MR. PRESIDENT
Cobblestone American History Magazine for Kids|October 2022
The Democratic-Republican party was the dominant U.S. political party in the first two decades of the 1800s.
Stephen Currie and Andrew Matthews
MR. PRESIDENT

Its candidate won every presidential election beginning in 1800. No elections had been very close. But those easy victories hid disagreements within the party.

Four Democratic-Republican candidates decided to run for president in 1824. Secretary of State John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts and two others—Speaker of the House of Representatives Henry Clay of Kentucky and Secretary of the Treasury William H. Crawford of Georgia—were well-educated gentlemen. They had the backing of wealthy farmers, businessmen, and other upper-class people. Such support had been enough to win earlier elections.

Prior to 1824, the electorate had been made up of wealthy, property-owning white men. But in 1824, ordinary white American men began voting. Most of those voters supported the fourth Democratic-Republican candidate: General Andrew Jackson. Jackson was different from the other three men. Born in rural South Carolina to poor parents, he was self-educated. He promised to give less-privileged Americans a voice in government.

Jackson’s message was well received. In the general election, he won more popular votes than any other candidate. He also took first place in the Electoral College. But he did not win a majority of electoral votes. So, as stated in the 12th Amendment, the decision of whom to select as the next president moved to the U.S. House of Representatives. Only the top three vote-getters were eligible.

This story is from the October 2022 edition of Cobblestone American History Magazine for Kids.

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This story is from the October 2022 edition of Cobblestone American History Magazine for Kids.

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