The Election Of Andrew Jackson And Abraham Lincoln

Great Essays
The United States stands on the precipice of what is shaping up to be a historic election. Small talk these days rarely occurs without the mention of the election, and it begs the question of what the true measure of a presidential campaign is, no two candidates like Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln gave the people their answer. This pair of men shook the foundation of American politics during their times. One, the glittering hero of the Battle of New Orleans who truly stood for the populist themes of democracy, and the other, a no-name from Illinois who challenged Stephen Douglas, one of the fiercest Democrats of the time. Jackson secured the election of 1828 through the innovation of his campaign and the careful maintenance of the image …show more content…
The “Just Folks” strategy aims to earn the support of the common man by displaying a rural upbringing, which Jackson and Lincoln both had, as well as being generally anti-higher education; Jackson had little education and Lincoln none at all, save for what he taught himself (Lordan). As described, both campaigns made extensive use of the strategy, emphasizing Jackson’s status as a military man from the frontier and Lincoln’s as a humble rail-splitter. In addition to their similar strategies, both candidates’ campaign teams were intelligent in their approach. Jackson’s supporters were pioneers of political strategies used today, including their use of the newspapers and songs/puns to spread their message, the media event of Jackson returning to New Orleans, and the smear tactics used against Adams. Lincoln’s campaign team was intelligent in an arguably more deceiving way, printing counterfeit admission passes to fill the convention with Lincoln men and bargaining with corrupt politicians to glean votes from the necessary delegates, though still as brilliant as the Jackson team. However, when it boils down to numbers, Jackson had the more successful campaign. He earned sixty-eight percent of the electoral vote (“Miscellaneous, the Presidency” 200) and fifty-six percent of the popular vote (Parsons 181), compared to Lincoln’s fifty-nine percent of the electoral vote and forty percent of the popular vote (“1860 Presidential Election Results”). The political climates of both elections were quite different, since in 1828 slavery was not a dire issue (Parsons page), and Jackson, having been born in the south, had tremendous support in the region. Thirty-two years later, when Lincoln ran for president, slavery was the defining issue of the campaign, and he

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Andrew Jackson Failures

    • 1035 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The United States of America had a vision to empower the people, to protect themselves from a tyranical government. This vision had slowly disipated since the inaugeration of Washington. The power laid between a few wealthy individuals, the bank controlled the nation’s funds with a puppeteer like intention, and the common man had very few inlets of influnce for the government. Andrew Jackson, coming from a background of mild wealth, hard work, and military service sought to fix how far the nation had fallen. His vision was that of the people, and nothing was too brash, too bold, too extreme for him to reach that goal.…

    • 1035 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Curtis, shows the how Andrew Jackson was in pursuit to achieve exoneration and justification and what was going on in the time of Jackson life. This biography, even though has an flow to the book making it a simple to read and follow, was more about the history going on in Jackson lifetime than about Andrew Jackson himself. As United States seventh President, Andrew Jackson was very important for laying the stepping stones for the national party system, outline the idea of a powerful president, and dazzled the era of his fellow citizens. James C. Curtis profoundly tell the story of Jackson’s unsettling adolescence, advancing to leadership and greatness in Tennessee, military achievements, approaching into presidential campaigning, and significant presidency.…

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Some might argue that the Jacksonian Period during 1824 to 1841 was a huge turning point in America’s history. Jackson represented the “common man” and grew up without much wealth and had limited education; he empathized for those who couldn’t obtain full rights in America and tried to change America to a more democratic nation. This is, to some extent, very true. The Jacksonian Period did show many elements of a democratic society, and Jackson, during his term as president, consistently stressed the importance of individual's rights, but that being said, it was to some extent. To some extent, Jackson used his powers and abused them.…

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Jackson is known for the man of the people, battling against corruption. He is also the symbol of the democratic…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The 1828 Presidential election was unlike any other with polar-opposite candidates, a broadened voter base, and new campaigning strategies coming into play. To continue, the two candidates, Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams, had two very diverse backgrounds. For example, Andrew Jackson was an orphan and led most of his life as a frontiersman, whereas John Quincy Adams was the son of the nation’s second president (John Adams) and had experience serving in the U.S. Senate. Moreover, Andrew Jackson was seen as a military hero at the Battle of New Orleans, and campaigned as a “man of the people” to which the people responded with the nickname of “Old Hickory.” Though both candidates brought unique qualities to the 1828 Presidential Election,…

    • 347 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The Opposing Philosophies of Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay In the novel, Andrew Jackson vs. Henry Clay Democracy and Development in Antebellum America, Harry L. Watson provides a dual biography about the extremely different political philosophies of Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay. These two political leaders’ different philosophies shaped the argument of democracy and development in the early 1800s, as well as outlined the economic, social, technological, and political dynamics during the Jacksonian era. Jackson, the Democratic-Republican candidate, was the defender of democracy and the military commander during this election. His political philosophy was to have greater democracy for the common man.…

    • 1382 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Jacksonian Democracy Dbq

    • 637 Words
    • 3 Pages

    During the 1820s and 1830s, Jacksonian Democrats claimed to be the defenders of the Constitution and the common people, the upholders of political democracy, individual liberty, and economic equal opportunity. These claims are not truthful, as evidenced by the mishandling of Native American removal, President Jackson’s combativeness with Congress, ignorance of the Constitution, and his neglect of the liberties of women and African Americans. These decisions of Jacksonian Democrats, throughout the 1820s and 1830s, do not reflect any of the claimed. Jacksonian Democrats were supporters of Andrew Jackson’s political views. The party placed an emphasis on obtaining greater political representation and advantage for what was expressed as the common man.…

    • 637 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Just imagine the feeling of becoming the President of the United States. On March 4, 1829 Andrew Jackson was sworn into office as the Seventh President of the United States. The inauguration took place at the Capital in Washington D.C. In the picture it shows Andrew Jackson getting sworn into office on the steps of the capital by the Chief of Justice John Marshall. There are also people behind them watching the inauguration, and a solder is standing by the pillar holding a gun.…

    • 363 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Jacksonian Period of American History marked a substantial turning point for the American ¨common man.¨ Andrew Jackson was a powerful President of the people and under him, many governmental policies were enacted; from implications of male suffrage, to the opening of new American lands, two scenarios of which would have a profound effect in later years. While Jackson drastically changed American policies for the better, he also had much opposition and unaddressed holes within his presidency. But first, Jackson was truly a champion of the common people.…

    • 1101 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the united states, grew up a poor boy born in a log cabin, and rose to fame through the Revolutionary War, and the war of 1812. The Battle of New Orleans fought after the War of 1812 ended was what really unearthed Jackson’s ability as a leader, and he ran for president in 1824, but lost due what he called a corrupt bargain with Henry Clay, and John Quincy Adams. Winning popular vote by a large margin in the election of 1824, Jackson was determined to prove that he was the people's president, and in 1828 he won presidency with ease. And by 1836 every state but South Carolina made electing presidential electors into the electoral college a people's decision, (Document 1). Although Jackson is one of the most controversial Presidents of the United States, he truly was democratic because he listened to the will of the people, destroyed the second bank of the U.S, and unearthed different ways of running the U.S Government.…

    • 815 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Jackson ran again in 1829 and won. This was the start of the Age of Jackson. Jackson chose his supporters to be his government officials. This was eventually called the spoils system, which was used by many other great presidents after him. Many farmers wanted the Indians ground because it was rich and fertile.…

    • 541 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During the 1820’s and 1830’s, America was experiencing many changes both as a country and politically. The revolution within America, with the election of Andrew Jackson in 1828, brought many changes in the government. Jackson and his supporters, the Jacksonian Democrats viewed themselves as the guardians of the United States Constitution, political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic opportunity. Although Jacksonian Democrats failed to perform as guardians of the constitution and individual liberty, they were able to show support and solidify political democracy and the equality of economic opportunity. Jackson was considered as a strict interpreter of the constitution and was thought to have interpreted the constitution in the basic basis that it was created to be.…

    • 685 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When we as Americans look back at our past, we are often overwhelmed with all of the significant events and people that shaped this great nation. When we take a closer look we can pick out a few that shaped this nation more than others. This country was founded over 200 years ago which gives us plenty to analyze, however, Andrew Jackson is one person in particular who undeniably played a huge role in shaping our country in the 1800s. A man of humble beginning that rose to prominence on the national stage and enacted his policies in a nation. Andrew Jackson was born on March 15, 1776, on the border of North and South Carolina.…

    • 1100 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In “The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln,” Sean Wilentz successfully argues that the election of 1828 represented a democratic revolt of the people as the election was crucial to the development and maintenance of the second-party system. Not only is Wilentz the George Henry Davis Professor of History at Princeton University, but Wilentz is also a successful author who has won many awards including the prestigious Frederick Jackson Turner Award, the Albert J. Beveridge Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Bancroft Prize. In his analysis, Wilentz claims that the election of 1828 marked an evolution in the American political system as Andrew Jackson became a symbol of political power as he appealed to the common man. In fact, Wilentz successfully argues that Jackson’s election and presidency lead to the development and mobilization of political organizations which significantly shaped future presidential elections. Therefore, in “The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln,” Wilentz successfully proves that the election of 1828 represented a democratic revolt of the people as the election…

    • 1136 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Jackson, the “People’s President” or the “President of the Common Man” was not a philosophical thinker or an aristocrat like many of the presidents before him. Jackson was a Westerner who rose to fame when he defied the Secretary of War’s commands. Jackson viewed democracy as equal protection and equal benefits to all white male citizens and not favoring one group or region (Brinkley, 237). His anti-aristocratic views were evident in the political changes he made. He changed the caucus system, the way that presidential candidates were decided, to a convention.…

    • 1664 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays