The Election of 1824: Candidates & Parties

The Election of 1824

• From 1816 to 1824, the United States had only one political party, the Jeffersonian Republicans
• Differences arose among various groups within the party, each with own views and interests.
• In 1824, James Monroe declined to run for a third term as president.
• Four candidates from the Republican Party competed for the presidency

William H. Crawford

• The Republican Party nominated William H. Crawford, a former congressman from Georgia.
• The four candidates in the 1824 election differed on the role of the federal government.
• The candidates spoke differently in different parts of the country
• Crawford's poor health weakened him as a candidate

Andrew Jackson

• General Andrew Jackson of Tennessee was not a Washington politician
• He was a hero of the War of 1812
• The other three Republicans in the presidential race were favorite son candidates.
• They received backing from their home states rather than from the national party.
• Raised in poverty, Jackson claimed to speak for the Americans who had been left out of politics

Henry Clay

• Clay of Kentucky was Speaker of the House of Representatives
• He fought for his program of internal improvements
• Clay supported high tariffs and a stronger national bank

John Quincy Adams

• John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts was the son of former president John Adams.
• Adams received support from merchants of the Northeast

Striking a Bargain

• In the election of 1824, Jackson received the largest number of popular votes
• No candidate received a majority
• Majority means more than half of the electoral votes.
• Due to no candidate achieving a majority, Jackson won 99 electoral votes, giving him a plurality, or largest single share
• Under the Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution, when no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives selects the president.
• Henry Clay met with Adams when the House was preparing to vote on the next president.
• Clay agreed to use his influence as Speaker of the House to defeat Jackson
• Clay hoped to gain the position of secretary of state in return
• Jackson's followers accused the two men of making a “corrupt bargain" and stealing the election.
• Adams quickly named Clay Secretary of State, traditionally the stepping-stone to the presidency

The Adams Presidency

• The "corrupt bargain” cast a shadow over Adams' presidency in Washington, D.C.
• Outside the capital, Adam's policies ran against popular opinion.
• Adams wanted a stronger navy, government funds for scientific expeditions, and for the federal government to direct economic growth.
• Congress turned down many of Adams's proposals, due to those who desired a more limited role for the federal government.
• Enemies of Adams controlled both the House and Senate after the congressional elections of 1826.

The Election of 1828

• By the election of 1828, the Republican party had divided into two separate parties
• The Democratic-Republicans supported Jackson
• The National Republicans supported Adams

Democratic-Republicans

• Jackson's Democratic-Republicans, or Democrats, favored states rights
• They mistrusted a strong central government
• Many Democrats were individualists from the frontier, immigrants, or laborers in the big cities.

National Republicans

• The National Republicans wanted a strong central government
• They supported federal measures, such as road building and the Bank of the United States
• Many National Republicans were merchants or farmers
• They believed in federal measures that would shape the nation's economy

Election of 1828 Tactics

• During the election campaign both parties resorted to mudslinging, attempts to ruin their opponent's reputation with insults.
• The Democratic-Republicans accused Adams of betraying the people.
• They released a handbill calling the election a contest "between an honest patriotism, on the one side, and an unholy,selfish ambition, on the other."
• The National Republicans fought back
• They created a vicious campaign song that played up embarrassing incidents in Jackson's life
• One incident involved Jackson's order to execute several soldiers who had deserted in the War of 1812.
• Election slogans, rallies, buttons, and events such as barbecues were used to arouse enthusiasm
• These new features became a permanent part of American political life.
• Mudslinging was not the only new element introduced in the 1828 campaign

Jackson Triumphs

• In the election of 1828, Jackson received most of the votes cast by voters of the new frontier states.
• Jackson also received many votes in the South, where his support for states' rights was popular.
• John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, who had served as Adams' vice president, switched parties to run with Jackson.
• Calhoun also championed states' rights.
• Jackson won the election in a landslide, an overwhelming victory, with 56 percent of the popular vote and 178 electoral votes.