Review Of The Birth Of Modern Politics By Lynn Hudson Parsons

Chapter 9 The Jefferson Era was between 1800 and 1816. It started with The Federalist and Republican Parties fighting an election campaign in 1800. Federalists supported President Adams and Charles Pinckney for vice president. Republicans nominated Thomas Jefferson for president and Aaron Burr as his running mate.

The Corrupt Bargain The election of 1824 was undoubtedly unique, but it seems it may have been the result of a corrupt bargain that John Quincy Adams himself had set up. The election consisted of four different candidates; William Crawford from Georgia, Speaker of the House of Representatives Henry Clay, John Quincy Adams from, and Andrew Jackson from Tennessee. Jackson had a lot of support from the voters because of his role in the battle of New Orleans.

The election of 1828 was like no other before for many reasons. The election was different partly because of changes in social and campaign practices. More people were starting to pick a political part and vote for that party’s candidate only. People not only picked party’s and stood by them but they also started to show support for their candidate in new ways such as parades newspapers and any way they could spread and show their support for their candidate. The makeup of the electorate played a big role in the election of 1828.

In the 19th century, American politics started change drastically from the old system which seemed to be fading away. The idea of democracy was born in America through the influence of politicians. The American people started to realize their place in the growth of the country. They realized that their involvement in politics could benefit them. Andrew Jackson for a time was the face of democracy to the American people.

Andrew Jackson’s status as a national war hero came with a great amount of popularity and many people suggested that he run for president. Although, he eventually did run, he had no interest to in the beginning. By 1824, his supporters had gained enough recognition to get him a nomination and a seat in the U.S. Senate. Jackson beat the other contestants in the popular vote, but for the electoral votes, nobody won the majority and the House of Representatives were called to make the decision, ultimately choosing John Quincy Adams. Fast forward four years and Andrew Jackson ran again for president, but the outcome was very different;

The era of Andrew Jackson which was nicknames the era of the “common man” certainly lived up to its name. As the seventh President of the United States, Jackson had a major effect on the life of the common man, in such a way that the life of the common man would never be the same again. Jackson’s aim, after the manner in which he was defeated in the Presidential Election of 1824, despite receiving more popular votes than John Quincy Adams who took on the office, was to reduce the power and the authority of the elite. When he came into power after the 1828 election Jackson began to carry out his proposals. Jackson expanded the voting right to all men, in accordance with the Declaration of Independence of 1776 which declared that “all men are created equal” instead of just the elite.

The founders of the United States did their best to create a government that would not allow erroneous decisions to greatly harm the nation. They set a percent of presidents being politically sound and well-known; their beliefs for how the nation should be handled were essential to their campaign. President Andrew Jackson, however, did not follow this system, instead winning primarily by his personality and popularity amongst the common American. While his actions in office often appeared to be for the people, most had a hidden selfish side to them that he easily covered up. With the election of 1828, Jackson radically changed American politics, focusing them more on public appearance and personal character than on intelligence and political views, making personality just as, if not more important than the actual politics of a political term.

Andrew Jackson was from the west, and not a politician making him more of a common man than previous presidents. Serving in the military, being manly, and having a nickname “Old Hickory” made him relatable to the people. Presidents like George Washington, in contrast, came across as other worldly with their wealth, and education. The similarities to Jackson encouraged civilian participation in government. Coinciding with universal white male suffrage that came about in the 1820’s, the percentage of eligible voters that cast a ballot was higher in the 1828 election than any previous election.

American voters became more influential in presidential elections because of the events that took place during the Jacksonian and Progressive Eras. In the Jacksonian Era, some voting restrictions were removed, voting became more private, the public was more informed about politics, and voters were taken into greater consideration by presidential candidates. In the Progressive Era, better living conditions, the fight against corruption, and other political reforms made it easier for the working class to vote for candidates that they favored. These events gave voters a greater influence in politics and made elections more fair. During the Jacksonian Era, states began to give citizens a larger influence over presidential elections.

The election of the first president of a new nation would seem to be that country’s political turning point, but in the case of America’s election of George Washington, it was not. The United State’s Government was still a bicameral legislature and had two opposing political parties, Federalists and Antifederalists. It was only when the first transfer of power took place in The Revolution of 1800 that American politics had reached their turning point. This was the first case of a change in government where no blood was shed, the First Party System disintegrated, and the next three presidents were from a totally new political party.

Andrew Jackson during his time was considered a very patriotic politician he hated the rich, he hated the Indian, and loved the idea of slavery. It has been said that he grew up not educated and had a bad up bring but still managed to get to a high political suture. Jackson at one point was general and had a very decorated portfolio, which made sense he would become president, Andrew was most well know for “The Battle of New Orleans” where Andrew Jackson, prevented the British Army and General Edward Pakenham, from seizing New Orleans nearing the end of that war.

When the year of 1807 came around, the way that America elected a president changed. In previous elections, only the rich men were able to vote which as a result whoever promised more the wealth was elected for president. When the common man was able to vote in 1807, the type of candidate to win the election change. As seen in the election of 1828 the person who was more relatable to the people, won because the common man was able to vote and so they used that opportunity and elected whoever they thought was going to help them. Overall the people preferred Jackson over Adams because Jackson was able to relate to the people better, and because he was a symbol of the American dream.

The Jacksonian Era was the time period of Andrew Jackson’s presidency. This began in 1828 when Jackson was elected president. The era is sometimes described as a time when the United States experienced the “democratization of politics.” In a democracy every citizen has an equal say in the government's decisions and actions. Some people of this time period believed that Jackson is notable for democratizing the United States during the Jacksonian Era.

The presidential election of 2016 and the presidential election of 1800 were two of the most divisive and partisan elections in the history of the United States, and many of the lessons learned from the election of 1800 have carried on through the years and become relevant to the election of 2016. While the election of 2016 was widely regarded as unusual, the election of 1800 was also unusual in its time for some very similar reasons, and Edward J. Larson’s book, A Magnificent Catastrophe, describes that election in dramatic detail. Similarities between the two elections included rampant partisanship, divisions within parties, negative political attacks, and the occasional scandals, though the impacts of these were not the same for both elections.

Political campaigns and elections in the United States changed dramatically between 1815 and 1840 due to large social and political changes, such as universal white male suffrage which caused caused more voters in the middle and lower classes, and the growth of the common man ideal which resulted in politicians that were voted into office based on their background rather than their actual political views and knowledge. The political changes that granted universal white male suffrage caused an increase in eligible voters (doc 1). This increase in eligible voters (mainly the middle class) led to a demand for politicians who were more inclined to push for legislation that would benefit the “common man”, this included topics such as child labor