Election of 1828

The Presidential Election of 1828: Summary

The election of 1828 shifted American politics from the hands of elites and made public opinion crucial to candidates' success. The electors who chose the president were selected directly by voters in all but two states in this election instead of appointed by state legislatures. Voting was massively expanded in most areas to universal White male suffrage instead of just being held by White landowners. Still, women and non-White Americans had no say in the electoral process. This new, yet still not universal, level of direct democracy put populist Andrew Jackson into the White House and established the new Democratic Party.

The Presidential Election of 1828: Candidates

Two candidates remained from the crowded field of the 1824 presidential election for a rematch in 1828. They were incumbent presidents John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. In 1824, the House of Representatives decided the election as no candidate could get more than half of the votes. The resolution in favor of Adams had been called a "corrupt bargain" by the supporters of Jackson. The election of 1828 was the rematch: it was the descendant of the Adams political dynasty against the self-made Andrew Jackson. The decision would be in the hands of thousands of newly enfranchised Americans.

Fig.2 - John Quincy Adams

John Quincy Adams

As president, Adams had alienated his own Vice President, John C. Calhoun, who defected to run as Jackson's Vice President. Secretary of the Treasury Richard Rush replaced Calhoun. Adams had promoted that he would not work in a partisan manner, which left his party, now known as the National Republicans, poorly organized and unable to fend off challenges from the new Democratic Party. In the midterm election of 1826, supporters of Andrew's who would form the new Democratic party took many seats in Congress. This left Adams with a Congress which opposed many of his ideas.

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson enjoyed great personal popularity in the United States. His story of going from an orphan to a successful lawyer, businessman, and war hero resonated with the newly enfranchised White American males voting for the presidential electors for the first time in 1828. A new political party was beginning to form around him, known as the Democratic Party. The force of his personality was the thing around which the Democratic Party formed more than any specific positions on issues.

Fig.3 - Anti-Andrew Jackson Flier

The Presidential Election of 1828: Significance

Modern political campaigning was born during the 1828 election. With direct elections of presidential electors and a massively expanded franchise, popular opinion gained a new level of importance. The ability to adapt to the reality of American politics is what decided the election. National Republicans were stuck in the previous era of campaigning. At the same time, the Democrats understood that the election would be won on their candidate's relatability and personal perception instead of dry discussions of the political intricacies.

Jackson's Campaign

The Jackson campaign focused not on issues but on drawing a personal distinction between Jackson and Adams. They portrayed Adams as out of touch with the concerns of average Americans and in the pocket of the wealthy elite. Words like "virtue" and "corrupt" were used in the campaign to transform the decision from political opinion to personal character. While they accused Adams as corrupt, they presented Jackson as a vigorous war hero. He had risen from nothing to fight for the American people against the interests of the elite.

Adams's Campaign

Adams did minimal campaigning, which did not help the perception he was an out-of-touch elitist. Newspapers affiliated with him did try to make some personal attacks on Jackson's marriage when it was discovered that his wife had not finalized her divorce before the two were married. Supporters of Adams also criticized Jackson's involvement with slave trading, massacres of Indigenous people, dueling, and gambling to present him as unstable at best or cruel at worst.

The Presidential Election of 1828: Issues

With the focus on candidates' personalities, actual policy positions on issues played a more minor role in the campaign. The issue of tariffs and improvements to the national infrastructure dominated the discussion on policy. Tariffs and protectionism supported by Adams favored the producers of the finished goods in the North against the agricultural South and West. In addition to tariffs, Adams had sought to expand federal power to make infrastructure improvements across the United States, which came to be perceived as a usurpation of states' rights and as only benefitting wealthy elites while draining American tax money.

The Presidential Election of 1828: Results

Fig.4 - 1828 Presidential Election Results

Andrew Jackson and the Presidential Election of 1828

Andrew Jackson emerged victorious over John Quincy Adams by a large margin. Jackson had embraced a new kind of campaign and the new electorate to bring in the new era which would bear his name: "Jacksonian Democracy." While Jackson reformed many elements of the American government, Adams found a way to voice his opposition by winning a seat in Congress. The Adams dynasty continued to important positions in government and business.