with the evolution of the Jacksonian Democrats and the Whigs - both powerful parties.
- THE JACKSONIAN DEMOCRATS were members of a party formed directly by Andrew Jackson. In response to the Election of 1824, Jackson formed this party out of his ideas and championed against the "Corrupt Bargain." The Corrupt Bargain was when President-elects Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams did not receive the majority of the electoral votes, leaving the decision in the hands of the House of Representatives. Henry Clay, a senator, made the final vote for JQA in exchange for him being the Secretary of State (often seen as the gateway to presidency). This enraged Jackson, who formed his own party and championed direct democracy and extension of rights to all white Americans (not just the rich)
- THE WHIGS were the political party that formed out of direct opposition to the Jacksonian Democrats. Seeing Jackson's views on direct democracy and states rights, the Whigs came together and formed a party from the Democratic-Republicans which would last up until the antebellum period just before the Civil War.
Now we should examine some of Jackson's key traits.
2. JACKSON
Andrew Jackson was quite a controversial man in his time period and, to this day, remains the center of several historical debates. Jackson was the champion of the War of 1812, winning the Battle of New Orleans which set the American mindest that they had won the war (even though it ended in a stalemate) and ushered in the Era of Good Feelings. Upon his victory, he ran for president and championed his ideas of direct democracy. However, when he took office, he imposed several policies that seemed to strengthen the power of the Executive Branch, much to the dismay of the Whigs. Below are some examples of his outstretching of power.
- THE BANK CRISIS. In the Bank Crisis, the charter for the Second Bank of the United States had expired, and Jackson was faced with the question of whether to renew it. Seeing that the Bank had favored the elite and not the typical farmer, he decided not to charter it. He instead created pet banks - banks set up, controlled by states, that would be under his control. However, this failed horribly. The Specie Circular required land to be sold in GOLD and SILVER, which was not in great quantity at the time. This led to the Panic of 1837 - a major economic downturn.
- THE NULLIFICATION CRISIS. In the Nullification Crisis, a new tariff had been imposed on the nation to help promote Northern industry and allow for the internal trade of the nation to develop. However, this was highly aimed at the North, not the South, who relied on foreign imports as they produced crops. With this, South Carolina nullified this law. Jackson saw this as a betrayal to the nation and made the Force Bill, which allowed him to go in and enforce the tariff by force. Things would have gotten worse if it weren't for Henry Clay's Compromise of 1833, which gradually reduced this tariff.
- THE INDIAN REMOVAL ACT. Several Native tribes peacefully lived in Georgia, until gold was discovered. This prompted Andrew Jackson to consider moving the Natives out of their land that they were using in order to extract this gold. In the case Worcester v. Georgia, the Natives successfully sued for their right to the land. Jackson ignored this and sent them anyway. The Trail of Tears was a brutal campaign against the Natives that forced them to trek through the American West to reservation land in the Winter, killing 15,000 people.
Above are just some examples of Jackson's overstretch of the Executive Presidency, which makes him such a controversial man. We can now move into cartoon analysis.
3. CARTOON ANALYSIS
In the cartoon, we see Andrew Jackson portrayed with a monarch's robes and hat. The titles say "BORN TO COMMAND" and "KING ANDREW THE FIRST." It's immediately evident that this goes against American ideals of democracy and a fair government. The US had fought the Revolutionary War just to escape a monarchy. The depiction of Jackson as a monarch thus reflects his overreach of the Executive Power and his monarchical style actions. The depiction of Jackson as a king goes directly against American ideas of a fair government and thus paints Jackson in a bad manner, ruling out A and B. It does not describe Jackson as option D as there is a clear intent to this cartoon. Thus, the correct answer is C - Disapproving.
Hope this helped!