Events
1824
Presidential election of 1824 (Adams
vs. Jackson) is disputed
1825
House of Representatives chooses Adams for the presidency
1828
Congress passes “Tariff of Abominations”
Jackson is elected president
1829
John C. Calhoun publishes “South Carolina Exposition
and Protest”
1832
Jackson thwarts attempt to re-charter Bank of the
United States
Congress passes Tariff of 1832Jackson is reelectedSouth Carolina Nullification Crisis
1833
Congress passes Compromise Tariff of 1833
Congress passes Force Bill
Key People
-
John Quincy Adams
Sixth U.S. president; won disputed election against
Andrew Jackson
-
John C. Calhoun
Vice president to both Adams and Jackson; major voice
of the South in national politics
-
Henry Clay
Kentuckian
statesman; major voice of the West in national politics; orchestrated
Compromise Tariff of 1833
-
Daniel Webster
Massachusetts
senator; major voice of the Northeast in national politics
The Election of 1824
The Era of Good Feelings was definitely over by the time
the 1824 election
rolled around. Controversy over the Missouri Compromise and Monroe
Doctrine, combined with the depression that followed the Panic of 1819,
undermined national unity. Five candidates—all of them Democratic-Republican—ran
for the presidency that year.
Initially, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams was
the strongest candidate. Also popular was Speaker of the House Henry
Clay. Then, in the summer of 1824,
General Andrew Jackson threw himself into the race.
Although he had little political experience, he became the dominant
candidate because he was the most popular man in the country. In
the end, Jackson received more popular votes than the others, but
no candidate won enough electoral votes to become president.
The “Corrupt Bargain”
As was the case in 1800,
the House of Representatives had to elect the next president. Because
of Clay’s last-minute support, the House chose Adams. But when Adams
then named Clay his secretary of state, Americans were outraged.
Most of the American presidents up to this point had served previously
as secretaries of state, and the position was commonly regarded
to be the stepping-stone to the presidency. Jacksonites thus clamored
that Adams had won only because of a “corrupt bargain” with
Clay. His reputation ruined, Adams remained politically impotent
throughout his four years.
Growing Sectionalism
The election of 1824 was
different from previous elections in that support for candidates
was highly sectional. In the late 1700s,
Federalists and Democratic-Republicans alike drew support from the North
as well as the South. Then, during the Era of Good Feelings, most
Americans identified with the Democratic-Republicans. In 1824,
however, this unity had disappeared: Adams carried New England solidly,
while Jackson relied on the South and West. The results of the 1828 election
were similarly divided by region.
Regionalism vs. Federalism
Akin to the growing sectionalism in the United States
was the emerging power struggle between regionalism and federalism.
President Jackson was the embodiment of federal power. Though a
Democrat, he firmly believed that the federal government should
have the final say over the states. He also demonstrated on numerous occasions
that he felt the presidency to be the strongest of the three branches
of government.
On the other hand, sectional politicians were emerging
as well. Henry Clay from Kentucky became the voice
of the West, lobbying to improve western infrastructure to facilitate
transportation and help the growing agricultural economy. Clay’s
ally Daniel Webster, from Massachusetts, was the primary
advocate for the North, campaigning for infrastructure as well as
higher protective tariffs to help Northern manufacturers. The primary
voice of the South was the states’ righter John C. Calhoun.
