QUOTE from Davy Crockett in 1835: "Van Buren is as opposite to President Jackson as dung is to a diamond."
Jackson followed the tradition of leaving office after two terms and made sure the Democrats nominated his VP, Martin Van Buren, to be his successor. At the Democratic national convention in Baltimore Van Buren was unanimously selected as the nominee. However, there was some problems when Jackson tried to push through Richard M. Johnson as the VP candidate. Johnson was a friend of Jackson's and a fellow hero of the War of 1812. But Johnson's problem for some of the delegates was that he had openly lived with a black woman and had two daughters with her. Because Johnson actually had the nerve to present his family in public, he was reviled by Southern Democrats who "hissed most ungraciously" when his name was presented. But he did get the nomination.
The National Republicans had coalesced into a new party. The name of the new party was WHIGS. The Whigs were composed of the Republicans, Antimasons, and disaffected Democrats. They all had something in common in that they hated Andrew Jackson and his policies and anybody who had anything to do with him. That meant they hated Van Buren because he had been VP under Jackson.
ELECTION #13, 1836. The CANDIDATES.
DEMOCRAT: MARTIN VAN BUREN. Martin was 53, former governor of N.Y, former Senator from N.Y., and VP under Andrew Jackson from 1832 - 1837. His greatest asset in running for president was his loyalty to Jackson, whom he served well as VP, and his political astuteness. (which is how he earned the nickname "Little Magician."
WHIGS: The Whigs ran four candidates against Van Buren and Johnson. They did this on purpose to try and keep Van Buren from getting a majority in the electoral college and forcing the election into the House of Representatives. The four Whig candidates were:
William Henry Harrison of Ohio; Daniel Webster of Massachusetts; Hugh White of Tennessee; and W.P. Mangum of North Carolina.
William Henry Harrison was the best known. He had been a congressman and senator from Ohio, and was a hero of the War of 1812 and he had destroyed the Shawnee Indians at the Battle of Tippecanoe which earned him the nickname "Old Tip." He ended up getting the most Whig votes.
The CAMPAIGN in 1836.
The Whigs tore into Van Buren. They wrote that he was "the fox prowling near the barn, the mole burrowing near the ground, the pilot fish who plunges deep in the ocean in one spot and comes up in another to breathe the air." Then ran a cartoon showing Van Buren and Harrison, both bare-chested and boxing. Van Buren was getting the worst of it and is yelling to Andrew Jackson, "Stand by me Old Hickory or I'm a gone Chicken."
The Democrats didn't get too nasty towards these four Whigs. They did call them "Federalists, nullifiers, and bank men." A big advantage for the Democrats was they had superb state organizations in every state. The 1836 contest was not so much about Van Buren and the Whig candidates but about Jackson. If you liked Jackson, you voted for Van Buren. If not, you had a choice of four Whigs.
The WINNER was MARTIN VAN BUREN.
It was an easy victory for Van Buren. He got 764,176 votes. That was more than the four Whigs combined - their combined total was 738,128. But Harrison had the most Whig votes with 550,816 and that was encouraging for the Whigs when thinking about 1840.
The electoral votes were:
Van Buren with 170; Harrison with 73; White with 26; Webster with 14; Mangum with 11.
Davy Crockett hated Van Buren and was the attack dog for the Whigs. (He would be equivalent to the modern day attack dogs of Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh.) Crockett had this to say about Van Buren, "Martin Van Buren is laced up in corsets, such as women in a town wear, and if possible tighter than the best of them. It would be difficult to say from his personal appearance, whether he was a man or a woman, but for his large red and gray whiskers."
And one last word from Andrew Jackson. After he was out of office he told a friend, "I have only two regrets. One, I should have shot Henry Clay" (the corrupt bargain guy). Two, it would have been nice if I'd had a chance to hang John C. Calhoun" (his first vice-president who resigned in 1832)
(We may have some ex-presidents who think that way today but I doubt if they would say it to anybody or send an email.)
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
ELECTION #12. 1832. The NASTY-METER is 5.
QUOTE from an Anti-Jackson headline: "The king upon the throne: The people in the dust."
Jackson was the first president to be born in a log cabin. He looked at himself as the champion of the common man, but his enemies in the 1832 election claimed he was a dictator. By the way, Jackson did pay for the damage to the White House caused by the ANIMAL HOUSE-style antics of his supporters at his inauguration.
The 1832 election would change the political landscape by introducing the first national party conventions. The first party to do so was held by the Antimasons, a party that had sprung up in opposition to such powerful secret societies as the Masons. They were the first to introduce such features as the party platform and rules committee. Their candidate was a guy named William Wirt.
ELECTION #12, 1832. The CANDIDATES.
DEMOCRAT: ANDREW JACKSON. The Democrats met in a hotel saloon in Baltimore in May, 1832, and naturally renominated Jackson. Jackson picked Martin Van Buren as his VP. The Democrats came up with an innovation which declared that the majority of delegates from each state would henceforth designate the single nominee.
NATIONAL-REPUBLICAN: HENRY CLAY. The National-Republicans-soon to start calling themselves the WHIGS-nominated Congressman Henry Clay (and former Secretary of State under John Quincy Adams, do you remember the "Corrupt Bargain".) Former Attorney General John Sergeant was the VP candidate.
(Clay of Kentucky and Jackson of Tennessee had a couple of things in common. First, they hated each other and second, they both had been involved in duels. Clay had fought one against Senator John Randolph, while Jackson had anywhere from two to a hundred or more. (His opponents claimed he had over a hundred.)
The CAMPAIGN in 1832.
The Republicans ran cartoons depicting Jackson as a pig about to be devoured at a barbecue by a ravenous Clay. They also depicted Jackson playing cards with Clay and Wirt - Jackson's cards read "Intrigue," "Corruption," and "Imbecility." He was also depicted as a king with a crown, sceptor and royal robes, stomping on the Constitution and the Bank Charter, under the heading "Born to Command."
The main issue in the campaign was what to do with the Bank of the United States. It had been established by Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury. The purpose of the bank was to accept revenue deposits to fund the national debt and issue paper money. Jackson hated paper money, (he liked coins that clinked in your pocket), he hated the Bank of the U.S. and he especially hated the president of the Bank, Nicholas Biddle, who was a Republican old-money man. Jackson felt the bank was an elitist institution with too much power, one that made "the rich richer and the potent more powerful." (That sounds a little familiar to me as I think of the Wall Street Banks of today.)
When Congress voted to recharter the Bank of the U.S. in 1832 Jackson vetoed it. He moved the money into state-chartered banks. The Republicans attacked Jackson by calling him King Andrew I. They called him "deranged" and attacked him for traveling on Sunday.
But Jackson didn't back down. He called paper money "wretched rag money," He branded Nicholas Biddle as Czar Nick. That is probably the reason Biddle used funds (tax money deposited there by the U.S. government)from the Bank of the U.S. to support Jackson's enemies, including Henry Clay.
The WINNER was ANDREW JACKSON.
Jackson won in a landslide with 701,780 popular votes to 484,205 for Henry Clay. Jackson got 219 electoral votes to 49 for Clay. William Wirt got 7 electoral votes and a guy named Floyd got 11 electoral votes.
JACKSON'S LEGACY.
Andrew Jackson was a wildly popular president. He was widely seen as representing and espousing the cause of the common man. He set out to reform government; one of his goals was to reduce the national debt, which he did. He also issued the Nullification Proclamation in 1832, reaffirming the states were forbidden to nullify federal laws.
The biggest negative in his eight year presidency was the Indian Removal Act, passed by Congress in 1830. What it did was authorize the forcible removal of various Indian tribes to lands west of the Mississippi River. From 1835 t0 1838, the Creek and Cherokee are moved west along the "Trail of Tears" and nearly one-quarter of them die along the way from drought, cold, and disease. The Black Hawk War of 1832, in Illinois, was another effort to push tribes westward. It was precipitated when the Sauk and Fox tribes left the Iowa Territory to return to Illinois. They were attacked and defeated by the US army and militia.(I believe Abraham Lincoln fought in this war.)
Jackson had a hell of a temper and he could be cold, unbending, and given to fits of rage. Often times his opponents would give into him because they were afraid of his temper. In many ways, he was a hollow man without his beloved Rachel who had died of a heart attack shortly before his first inauguration in March of 1829.
Jackson was the first president to be born in a log cabin. He looked at himself as the champion of the common man, but his enemies in the 1832 election claimed he was a dictator. By the way, Jackson did pay for the damage to the White House caused by the ANIMAL HOUSE-style antics of his supporters at his inauguration.
The 1832 election would change the political landscape by introducing the first national party conventions. The first party to do so was held by the Antimasons, a party that had sprung up in opposition to such powerful secret societies as the Masons. They were the first to introduce such features as the party platform and rules committee. Their candidate was a guy named William Wirt.
ELECTION #12, 1832. The CANDIDATES.
DEMOCRAT: ANDREW JACKSON. The Democrats met in a hotel saloon in Baltimore in May, 1832, and naturally renominated Jackson. Jackson picked Martin Van Buren as his VP. The Democrats came up with an innovation which declared that the majority of delegates from each state would henceforth designate the single nominee.
NATIONAL-REPUBLICAN: HENRY CLAY. The National-Republicans-soon to start calling themselves the WHIGS-nominated Congressman Henry Clay (and former Secretary of State under John Quincy Adams, do you remember the "Corrupt Bargain".) Former Attorney General John Sergeant was the VP candidate.
(Clay of Kentucky and Jackson of Tennessee had a couple of things in common. First, they hated each other and second, they both had been involved in duels. Clay had fought one against Senator John Randolph, while Jackson had anywhere from two to a hundred or more. (His opponents claimed he had over a hundred.)
The CAMPAIGN in 1832.
The Republicans ran cartoons depicting Jackson as a pig about to be devoured at a barbecue by a ravenous Clay. They also depicted Jackson playing cards with Clay and Wirt - Jackson's cards read "Intrigue," "Corruption," and "Imbecility." He was also depicted as a king with a crown, sceptor and royal robes, stomping on the Constitution and the Bank Charter, under the heading "Born to Command."
The main issue in the campaign was what to do with the Bank of the United States. It had been established by Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury. The purpose of the bank was to accept revenue deposits to fund the national debt and issue paper money. Jackson hated paper money, (he liked coins that clinked in your pocket), he hated the Bank of the U.S. and he especially hated the president of the Bank, Nicholas Biddle, who was a Republican old-money man. Jackson felt the bank was an elitist institution with too much power, one that made "the rich richer and the potent more powerful." (That sounds a little familiar to me as I think of the Wall Street Banks of today.)
When Congress voted to recharter the Bank of the U.S. in 1832 Jackson vetoed it. He moved the money into state-chartered banks. The Republicans attacked Jackson by calling him King Andrew I. They called him "deranged" and attacked him for traveling on Sunday.
But Jackson didn't back down. He called paper money "wretched rag money," He branded Nicholas Biddle as Czar Nick. That is probably the reason Biddle used funds (tax money deposited there by the U.S. government)from the Bank of the U.S. to support Jackson's enemies, including Henry Clay.
The WINNER was ANDREW JACKSON.
Jackson won in a landslide with 701,780 popular votes to 484,205 for Henry Clay. Jackson got 219 electoral votes to 49 for Clay. William Wirt got 7 electoral votes and a guy named Floyd got 11 electoral votes.
JACKSON'S LEGACY.
Andrew Jackson was a wildly popular president. He was widely seen as representing and espousing the cause of the common man. He set out to reform government; one of his goals was to reduce the national debt, which he did. He also issued the Nullification Proclamation in 1832, reaffirming the states were forbidden to nullify federal laws.
The biggest negative in his eight year presidency was the Indian Removal Act, passed by Congress in 1830. What it did was authorize the forcible removal of various Indian tribes to lands west of the Mississippi River. From 1835 t0 1838, the Creek and Cherokee are moved west along the "Trail of Tears" and nearly one-quarter of them die along the way from drought, cold, and disease. The Black Hawk War of 1832, in Illinois, was another effort to push tribes westward. It was precipitated when the Sauk and Fox tribes left the Iowa Territory to return to Illinois. They were attacked and defeated by the US army and militia.(I believe Abraham Lincoln fought in this war.)
Jackson had a hell of a temper and he could be cold, unbending, and given to fits of rage. Often times his opponents would give into him because they were afraid of his temper. In many ways, he was a hollow man without his beloved Rachel who had died of a heart attack shortly before his first inauguration in March of 1829.
Friday, November 11, 2011
ELECTION #11, 1828. The NASTY-METER goes to 9/10..
QUOTE from Andrew Jackson: "There are no necessay evils in government. Its evils exist only in its abuses."
Before I write about the election of 1828 I want to add two interesting bits of early American history.
The first one is from the 1800 election. In that election Republican Thomas Jefferson defeated Federalist John Adams. After that election, a Federalist writer decided that his party's defeat could be blamed on the MEDIA, which (in his opinion) clearly favored the Republican Party.
(Does that sound familiar or does that sound familiar? The MEDIA was a scapegoat/whipping boy then and it still is today. Some things never change, do they?)
The second bit of trivia is good for a laugh and should make women who are reading this proud for how the lady in the story stood up for herself and got her way. This story is from the John Quincy Adams presidency.
John Quincy liked to rise before dawn and do some exercising. Sometimes he walked or rode, and sometimes he went down to the Potomac River for a swim. The only thing is he liked to take off his clothes and swim in the nude. On one occasion, female reporter Anne Royal followed him and sat on his clothes, refusing to move until he agreed to an interview. She got the interview and became the first woman to interview a president, a naked one at that.
Now it's time to get to the ELECTION of 1828.
(I haven't written anything for two weeks. Ruth Ann and I went to Denmark to see our son.)
The campaign for the 1828 presidency began immediately after John Quincy Adams was elected president in 1824. Jackson was angry and he was not a guy you wanted to piss off. Jackson was convinced the "corrupt bargain" Adams entered into with Henry Clay had given the presidency to Adams. The Tennessee delegation eagerly nominated Jackson for president as early as 1825. Jackson resigned his Senate seat and started campaigning.
Adam's presidency was a disaster, one biographer said, "It was a hapless failure and best forgotten." In fairness to Adams he had to endure constant criticism from Jackson and even his own vice-president, John C. Calhoun. He came to feel he was surrounded by "conspirators," including a spiteful opposition in Congress.
With so much strife the Democratic-Republican Party split in to two factions. The old-line Republicans, the wealthy merchants and the landed aristocracy stayed with Adams. Those supporting Jackson were the western small farmers and the eastern laboring group. They first called themselves "Friends of Andrew Jackson," then "Democratic-Republicans," and finally just "Democrats." It is the same Democratic Party we have today.
The CANDIDATES.
ANDREW JACKSON - age 61 - Democratic-Republican. Jackson was driven by a belief that the presidency was stolen from him in 1824, as well as a sincere, life-long desire to wrest power from the privileged and place it in the hands of the people.Jackson envisioned himself as a president for the common man.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS - age 61 - National-Republican.
It was possible Adams was running for president just for the sheer stubborn pride of it, because the previous four years had been no picnic. John Quincy was the first president to be threatened by an assassin. In those days any citizen could walk into the White House to see the president. We have to give him credit for meeting with the guy and giving him a stern lecture.
The CAMPAIGN.
It was as NASTY and MALICIOUS as it could get. The campaign began in September of 1827, when both candidates were nominated by a series of special state nominating conventions and mass meetings. (There were still no national nominating comventions as of 1828.)
Jackson's supporters attacked bigtime.
They spread rumors about Adam's foreign wife (Louisa was from England.)
Adams was accused of putting gambling furniture in the White House when he bought (with his own money) a billiard table and ivory chessmen.
They called Adams a monarchist and anti-religious because he traveled on Sundays.
He was smeared for his association with Secretary of State Henry Clay (remember the "Corrupt Bargain). One reporter referred to Clay as "a shyster, pettifagging in a bastard suit before a country squire (Adams).
The National Republicans (Adams supporters) went after Jackson in a big way also.
They claimed Jackson was a dictator, blood thirsty, and merciless.
They claimed Jackson couldn't spell (he supposedly spelled Europe as Urope.)
They published a pamphlet about Jackson's younger days, describing all of his fights, duels, brawls, and shoot-outs.
And the pamphlet described Jackson as an adulterer, a gambler, a cockfighter, a slave trader, a drundard, a thief, a liar, and the husband of a really fat wife. (There's not much left, is there?)
In 1791 Jackson married Rachel Robards whom he thought was divorced from Jason, her abusive husband. But the divorce papers were not finalized, so Jackson and Rachel remarried in 1794 just to make everything legal. Because of this history the National Republicans went after her also. They called her a "whore" and a "dirty, black wench" who was given to "open and notorious lewdness." The Cincinnatti Gazette asked, "Ought a convicted adulteress and her paramous husband be placed in the highest office of this free and Christian land?"
Rachel took these attacks personally and with excess weight and other health problems, she died of a heart attack in December of 1828. Jackson grieved profoundly and at her funeral he said, "In the presence of this dear saint I can and do forgive all my enemies. But the vile wretches who have slandered Rachel must look to God for mercy.(They weren't going to get any mercy from Jackson.)
The WINNER was ANDREW JACKSON
In different states from September to November voting took place. Jackson got 642,553 votes to 500,897 for Adams. Electoral votes were Jackson with 178 and Adams with 83. At the inauguration in March, 1829, huge crowds of common people came from hundreds of miles to view this historic day. His supporters surged into the White Housem wiped their feet on delicate rugs, broke antique chairs, and ate and drank everything in sight. Thousands of dollars worth of glass and China were broken, fights broke out, and women feared for their virues. In the end, the exhausted Jackson sneaked out a back door of the White House and went to a local inn to get some sleep.
(As nasty as some of our campaigns have been in the 20th and 21st century I don't think any of them have been as bad as the 1828 one was. At least they haven't been as vicious in a personal way. I guess we have made a little progress in civility in our campaigns.)
Before I write about the election of 1828 I want to add two interesting bits of early American history.
The first one is from the 1800 election. In that election Republican Thomas Jefferson defeated Federalist John Adams. After that election, a Federalist writer decided that his party's defeat could be blamed on the MEDIA, which (in his opinion) clearly favored the Republican Party.
(Does that sound familiar or does that sound familiar? The MEDIA was a scapegoat/whipping boy then and it still is today. Some things never change, do they?)
The second bit of trivia is good for a laugh and should make women who are reading this proud for how the lady in the story stood up for herself and got her way. This story is from the John Quincy Adams presidency.
John Quincy liked to rise before dawn and do some exercising. Sometimes he walked or rode, and sometimes he went down to the Potomac River for a swim. The only thing is he liked to take off his clothes and swim in the nude. On one occasion, female reporter Anne Royal followed him and sat on his clothes, refusing to move until he agreed to an interview. She got the interview and became the first woman to interview a president, a naked one at that.
Now it's time to get to the ELECTION of 1828.
(I haven't written anything for two weeks. Ruth Ann and I went to Denmark to see our son.)
The campaign for the 1828 presidency began immediately after John Quincy Adams was elected president in 1824. Jackson was angry and he was not a guy you wanted to piss off. Jackson was convinced the "corrupt bargain" Adams entered into with Henry Clay had given the presidency to Adams. The Tennessee delegation eagerly nominated Jackson for president as early as 1825. Jackson resigned his Senate seat and started campaigning.
Adam's presidency was a disaster, one biographer said, "It was a hapless failure and best forgotten." In fairness to Adams he had to endure constant criticism from Jackson and even his own vice-president, John C. Calhoun. He came to feel he was surrounded by "conspirators," including a spiteful opposition in Congress.
With so much strife the Democratic-Republican Party split in to two factions. The old-line Republicans, the wealthy merchants and the landed aristocracy stayed with Adams. Those supporting Jackson were the western small farmers and the eastern laboring group. They first called themselves "Friends of Andrew Jackson," then "Democratic-Republicans," and finally just "Democrats." It is the same Democratic Party we have today.
The CANDIDATES.
ANDREW JACKSON - age 61 - Democratic-Republican. Jackson was driven by a belief that the presidency was stolen from him in 1824, as well as a sincere, life-long desire to wrest power from the privileged and place it in the hands of the people.Jackson envisioned himself as a president for the common man.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS - age 61 - National-Republican.
It was possible Adams was running for president just for the sheer stubborn pride of it, because the previous four years had been no picnic. John Quincy was the first president to be threatened by an assassin. In those days any citizen could walk into the White House to see the president. We have to give him credit for meeting with the guy and giving him a stern lecture.
The CAMPAIGN.
It was as NASTY and MALICIOUS as it could get. The campaign began in September of 1827, when both candidates were nominated by a series of special state nominating conventions and mass meetings. (There were still no national nominating comventions as of 1828.)
Jackson's supporters attacked bigtime.
They spread rumors about Adam's foreign wife (Louisa was from England.)
Adams was accused of putting gambling furniture in the White House when he bought (with his own money) a billiard table and ivory chessmen.
They called Adams a monarchist and anti-religious because he traveled on Sundays.
He was smeared for his association with Secretary of State Henry Clay (remember the "Corrupt Bargain). One reporter referred to Clay as "a shyster, pettifagging in a bastard suit before a country squire (Adams).
The National Republicans (Adams supporters) went after Jackson in a big way also.
They claimed Jackson was a dictator, blood thirsty, and merciless.
They claimed Jackson couldn't spell (he supposedly spelled Europe as Urope.)
They published a pamphlet about Jackson's younger days, describing all of his fights, duels, brawls, and shoot-outs.
And the pamphlet described Jackson as an adulterer, a gambler, a cockfighter, a slave trader, a drundard, a thief, a liar, and the husband of a really fat wife. (There's not much left, is there?)
In 1791 Jackson married Rachel Robards whom he thought was divorced from Jason, her abusive husband. But the divorce papers were not finalized, so Jackson and Rachel remarried in 1794 just to make everything legal. Because of this history the National Republicans went after her also. They called her a "whore" and a "dirty, black wench" who was given to "open and notorious lewdness." The Cincinnatti Gazette asked, "Ought a convicted adulteress and her paramous husband be placed in the highest office of this free and Christian land?"
Rachel took these attacks personally and with excess weight and other health problems, she died of a heart attack in December of 1828. Jackson grieved profoundly and at her funeral he said, "In the presence of this dear saint I can and do forgive all my enemies. But the vile wretches who have slandered Rachel must look to God for mercy.(They weren't going to get any mercy from Jackson.)
The WINNER was ANDREW JACKSON
In different states from September to November voting took place. Jackson got 642,553 votes to 500,897 for Adams. Electoral votes were Jackson with 178 and Adams with 83. At the inauguration in March, 1829, huge crowds of common people came from hundreds of miles to view this historic day. His supporters surged into the White Housem wiped their feet on delicate rugs, broke antique chairs, and ate and drank everything in sight. Thousands of dollars worth of glass and China were broken, fights broke out, and women feared for their virues. In the end, the exhausted Jackson sneaked out a back door of the White House and went to a local inn to get some sleep.
(As nasty as some of our campaigns have been in the 20th and 21st century I don't think any of them have been as bad as the 1828 one was. At least they haven't been as vicious in a personal way. I guess we have made a little progress in civility in our campaigns.)
Monday, November 7, 2011
ELECTION #10. 1824. The NASTY-METER jumps to 6.
QUOTE from John Quincy Adams: "Every liar and columniator was at work day and night to destroy my reputation."
CHANGE CAME TO AMERICA IN THE 1824 ELECTION.
1. Residents of the new western states of Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and Illinois wanted the people to be more involved in choosing the presidential candidates instead of having the nominee picked by a bunch of Congressional elitists from Virginia and other east coast states. As a result, for the first time, 18 of the 24 states in 1824 let the people vote on who they wanted their presidential candidate to be. This meant that the electors would no longer be chosen by the state legislatures. It is the same system we have today - when we vote for president we are actually voting for electors. Most electors today are chosen by their political party at state conventions.
2. Our democracy was improving but we had a long way to go. People were finally getting some say in who the presidential candidates would be (I should amend that and say "some people.") Women and slaves could not vote so the only people getting to vote were white-skinned men.
ELECTION #10, 1824. The CANDIDATES.
Their were four CANDIDATES and they were all from the Democratic-Republican Party. The Federalists were no longer a viable political party.
ANDREW JACKSON. Jackson was born to poor Irish immigrants on a hard scrabble farm in the boondocks of South Carolina. He was a true "backwoods" candidate which made him very popular in the newer western states. He became a successful lawyer, politician, and general; and had become a national hero by defeating the British in the battle for New Orleans in 1815. He was tall, handsome and ruthless.
JOHN QHINCY ADAMS. Adams was the son of our second president. He was very bright and had had a remarkable career. Up to this time he was our best scretary of state. But he was short, bald, and had a tough time relating to people.
HENRY CLAY. He was a native Kentuckian and a brilliant Speaker of the House, a great compromiser and an ardent partiot. He liked to gamble and was known to hold card games that lasted until all hours.
WILLIAM CRAWFORD. Crawford was a former U.S. Senator, minister to France, secretary of war and secretay of treasury. He was the dream candidate of the establishment Republicans in Congress. They did hold their caucus to pick a candidate and they unanimously chose Crawford. He was good-looking affable, and gregarious - a perfect candidate. But he suffered a stroke before the election that left him paralyzed and nearly blind - that was the straw that broke the camels back for Crawford.
The CAMPAIGN in 1824.
It was NASTY.
Adams was accused of selling future patronage appointments in return for votes. The mud slingers even made fun of the way he dressed - he was not an elegant dresser.
Clay was called a drunkard.
Jackson was accused of murder for having executed mutineers in 1813. Henry Clay said Jackson was a rash and boneheaded military thug for killing 2,500 English soldiers in New Orleans.
Crawford - he still ran even though he was paralyzed- he was accused of malfeasance as treasury secretary.
One politician noted that, "If all these charges were true, our presidents, secretaries, and senators are all traitors and pirates."
The WINNER was John Quincy Adams.
The voting of the electors took place in December - it was a horse race.
Jackson had the most electoral votes with 99 and the most popular votes in the first ever popular vote election with 153,544.
Adams had 84 electoral votes and 108,740 popular votes.
Crawford had 41 electoral votes and 46,618 popular votes.
Clay had 37 electoral votes and 47,136 popular votes.
Nobody had a majority. There were 261 total electoral votes and 131 were needed to become president. With no one having a majority this meant it had to go to the House of Representatives. Each state got one vote. The voting was scheduled for February 9, 1825. The candidates tried to line up support among the congressmen in each state.
Adams was declared the president when 13 states went for him. Jackson got 7 states and Crawford got 4. The reason Adams got 13 states is that Henry Clay pulled out and gave his 3 states of Ohio, Missouri, and Kentucky to Adams. Adams was accused of promising a cabinet position to Clay if he dropped out and gave his 3 states to him. This was known as the "Corrupt Bargain". Adams denied that he ever made a deal.
Jackson's supporters were angry because he had gotten the most popular votes in the first ever popular election and he also got the most electoral votes. They insisted he should be president even if the constitution disagreed. The constitution won out.
AND TO TOP OFF THIS NASTY ELECTION öf 1824 JACKSON HAD SOME FINAL WORDS FOR ADAMS AND CLAY. When Adams announced after the election that Henry Clay would be his secretary of state Jackson made this statement: "So you see, the Judas of the West (Clay) has closed the contract and will receive the thirty pieces of silver. His end will be the same. Was there ever witnessed such a bare-faced corruption in any country before?
CHANGE CAME TO AMERICA IN THE 1824 ELECTION.
1. Residents of the new western states of Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and Illinois wanted the people to be more involved in choosing the presidential candidates instead of having the nominee picked by a bunch of Congressional elitists from Virginia and other east coast states. As a result, for the first time, 18 of the 24 states in 1824 let the people vote on who they wanted their presidential candidate to be. This meant that the electors would no longer be chosen by the state legislatures. It is the same system we have today - when we vote for president we are actually voting for electors. Most electors today are chosen by their political party at state conventions.
2. Our democracy was improving but we had a long way to go. People were finally getting some say in who the presidential candidates would be (I should amend that and say "some people.") Women and slaves could not vote so the only people getting to vote were white-skinned men.
ELECTION #10, 1824. The CANDIDATES.
Their were four CANDIDATES and they were all from the Democratic-Republican Party. The Federalists were no longer a viable political party.
ANDREW JACKSON. Jackson was born to poor Irish immigrants on a hard scrabble farm in the boondocks of South Carolina. He was a true "backwoods" candidate which made him very popular in the newer western states. He became a successful lawyer, politician, and general; and had become a national hero by defeating the British in the battle for New Orleans in 1815. He was tall, handsome and ruthless.
JOHN QHINCY ADAMS. Adams was the son of our second president. He was very bright and had had a remarkable career. Up to this time he was our best scretary of state. But he was short, bald, and had a tough time relating to people.
HENRY CLAY. He was a native Kentuckian and a brilliant Speaker of the House, a great compromiser and an ardent partiot. He liked to gamble and was known to hold card games that lasted until all hours.
WILLIAM CRAWFORD. Crawford was a former U.S. Senator, minister to France, secretary of war and secretay of treasury. He was the dream candidate of the establishment Republicans in Congress. They did hold their caucus to pick a candidate and they unanimously chose Crawford. He was good-looking affable, and gregarious - a perfect candidate. But he suffered a stroke before the election that left him paralyzed and nearly blind - that was the straw that broke the camels back for Crawford.
The CAMPAIGN in 1824.
It was NASTY.
Adams was accused of selling future patronage appointments in return for votes. The mud slingers even made fun of the way he dressed - he was not an elegant dresser.
Clay was called a drunkard.
Jackson was accused of murder for having executed mutineers in 1813. Henry Clay said Jackson was a rash and boneheaded military thug for killing 2,500 English soldiers in New Orleans.
Crawford - he still ran even though he was paralyzed- he was accused of malfeasance as treasury secretary.
One politician noted that, "If all these charges were true, our presidents, secretaries, and senators are all traitors and pirates."
The WINNER was John Quincy Adams.
The voting of the electors took place in December - it was a horse race.
Jackson had the most electoral votes with 99 and the most popular votes in the first ever popular vote election with 153,544.
Adams had 84 electoral votes and 108,740 popular votes.
Crawford had 41 electoral votes and 46,618 popular votes.
Clay had 37 electoral votes and 47,136 popular votes.
Nobody had a majority. There were 261 total electoral votes and 131 were needed to become president. With no one having a majority this meant it had to go to the House of Representatives. Each state got one vote. The voting was scheduled for February 9, 1825. The candidates tried to line up support among the congressmen in each state.
Adams was declared the president when 13 states went for him. Jackson got 7 states and Crawford got 4. The reason Adams got 13 states is that Henry Clay pulled out and gave his 3 states of Ohio, Missouri, and Kentucky to Adams. Adams was accused of promising a cabinet position to Clay if he dropped out and gave his 3 states to him. This was known as the "Corrupt Bargain". Adams denied that he ever made a deal.
Jackson's supporters were angry because he had gotten the most popular votes in the first ever popular election and he also got the most electoral votes. They insisted he should be president even if the constitution disagreed. The constitution won out.
AND TO TOP OFF THIS NASTY ELECTION öf 1824 JACKSON HAD SOME FINAL WORDS FOR ADAMS AND CLAY. When Adams announced after the election that Henry Clay would be his secretary of state Jackson made this statement: "So you see, the Judas of the West (Clay) has closed the contract and will receive the thirty pieces of silver. His end will be the same. Was there ever witnessed such a bare-faced corruption in any country before?
Friday, November 4, 2011
ELECTION #9, 1820. The NASTY- METER goes back to 1..
QUOTE from James Monroe in his inaugural address in March, 1817: "It is so gratifying to witness the increased harmony of opinion which pervades our Union. Discord does not belong to our system."
ELECTION #9. The CANDIDATE.
The election of 1820 would be the last time a sitting president ran unopposed. The Federalists had ceased to exist. They nominated no one. For the third time - and last - time in our history, a presidential candidate ran unopposed. The first was Washington in 1789 and the second was Washington in 1792.
The CAMPAIGN in 1820.
There was no campaign as James Monroe ran unopposed.
The WINNER was James Monroe.
Monroe received every electoral vote except for one. An elector from New Hampshire gave his one vote to John Quincy Adams (Monroe's secretary of atate) so that George Washington would remain the only president ever elected unanimously by the electoral college.
Monroe's LEGACY.
His legacy as president from March of 1817 to March of 1825 is pretty darn good. In fact, it was so good that historians refer to his eight years in office as the "Era of Good Feelings." Here are the three main reasons why his presidency was so good.
1. In 1818 he signed a new peace treaty with Britain that resolved one of the main issues between the two countries. It limited the size of the naval forces that both countries could use on the Great Lakes. Later in the year they agreed that the US-Canadian border would be the 49th parallel and they would settle the Oregon territory jointly. These agreements provided the basis for the good relationship the US and Britain enjoy to this day.
2. In 1819 he purchased Florida from Spain for $5 million and the border between Louisiana and Mexico was established.
3. His most famous accomplishment in foreign policy was the Monroe Doctrine. During his presidency most all of Latin America colonies rebelled against Spanish rule and became independent countries. Monroe was afraid that some other European countries would try to interfere, or even recolonize the new countries. He consulted with Jefferson and his secretaty of state, John Quincy Adams, to make sure this didn't happen. The result was the Monroe Doctrine. The Doctrine, written by JQ Adams, warned the European nations to stay out of the western hemisphere. It stated that the US wouldn't tolerate any European interference in the newly created nations. In turn, Monroe, pledged to stay out of European affairs. It was passed by Congress in 1823. It became the cornerstone of US foreign policy up to this day.
On the domestic front Monroe had some issues that didn't go quite as smooth as his foreign policy achievements. One of those issues was slavery. There was a major crisis in 1819 when Missouri and Maine applied for statehood. Missouri insisted it be admittled as a slave state - in doing so it would keep the Senate evenly split between slave and free states. The southern states demanded that this be the case. So the Missouri Compromise was worked out admitting Maine as free state and Missouri as a slave state. Monroe, who was a slave owner, sat on the sidelines and let Congress make the compromise - he signed it into law in 1820. It helped postpone further troubles between the North and South for a while.
A second issue was the economy - SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE - read on. There was economic panic in 1819 -banks failed, mortgages were foreclosed, and unemployment was high. (Does this sound familiar?) Prosperity did not return until 1824 - it took five years. (How long will our present one take? We're going into year four now.)
ELECTION #9. The CANDIDATE.
The election of 1820 would be the last time a sitting president ran unopposed. The Federalists had ceased to exist. They nominated no one. For the third time - and last - time in our history, a presidential candidate ran unopposed. The first was Washington in 1789 and the second was Washington in 1792.
The CAMPAIGN in 1820.
There was no campaign as James Monroe ran unopposed.
The WINNER was James Monroe.
Monroe received every electoral vote except for one. An elector from New Hampshire gave his one vote to John Quincy Adams (Monroe's secretary of atate) so that George Washington would remain the only president ever elected unanimously by the electoral college.
Monroe's LEGACY.
His legacy as president from March of 1817 to March of 1825 is pretty darn good. In fact, it was so good that historians refer to his eight years in office as the "Era of Good Feelings." Here are the three main reasons why his presidency was so good.
1. In 1818 he signed a new peace treaty with Britain that resolved one of the main issues between the two countries. It limited the size of the naval forces that both countries could use on the Great Lakes. Later in the year they agreed that the US-Canadian border would be the 49th parallel and they would settle the Oregon territory jointly. These agreements provided the basis for the good relationship the US and Britain enjoy to this day.
2. In 1819 he purchased Florida from Spain for $5 million and the border between Louisiana and Mexico was established.
3. His most famous accomplishment in foreign policy was the Monroe Doctrine. During his presidency most all of Latin America colonies rebelled against Spanish rule and became independent countries. Monroe was afraid that some other European countries would try to interfere, or even recolonize the new countries. He consulted with Jefferson and his secretaty of state, John Quincy Adams, to make sure this didn't happen. The result was the Monroe Doctrine. The Doctrine, written by JQ Adams, warned the European nations to stay out of the western hemisphere. It stated that the US wouldn't tolerate any European interference in the newly created nations. In turn, Monroe, pledged to stay out of European affairs. It was passed by Congress in 1823. It became the cornerstone of US foreign policy up to this day.
On the domestic front Monroe had some issues that didn't go quite as smooth as his foreign policy achievements. One of those issues was slavery. There was a major crisis in 1819 when Missouri and Maine applied for statehood. Missouri insisted it be admittled as a slave state - in doing so it would keep the Senate evenly split between slave and free states. The southern states demanded that this be the case. So the Missouri Compromise was worked out admitting Maine as free state and Missouri as a slave state. Monroe, who was a slave owner, sat on the sidelines and let Congress make the compromise - he signed it into law in 1820. It helped postpone further troubles between the North and South for a while.
A second issue was the economy - SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE - read on. There was economic panic in 1819 -banks failed, mortgages were foreclosed, and unemployment was high. (Does this sound familiar?) Prosperity did not return until 1824 - it took five years. (How long will our present one take? We're going into year four now.)
ELECTION # 8, 1816. The NASTY METER stays low at 2.
QUOTE from Rufus King, Federalist candidate for president in 1816: "Monroe had the zealous support of nobody, and he was exempt from the hostility of everybody."
ELECTION #8, 1816. The CANDIDATES.
Madison decided he would abide by Washington's precedent and serve only two terms. Which meant there would be new candidates running for president in 1816. The obvious choice for the Republicans (or Democratic-Republicans) was James Monroe. Monroe had quite a political resume: he had been a member of the Continental Congress from 1783 to 1786; US Senator from 1790-1794; minister to France from 1794-1796; governor of Virginia from 1799-1802; minister to France and England from 1803 to 1807; secretary of state under Madison from 1811-1817; and at the same time serving as acting secretary of war under Madison from 1814-1815. He was a natural to be the Republican candidate for president.
The Federalists were a dying party by 1816. In a half-hearted gesture they nominated Rufus King, their perennial vice-presidential candidate as their candidate.
The CAMPAIGN in 1816.
There was no real campaign to speak of. Rufus King, even before the election was over said. "Federalists our age must be content with the past." (He was so right.) There were a few slams thrown by both sides but nothing like the 1800 campaign.
The WINNER was James Monroe.
There was still no popular voting for president in 1816 - it was only the electoral college that got to vote. It was a landslide for Monroe - he got 183 electoral votes and King got 34.
ELECTION #8, 1816. The CANDIDATES.
Madison decided he would abide by Washington's precedent and serve only two terms. Which meant there would be new candidates running for president in 1816. The obvious choice for the Republicans (or Democratic-Republicans) was James Monroe. Monroe had quite a political resume: he had been a member of the Continental Congress from 1783 to 1786; US Senator from 1790-1794; minister to France from 1794-1796; governor of Virginia from 1799-1802; minister to France and England from 1803 to 1807; secretary of state under Madison from 1811-1817; and at the same time serving as acting secretary of war under Madison from 1814-1815. He was a natural to be the Republican candidate for president.
The Federalists were a dying party by 1816. In a half-hearted gesture they nominated Rufus King, their perennial vice-presidential candidate as their candidate.
The CAMPAIGN in 1816.
There was no real campaign to speak of. Rufus King, even before the election was over said. "Federalists our age must be content with the past." (He was so right.) There were a few slams thrown by both sides but nothing like the 1800 campaign.
The WINNER was James Monroe.
There was still no popular voting for president in 1816 - it was only the electoral college that got to vote. It was a landslide for Monroe - he got 183 electoral votes and King got 34.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
ELECTION #7, 1812. The NASTY-METER stays at 2.
QUOTE from Dolley Payne Todd when she was being pursued by James Madison in 1794. She called James the "great little Madison." Madison was introduced to Dolley by Aaron Burr in May, 1794. She must have liked the "great little Madison" because she married him in September, 1794. Dolley was a Quaker and James was an Episcopalian. Dolley was "read-out" of the Quaker meeting (expelled) from the Quaker church for marrying outside her faith.
ELECTION #7, 1812. One thing James Madison did in his first term was to give present day American high school students something to giggle about. What I'm talking about is he got Congress to pass the Non-Intercourse Act. This act took the place of the hated Embargo Act. It was much more sensible because it allowed Americans to trade with the whole world (except England and France); thus American merchants found other markets, such as Netherlands, and they prospered.
The CANDIDATES in 1812.
In May, 1812, the Republicans nominated James Madison for a second term. A couple weeks previous to this VP George Clinton had died. So the Republicans turned to Elbridge Gerry, Republican governor of Massachusetts to be Madison's vice-presidential running mate. Gerry had gained fame by his energetic and slick redistricting of Federalist voting areas in Massachusetts so the Republicans could get more seats in Congress and the state legislature. In fact, his name is part of our vocabulary in 2012 - when congressional and state districts are slickly maneuvered today to favor one party over another we call it GERRYMANDERING.
The Federalists were nearing the end as a political party. In fact, they didn't even nominate a Federalist for president. In August, 1812, they met in great secrecy and decided to throw their support to DeWitt Clinton, a Republican, and the mayor of New York City. They liked Clinton because he was a relentless enemy of James Madison. With a possible war looming with England (war against England was declared om June 18, 1812) they felt he would appeal as an anti-war candidate and that, as a New Yorker, he would appeal to New England Republicans who were sick of all these Virginians being president (Washington, Jefferson, and Madison).
The CAMPAIGN IN 1812.
The campaign was not an exciting one. Clinton tried to sound like the anti-war candidate. His Federalist supporters called Madison "a base wretch,,,who is for war with England." But since many people supported the war with England it did not work.
The WINNER was James Madison.
There were now 18 states - the electoral vote was 128 for Madison and 89 for Clinton. We were at war with England when the electoral votes were counted - throughout our history a "war president" has never been voted out of office.
ELECTION #7, 1812. One thing James Madison did in his first term was to give present day American high school students something to giggle about. What I'm talking about is he got Congress to pass the Non-Intercourse Act. This act took the place of the hated Embargo Act. It was much more sensible because it allowed Americans to trade with the whole world (except England and France); thus American merchants found other markets, such as Netherlands, and they prospered.
The CANDIDATES in 1812.
In May, 1812, the Republicans nominated James Madison for a second term. A couple weeks previous to this VP George Clinton had died. So the Republicans turned to Elbridge Gerry, Republican governor of Massachusetts to be Madison's vice-presidential running mate. Gerry had gained fame by his energetic and slick redistricting of Federalist voting areas in Massachusetts so the Republicans could get more seats in Congress and the state legislature. In fact, his name is part of our vocabulary in 2012 - when congressional and state districts are slickly maneuvered today to favor one party over another we call it GERRYMANDERING.
The Federalists were nearing the end as a political party. In fact, they didn't even nominate a Federalist for president. In August, 1812, they met in great secrecy and decided to throw their support to DeWitt Clinton, a Republican, and the mayor of New York City. They liked Clinton because he was a relentless enemy of James Madison. With a possible war looming with England (war against England was declared om June 18, 1812) they felt he would appeal as an anti-war candidate and that, as a New Yorker, he would appeal to New England Republicans who were sick of all these Virginians being president (Washington, Jefferson, and Madison).
The CAMPAIGN IN 1812.
The campaign was not an exciting one. Clinton tried to sound like the anti-war candidate. His Federalist supporters called Madison "a base wretch,,,who is for war with England." But since many people supported the war with England it did not work.
The WINNER was James Madison.
There were now 18 states - the electoral vote was 128 for Madison and 89 for Clinton. We were at war with England when the electoral votes were counted - throughout our history a "war president" has never been voted out of office.
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