Old Hickory was a disaster for slaves and Native Americans, but from the perspective of the early-nineteenth-century electorate his policies were better than most. He curbed the growth of government, increased competition in the financial sector, and, most importantly, made resources more available to citizens by helping to put fertile land into the hands of the voting public.
Robert M. Whaples is a Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute and Co-Editor of The Independent Review.
American HistoryEconomic History and DevelopmentEconomic PolicyEconomyGovernment and PoliticsLaw and LibertyPolitical Theory
Other Independent Review articles by Robert M. Whaples
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Spring 2023 Fragile Futures: The Uncertain Economics of Disasters, Pandemics, and Climate Change
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