End of Era of good feelings

1819 crisis and Missouri compromise

Political conflict celebrated
1840 unrecognizable to 1796
Jacksonian era
Democrats and Whigs
Campaigning “get out the vote”
Turnout 25% in 1824, Double in 1828, 78% in 1840
Corrupt bargain
JQA, Henry Clay, William Crawford, Andrew Jackson
All republicans JC Calhoun as VP for Adams AND Jackson
Jackson Popular in west, fought corruption and privilege
Didn’t win electoral college
Went to house, Clay out, but Speaker of the house
Crawford-Stroke=out, Clay hated Jackson
Picks Adams, Adams makes him Sec. of State
Clay “Judas of the West”
No evidence, Adams honest and not given to patronage
Elitist and subversion to Democracy
JQA like his father, irritable, sarcastic, tactless GREAT Sec of State!!!
Nekid swims, respect over popularity, minority president
No spoils, moving from nationalism to states rights
1st state of union, roads & canals, National university, observatory
Tried to curb speculation & Cherokee problem in GA
Jackson campaigned for day house selected Adams
Republicans split – National- Adams, Democratic- Jackson Old hickory vs Oak
Jackson born in log cabin, but wealthy manor with slaves (the Hermitage near Nashville)
Adams aristocratic but moral to a fault
supporters called Jacksons mother a prostitute who slept with mulattos and birthed Jackson
Called his wife an adulteress, brawls and duels, 6 coffins for hanging 6 mutinous militiamen
Adams bought billiards table and chess men “Gaming table” Gambling Furniture” “Presidential palace”
Accused of procuring a servant girl for a lusty tzar
Rachel Jackson
Married Cpt. Lewis Robards, not happy, rumors of cruelty, left to go home. Robards files divorce for
abandoning him. Jackson stays with family, meets Rachel, gets married in Natchez, Miss.
Divorce neve finalized, Kentucky becomes state, Tennessee goes federal, Natchez only recognizes
catholic marriage, married again after all the hoopla
Adopted nephew AJ Jr. Creek Orphan (wanted him to go to West point, not gonna happen), Adopted
grand nephew AJ Hutchings, guardian to many others.
The downfall of Rachel.
Heart problem three years, severe depression form attacks, often found crying, fatal heart attack,
devastated Jackson. Swore revenge on those who led to it. Garden obsession.
Jackson
Irritable and emaciated, dysentery, malaria, TB, lead poisoning from at least two bullets
Orphaned early, little adult supervision, brawling and cockfighting>writing and spelling
Eloquent and powerful, but bad grammar and spelling
Judge and member of congress duels stabbings and fights
Inauguration was crazy. White house doors thrown open, people flooded to Washington
Jackson secreted out the side door. Crowds cleared when rumor of punch on lawn
Spoils
There were still Washington appointees in their 80s, breathing and drawing a salary
Sam Swartwourt collector of customs for port of NY, England, 1 million missing
Duel
Horse breeder, Jackson accused him of welching on a bet
Dickinson calls Jackson a coward and his wife a bigamist.
Duel, Dickinson shot Jackson in the chest, hand over wound, Jackson missed, shot again
Less scandal than his marriage
Assassination
Richard Lawrence, Unemployed housepainter, congressional funeral
Misfire, 67 yo Jackson starts beating him, pulls another gun, misfires,
Jackson convinced assassin sent by rivals (mentally ill) MVB starts carrying two guns
Later both guns fired perfectly the first time. 1 in 250,000 chance.