Opinion of Andrew Jackson

[tpfkaw]

FF, on balance.  He didn't "try to subvert American Democracy and turn it into American Monarchy" (which would be a good thing), in fact he created the notion that everything ought to be put to a popular referendum (his main long-term negative legacy besides his violent assault on states' rights).  The retarded Whig attack was because he (horrors of horrors) vetoed bills favored by the Whigs (all such bills were of the authoritarian dipsh**ttery category).

If it were not for Indian Removal (carried out under Van Buren, not Jackson) the Georgia militia (which outnumbered the US standing army of the time) would've massacred the five civilized tribes.  It was clearly the lesser evil, and the "third option" was not really an option (which is why it's only recent historians who've decided to passive-aggressively attack him on that even though it's really his economic policies they dislike).  Furthermore, several other POTUSes (most notably Lincoln and Grant) pursued much more violent policies towards the Indians than Jackson.

The spoils system was mostly Van Buren, but having the federal bureaucracy be easily bribed and replaced every few years was a (relative) good thing.