King Andrew the First


King Andrew the First is a famous American political cartoon created by an unknown artist around 1832. The cartoon depicts Andrew Jackson, the 7th United States president, as a monarch holding a veto bill and trampling on the Constitution and on internal improvements of the national bank.

Purpose

The political cartoon was first shown in 1832 in the Library of Congress and was a response to Jackson's veto against the United States national bank deposits in September. He is depicted as a monarch because opposers often viewed Jackson as an abuser of his presidential powers. The creator of the cartoon remained anonymous, but the cartoon was created in a Whig's point of view.

Historical usage

During the 1832 presidential election, King Andrew the First was used to support presidential campaigns opposing Jackson.

Modern usage

King Andrew the First is now often used in various American schools for educational purposes as an example of an important political cartoon during that time period. Students are often assigned to analyze the cartoon as practice for political cartoon analysis. The overall impression by the people and the artist was that Jackson was not democratic, which means "ruled by the people".