America was founded on a variety of principles that include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It was originally a nation of immigrants, many of whom were alienated from their country because of what they believed. These immigrants hoped to find a better life in America, and through various means — some good and some bad — they lived the 'American Dream' to one extent or another.
America has always been a country full of hardworking individualists, which is what has taken America to the top in many categories, yet we have a presidential candidate who will only bring America lower in the world. Many people are currently disgusted we would let Donald Trump become the Republican nominee, but the living are not the only ones who would hate a President Trump. I think George Washington and Thomas Jefferson would be shocked that Trump is so close to the highest office in the land. Not all of the former Presidents would be foes of Trump, however; Andrew Jackson would probably be his biggest fan.
Both Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were at the forefront of America's birth as a nation. They fought for freedom from a country that they felt only cared about itself. They wanted to be free from a tyrannical government and create a thriving country full of immigrants. Washington spent his time leading the Continental Army and fighting for the freedom of others, rather than himself. He also took the presidency seriously and saw it as a great honor, unlike Trump, who sees it as a way to gain fame and pass laws that help himself. Like Washington, Jefferson saw the presidency as an honor and worked to create the agrarian nation he felt would help the people the most. Trump wants the opposite of these founding beliefs. He would run the country like he runs his businesses — only for his personal gain. He is also determined to build a wall to keep immigrants out of America. Despite the fact that America is a nation created by immigrants, he feels the current “Americans” are the only ones who deserve to live in America and immigrants will only hurt the nation. Though he may tell you otherwise, Trump is not representative of America but instead some sort of political misfire who somehow managed to make his way up the ladder.
Sadly, not all of the American presidents valued the ideals on which America was founded. Andrew Jackson may have marked the “rise of the common man,” but he did things that many are still disgusted by today. In fact, if Jackson and Trump were to meet up, they would get to talk about their similar levels of bigotry. Trump wants to cease much immigration and block illegal immigrants from Mexico. Andrew Jackson forcefully removed Native Americans from their homes and caused the Trail of Tears. Andrew Jackson, like Donald Trump, chose to do what was in his best personal interest when fighting against the banks. Jackson had a personal feud with the bank years before his presidency, and he allowed those feelings to lead to a decision that caused one of the worst economic panics until the Great Depression. With Donald Trump, it has been seen time and time again that if his business ventures are not going as planned, he will make decisions to help himself, no matter the cost to other people. Both Jackson and Trump rose to power by convincing the “common man” that they would fight for him, but that does not mean Jackson was good for the country or Trump will be good for the country.
Donald Trump is bad news for America, and he could never live up to the legends of past presidents. America has consistently been a world power and a great place of opportunity, but Trump could easily change that around. He would not have been a good choice in the past. He will not be a good choice in the future. Let’s hope America does not go backwards and elect another Andrew Jackson.
