The Election
of 1828

Following the so-called corrupt bargain that brought John Quincy Adams to power in 1824, when presidential candidate Henry Clay threw his support to Adams, followers of Andrew Jackson had four years to plan for the rematch election. In the interim Adams did little to distinguish himself in office. During the campaign season of 1828, supporters of Jackson and Adams did debate political programs and ideas, but they spent even more energy discussing the personal character of the candidates. While Adams did not campaign directly, his supporters—calling themselves National Republicans—smeared Jackson in a number of ways. They even accused him of adultery and bigamy for marrying Rachel Donelson, whose divorce from a previous husband was never officially finalized. They also ridiculed Jackson’s supporters as rowdy and unrefined—charges many of those supporters likely embraced.

Jackson’s campaign took an even more active approach. Spearheaded by vice presidential candidate Martin Van Buren, “Jackson men,” now calling themselves Democrats, fanned out across the country, organizing rallies and drumming up grassroots support. They portrayed Jackson as “Old Hickory,” a war hero who understood the importance of expanding American democracy and inviting the “common man” into politics. They assailed Adams for his corrupt bargain, and they denigrated his elite upbringing, inherited career, and cold personality. In the end, the Democrats prevailed; Jackson easily won the election by a count of 178 to 83 in the electoral college. He did particularly well in the South and West, where he benefited from voter rolls significantly expanded by decreased property requirements.

While some earlier campaigns had featured attacks on candidates’ qualifications, the campaign of 1828 set a new standard for future contests. The following documents reveal how the character of candidates came to dominate political discourse as partisan differences sharpened in the early to mid-nineteenth century. As you read, consider how each campaign attempted to appeal to people’s passions rather than focus on policy proposals or national priorities.