What role did Andrew Jackson play in this movement? Both the movement
and the man who gave it his name are significant to Americans living in another
century and in a vastly changed, more complicated nation. The movement
occupies a central role in the still developing American political tradition; the
man dealt with such familiar problems as presidential power, party politics,
and leadership in a democracy. And by no means least, he shares with Thomas
Jefferson the role of patron saint of our oldest and largest political party.
Historical memories not only tell us where we have been; they can assist us
in discovering where we now are, and even where we may be going in the
future.

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