The election of 1828 was more of a "revolution" than that of 1800. Andrew Jackson won by 647,000 votes to Adams's 507,000, 178-83 in electoral college. Far more people voted for president than in 1824, as the states were beginning to let the people select presidential electors. The age of Jackson was indeed a major democratic revolution and the election of that year was testimony to that fact.
The 1828 campaign was one of the dirtiest in American history, a series of mudslinging attacks on personalities.
John Quincy Adams was accused of "feeding at the public trough," because of his long years of public service. He was called a "pimp" for providing an American girl as "gift" for the Czar of Russia. When he installed a billiard table in the White House, he was charged with turning it into a "gambling den." Contrary to those charges, John Quincy, like his father, was an extremely moral man descended from good old Puritan stock. Meanwhile, Jackson was portrayed during the campaign as a "drunk," a brawler and an adulterer because Rachel's divorce had not been final when they first got married. His famous duel with Charles Dickinson also led to the charge that he was a murderer.
A new two-party system emerged from the election of 1828. From then on, parties ran their candidates for President and Vice-president together as a ticket. John C. Calhoun was the last man to run for Vice President independently. (He was elected twice, under both Adams and Jackson.)
Several significant political issues divided the people at the time, among them the National Bank and the protective tariff. Jackson managed to avoid taking firm positions on any issues and in fact managed to get on both sides of the tariff question, depending on what part of the country his people were in. This was done by a bill to create a tariff that was supposedly so high that it would never pass. It did pass, however, and became known as the "Tariff of Abominations," which raised a storm of protest in the South led by John C. Calhoun.
When Jackson won the election, he invited his supporters to Washington to celebrate with him, and they came in numbers. Jackson's inauguration is famous for the riotous behavior of his followers. Wanting to get a glimpse of their hero, they stormed the White House for the post-inaugural reception. They tracked onto the carpets and even stood on tables in muddy boots to get a better glimpse of their hero. The locals complained that "barbarians" had invaded the White House, and the stewards finally saved the day by taking the punch bowls outside while the crowd followed. If Jackson's election was a victory for the common man, that man was all too common for some.
Jackson saw himself as President of All the People-defender of the "Common Man." A prevailing view since the writing of the Constitution had been an assumption of the natural supremacy of the legislature. Jackson vigorously challenged that assumption. He saw himself as the direct representative of all the people and willingly used his authority on their behalf. He vetoed more bills than all his predecessors combined, challenging the view that the only legitimate ground for a presidential veto was a bill's constitutionality. He expanded the power of his office, but did not favor unlimited power for the national government.
World History
