The Election of 1828

Following the bargain that brought John Quincy Adams to power in 1824, followers of Andrew Jackson had four years to plan for the next election. In the interim Adams did little to distinguish himself in office. During the campaign season of 1828, supporters of Jackson and Adams debated political programs and ideas, but they spent even more energy discussing the personal character of the candidates. Adams did not campaign directly. But his supporters held conventions and wrote editorials in which they smeared Jackson in a number of ways (Documents 9.5 and 9.6). 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 (Document 9.9).

Jackson’s campaign took an even more active approach. Spearheaded by his ally from New York Martin Van Buren, “Jackson men” fanned out across the country, organizing rallies and drumming up grassroots support. They portrayed Jackson as “Old Hickory,” a patriotic war hero who understood the importance of expanding American democracy and winning popular support (Document 9.7). They also assailed Adams for his elite upbringing, inherited career, and undemocratic vision and charged his supporters with slandering Jackson (Documents 9.7 and 9.8). In the end, the Jackson prevailed. He easily won the popular election and the electoral college vote, the latter by a count of 178 to 83. Jackson did particularly well in the South and West, where he benefited from voter rolls significantly expanded by the elimination or decrease in 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. While Jackson supporters reveled in his military victories, for instance, opponents were often appalled. Consider how each campaign attempted to appeal to people’s passions rather than national priorities and policies.