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Jackson and the Politics of Democracy. The Age of Jackson. The Election of 1824 and J.Q. Adam’s Administration. Furthered Jackson’s career even though he lost Started as a scramble of five men John Quincy Adams, William Crawford, Henry Clay, John Calhoun, & Andrew Jackson
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Jackson and the Politics of Democracy The Age of Jackson
The Election of 1824 and J.Q. Adam’s Administration • Furthered Jackson’s career even though he lost • Started as a scramble of five men • John Quincy Adams, William Crawford, Henry Clay, John Calhoun, & Andrew Jackson • No one received a majority of the vote • House of Representatives were now left to decide • Now between Adams and Jackson • Clay gave support to Adams • Clay was appointed secy of state • Adams began his career under a cloud of suspicion • Thought that Adams bought the presidency
Adams as President • Difficult and frustrating presidency • Country was just recovering from a depression • Refused to bow to public opinion and called for expansion of federal activity • Opposition developed in Congress • Congress turned the domestic program into a pipe dream • New Congress of 1826 • Tariff issue was the main business on their agenda • Pressure for greater protection came from manufacturers, farmers, who would supply critical votes in the upcoming presidential election • The cotton growing South –where tariffs of all kinds were unpopular was assumed to be safely in Jackson’s camp for the upcoming election • The substantial across-the board increase in duties angered southern free traders however, and came to be known as the Tariff of Abominations
Jackson comes to power • The tariff showed how special interest groups can achieve their goals through congressional “give and take” (trading votes in the legislative bargaining process) • The election of 1828 saw the birth of a new era of mass democracy • Public rallies, torchlight parades, lavish barbeques paid by the candidates support • Influential state or regional leaders rallied behind Jackson • These leaders laid the foundations for the first modern American political system—the Democrats • What gave Jacksonians the edge was their success in portraying their candidate as an authentic man of the people
Jackson in office • Jackson won by a popular vote margin of 150,000 and by 2 to 1 in the electoral college • His character: • Removal of Indians from the Gulf States (key to his popularity in that region) • Indomitable will • Intolerance to opposition • Prickly pride • Violent in temper • Got what he wanted
