The Rise of Jacksonian Democra essays

The Rise of Jacksonian Democra essays Between the years of 1828 and 1840, American politics underwent rapid and drastic changes. Subsequent to the Era of Good Feelings, there were no two distinct political parties as the Federalist party had seen its demise and only the poorly defined Republican party remained. As Andrew Jackson began to take a leadership role in America, new styles of campaigning were taking hold, voter turnout was on the rise, and the newly formed Democratic party was seeing opposition in the conservative Whigs. Under his guidance in presidential office, the party took a firm stance in the American political atmosphere. Jackson was a very popular candidate in the 1824 election because of his wartime successes. He was running against John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, and William H. Crawford. Though Jackson won the popular vote, he failed to take the electoral majority. Henry Clay was out of the running, and as Speaker of the House, he led the decision to appoint Adams over Jackson. Adams had obtained only a small percentage of the vote to begin with, and he was very unpopular in office. Critics accused him of striking a corrupt bargain with Clay to receive the appointment. Surprisingly, Adams did not make vacancies in the cabinet for his supporters. His presidency what a reasonably successful yet highly unpopular one. Jackson had begun campaigning for the 1828 election on February 9, 1825, the day his loss to Adams was announced. He utilized all the modern campaign tactics: banners, badges, parades, barbecues, free drinks, baby kissing, and the like. Mudslinging between the two candidates reached an all-time low with accusations of gambling, adultery, and even serving as a pimp. Jackson attempted to appeal to the demographic that primarily made up his constituency; he portrayed himself as a simple farming man raised in the west, when in fact, he was at the time a wealthy plantation owner born ...