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

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

Indian Removal

Trail of Tears