How was the Tennessee Constitutional Convention of 1834 a victory for the common man?

The
Tennessee Constitutional Convention of 1834 was convened in response to a growing clamor among
the public for greater involvement in the political system by the common man. This was in
keeping with the prevailing political , in which Jacksonian democracy was rapidly becoming the
order of the day.

At both the federal and the state levels, the Democratic
Party under Andrew Jackson sought to open up politics to the common (white) man, to the small
farmers and tradesmen who formed the backbone of Jackson's election-winning coalition. And in
Tennessee, a Constitutional Convention was convened in 1834 to put the principles of Jacksonian
democracy into effect.

At the Convention, a number of democratizing measures
were passed, such as the abolition of property requirements for voting. A wide range of public
officials, such as sheriffs and trustees, were now opened up to the democratic process for the
first time, giving the common man a greater say in how he was governed. For good measure, the
lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the House of Representatives, was greatly
expanded, providing more opportunities for more ordinary citizens to get themselves
elected.

It should be noted, however, that such measures applied to white men
only. Women were still to be denied any participation in the political process, as were free
black citizens of either sex. This was something of a regressive measure, as free black citizens
had been allowed to vote under the terms of the 1796 state constitution.