The Rise of Mass Democracy

1824- 1840

Chapter 13

Part-1

The “Corrupt Bargain” After the Era of Good Feelings, politics was

transformed. The big winner of this transformation was the common man. Specifically, the common white man as universal white manhood suffrage (all white men could vote) became the norm.

In the election of 1824, there were four towering candidates: Andrew Jackson of Tennessee, Henry Clay of Kentucky, William H. Crawford of Georgia, and John Q. Adams of Massachusetts.

All four called themselves Republicans.

Three were a “favorite son” of their respective region but Clay thought of himself as a national figure (he was Speaker of the House and author of the “American System”).

"A Foot Race": Explanatory notes by Daniel Peart This cartoon portrays the presidential election of 1824 as a foot race. On the left, candidates John Quincy Adams, William Crawford, and Andrew Jackson (left to right) sprint for the finish line. On the right, the fourth candidate Henry Clay has pulled up short and stands, hand on head, exclaiming, ‘D--n it I cant save my distance – so I may as well draw up.’ A supporter, in riding clothes, consoles him, ‘Well dont distress yourself – there’ll be some scrubbing by & by & then you’ll have a chance.’ If no candidate could win an outright majority in the Electoral College, a likely occurrence with so many in contention, then the Constitution dictated that the election be decided in the House of Representatives, where Speaker of the House Clay would have significant influence.

The cheering spectators offer their own comments on the presidential race. A westerner, complete with stovepipe hat and power horn, hollers ‘Hurra for our Jacks-son,’ while former President John Adams responds ‘Hurra for our son Jack.’ On the inside line, Crawford has knocked off-balance a well-dressed man who cries out ‘Oh! my honour’, and a member of the crowd retorts ‘It serves you right you stupid NINNY-AN so it does, for trying to stop him.’ This is a satirical allusion to the efforts of Senator Ninian Edwards to derail Crawford’s presidential campaign by charging him with engaging in malfeasance as Secretary of the Treasury. Alongside, a man in coachman’s livery proclaims ‘That inne-track fellow goes so well; that I think he must have got the better of the bots [boss?],’ which may be a reference to the efforts of a minority of Republican Congressmen to boost Crawford’s chances by nominating him in caucus. His companion replies, ‘Like enough; but betwixt you & I--I dont think he'll ever get the better of the QUINSY.’ In the centre of the picture, a raggedly dressed Irishman declares, ‘Blast my eyes if I don’t venter a small horn of rotgut on that bald filly in the middle [Adams],’ and his wager is accepted by a scholarly gentleman who announces, ‘D--n my wig if I dont bet you.’ Betting on elections, and of course on horse races, was common in antebellum America. Next comes a Frenchmen, who comments, ‘Ah hah! Mon's Neddy I tink dat kick on de back of you side is worse den have no dinner de fourt of july’. This is another reference to the dispute between Crawford and Edwards; when several supporters of the Secretary of the Treasury refused to invite the Senator to a Fourth of July dinner that they were organising, John Quincy Adams and a number of other prominent politicians also declined to attend in protest. Affairs such as this perfectly illustrate the personal nature of politics in the Early Republic.

James Akin (1773-1846). “The pedlar and his pack, or the desperate effort, an over balance.” This print depicts the editor of the Philadelphia Democratic Press, John Binns, who had published handbills accusing candidate Andrew Jackson of arbitrary executions and other violent acts. These were countered by pro-Jackson handbills and some of the earliest presidential campaign caricatures. Here, Binns supports a load of coffins on his back, along with the figures of Henry Clay and incumbent President Adams.

The “Corrupt Bargain” Cont.In the results, Jackson got the most popular votes and the most electoral votes,

but he failed to get the majority in the Electoral College, Adams came in second in both, while Crawford was 4th in the popular vote but third in the electoral votes. Clay was 3rd popularly but 4th in the electoral vote.

By the 12th Amendment, the top three electoral vote getters would be voted upon in the House of Reps, and the majority winner (over 50% with a single vote from each state) would be elected president – so Clay was now out for consideration.

Thus, the House of Representatives decided the 1824 presidential election since no candidate received a majority of the vote in the Electoral College.

The “Corrupt Bargain” Cont. Clay was eliminated, but he was the Speaker of the House, and since

Crawford had recently suffered a paralytic stroke and Clay hated Jackson, he threw his support behind John Quincy Adams, helping him become president.

When Clay was appointed Secretary of the State, the traditional stepping-stone to the presidency, Jacksonians cried foul play and corruption. Jackson said he, the people’s choice, had been swindled out of the presidency by career politicians in Washington D.C.

John Randolph (Virginia Senator) publicly assailed the alliance between Adams and Clay, which actually led to an indecisive duel between Randolph and Clay.

Evidence against any possible deal has never been found in this “Corrupt Bargain,” but both men flawed their reputations.

A Yankee Misfit in the White House John Quincy Adams was a man of puritanical

honor, and he had achieved high office by commanding respect rather than by boasting great popularity. Like his father, however, he was able but somewhat wooden and lacked the “people’s touch” (which Jackson notably had).

Adams’ weaknesses included his deep nationalistic views at the expense of states’ rights, the fact that only 1/3 of the voters voted for him, his tactlessness and sarcastic personality.

During his administration, he only removed 12 public servants from the federal payroll, thus refusing to kick out efficient officeholders in favor of his own, possibly less efficient, supporters.

A Yankee Misfit in the White House Cont.

In his first annual message, Adams urged Congress on the construction of roads and canals, proposed a national university, and advocated support for an astronomical observatory.

Public reaction was mixed: roads were good, but observatories

weren’t important, and Southerners knew that if the government did anything, it would have to continue collecting tariffs.

With land, Adams tried to curb the sort of over-speculation that had led to Panic of 1819 - much to Westerners’ anger - even though he was doing it for their own good.

And with the Cherokee Indians, he tried to deal fairly with them although the state of Georgia successfully resisted federal attempts to help the Cherokees.

Going “Whole Hog” for Jackson in 1828

Jacksonians argued, “Should the people rule?” and said that the Adams-Clay bargaining four years before had cheated the people out of the rightful victor.

They successfully turned public opinion against an honest and honorable president.

However, Adams’ supporters also hit below the belt, even though Adams himself wouldn’t stoop to that level.

They called Jackson’s mother a prostitute, called him an adulterer (he had married his wife Rachel thinking that her divorce had been granted, only to discover two years later that it hadn’t been), and after he got elected, Rachel died. Jackson blamed Adams’ men who had slandered Andrew Jackson for Rachel Jackson’s death—he never forgave them.

John Q. Adams had purchased, with his own money and for his own use, a billiard table and a set of chessmen, and the Jacksonians quickly capitalized on this, criticizing Adams’ “incessant” spending.

“Old Hickory” as President When he became president, Andrew Jackson

had already battled dysentery, malaria, tuberculosis, and lead poisoning from two bullets lodged somewhere in his body.

He personified the new West: rough, a jack-of-

all-trades, a genuine folk hero.

Born in the backwoods of the Carolinas (we’re not even sure if it was North or South Carolina, and both states still claim to be his home), Jackson had been early orphaned, was interested in cockfighting as a kid, and wasn’t adept at reading and writing, sometimes misspelling the same word twice in one letter.

“Old Hickory” as President Cont. He went to Tennessee, where he became a judge and a congressman, and

his passions were so profound that he would choke up on the Senate floor, unable to speak.

A man with a violent temper, he got into many duels, fights, stabbings, etc…

He was a Western aristocrat, owned many slaves, lived in a fine mansion (the Hermitage in Nashville), and he shared many of the prejudices of the masses.

He was called “Old Hickory” by his troops because of his toughness.

He was anti-federalist, believing that the federal government was for the privileged only. Still, he maintained the sacredness of the Union and, like Thomas Jefferson before him, often used federal power over the states in many of his presidential actions.

“Old Hickory” as President Cont. Jackson commanded fear and respect from

his subordinates, and ignored Supreme Court decisions on several occasions; he also used the veto 12 times (compared to a combined 10 times by his predecessors) and on his inauguration, he let commoners come into the White House.

On Inauguration Day, they wrecked the White House and caused general chaos until they heard that there was spiked punch on the front lawn; thus was the “Inaugural Brawl.”

Conservatives condemned Jackson as “King Mob” and berated him greatly, with memories of the insanities of the French Revolution still fresh in their minds.

The Spoils System The purpose of the spoils system was to reward political supporters with good

positions in public office.

Unfortunately, under Andrew Jackson, the spoils system resulted in the appointment of many corrupt and incompetent officials to federal jobs.

Jackson believed that experience counted, but that loyalty and young blood and sharp

eyes counted more, and thus, he went to work on overhauling positions and erasing the old.

Not since the election of 1800 had a new party been voted into the presidency, and even then, many positions had stayed and not changed.

Though he wanted to “wipe the slate clean,” only 1/5 of former officeholders were sent home. “Cleaner” sweeps would come later, and Jackson was always hounded by office seekers throughout his presidency

The Spoils System The spoils system denied many able

people a chance to contribute to the country, while others were outright crooks.

Samuel Swartwout was awarded the lucrative post of collector of the customs of the port of New York, and nearly nine years later, he fled for England, leaving his accounts more than a million dollars short, and thus becoming the first person to steal a million dollars from the government.

The spoils system was built up by gifts

from expectant party members, and the system secured such a tenacious hold that it took more than 50 years before its grip was even loosened.