Chapter 13 Questions
1. Describe the election of 1824. Is there evidence of a corrupt bargain? Explain
Yes there is. As the Speaker of the House, he had the influence to decide who the next president would be. There was a corrupt bargain since Adams gave him the office of secretary of state, AKA one of the most coveted spots in the government, in exchange for his aide to John Adams. It's very suspicious that Clay would John Quincy Adams without asking anything in return. This wasn't necessarily corrupt however as similar bargains had been done before. It was only considered corrupt because Jacksonians felt Jackson was cheated out of the presidency.
2. Following 1824 election, voter participation increased. Why?
Voter participation increased with the growing states in the Western frontier as well as the heavy campaign by Andrew Jackson. His campaign lasted four years, the moment Adams became president. With his appeal towards the "common man," many of the new states in the West strongly supported Andrew Jackson and his beliefs. These new states also, unlike in the East, mostly had universal white manhood suffrage from their starts. This allowed for a large voter turnout and participation.
3. Describe John Quincy Adams. How did the charges of corruption hinder his presidency? How did his victory divide the Democratic-Republican party?
John Quincy Adams was like his father John Adams. He had a high level of honor. Very intelligent, he was a great secretary of state, but not such a great president. Charges of corruption hindered his presidency as accusations made his unpopularity even more apparent. Enemies accused him of striking a corrupt bargain while his allies wished he would do more, something that John Q. Adams had relatively not done at all. His victory caused the split of the Republicans into the National Republics which were supporters of Adams and the Democratic-Republicans which were supporters of Jackson.
4. Why did the South disagree with Adams' nationalistic policies?
At that time, the country was turning away from nationalism towards state's rights and sectionalism. Adams wanted national roads, canals, a university, and even observatory. To the average worker that barely supported themselves, the taxes for these were considered a death sentence. The South felt it was a threat to their way of life and were scared Adams would try to confront slavery.
5. Describe the election of 1828. What were the results? What information can one gain from the map on page 261?
The election of 1828 was filled with large amounts of mudslinging on both sides, Adams's and Jackson's. The election results were split very sectionally. The largest amount of support to Jackson came from the South and the West. The middle states and Northwest were divided and Adam's won New England. Ultimately, Jackson won with overwhelming electoral votes. The map shows that a majority of the states were very highly in support of Jackson.
6. How did Andrew Jackson differ from John Quincy Adams? Could he be described as a "common man?"
Andrew Jackson was described as a rough man who grew up without parental restraints. He got into fights numerous times, more than any other president had, and was known to cuss. Without having a college education and representing the West's ideas, he was seen as a common man, despite the fact that Jackson was scarily rich with many slaves and one of the finest mansions in America.
7. Identify the spoils system. Discuss both its plusses and minuses.
A system that Andrew Jackson set up not long after his election into the presidency in 1828 that had already developed a strong hold in the industrial states, such as New York and Pennsylvania. This appointed people to federal jobs strictly according to whether they had actively participated/campaigned for the Democratic party, in which previous office holders were fired and replaced with Democrats in return for party loyalty. This allowed new blood to enter the government but it also created a rift where two parties would emerge from this system.
