Board 8 > B8 Elects - The Election of 1828 - Adams (R) vs Jackson (D)

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Eddv
06/30/20 12:14:54 PM
#1:


Past Results:
1788 and 1792 Washington sides with the Federalists with 100% of the vote
1796 Adams d. Jefferson with 75% of the vote
1800 Adams d. Jefferson with 88% of the vote
1804 Jefferson d. Pinckney with 64% of the vote
1808 Madison d. Pinckney and George Clinton with 40% of the vote
1812 DeWitt Clinton d. Madison with 66% of the vote
1816 Rufus King d. Monroe with 90% of the vote
1820 Monroe d. Monroe with 100% of the vote
1824 Adams d. Jackson, Clay, Crawford with 71% of the vote

Hey all welcome to Board 8 Elects! a topic series in which we discuss each historical election from the perspective of the year it took place in!

The idea here is to re-litigate each election from the perspective of when it took place. I will be providing each candidates platform (where possible) so the merits of the election can be discussed and voted on. If possible lets speak of the issues in the present tense.

I am going to ask you vote via BOLDING the name of the candidate rather than providing a poll because I feel the poll encourages gut voting and I would really like to see some discussion.

Topics will be live for 3 or 4 days - basically until I make the next topic voting will be active in this one.

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Welcome to 1828. The election of 1824 sparked a revolution in American politics. Adams won via the only election in American history to be decided by a poll of Congress. Henry Clay, the speaker of the House, essentially played the role of Kingmaker, unable to make himself president after failing to finish in the top 3, which was a requirement. He chose Adams over the plurality winner Jackson and set off a major political re alignment. Clays faction called themselves the National Republicans while Jacksons called themselves simply the Democratic Party.

Adams proposed major popular initiatives such as a massive infrastructure project intended to increase the capacity of American shipping and to help spread rail from its infancy in New York across the entire country. He also sought to establish diplomatic relations with the South American countries who had recently won their independence from Spain. All of these were rebuffed on the principle that, according to Jackson's Democrats, Adams was an illegitimate president and have led to this showdown between the Democrats and Republicans (who are Democratic-Republicans no more!)

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The Issues

  • The primary actual policy issue being debated is one of the few policy goals Adams was able to achieve, the Tariff act of 1828 wherein Tariff levels were set to an unheard of 45% levy. This was intended to protect and foster an American industrial sector in the north and west that was still in its infancy but it was wildly unpopular in the South where it was known as the Tariff of Abominations since it deprived southerners of cheap consumer goods while providing them no benefit since their economy was still completely agrarian.
  • Adams is still running on the National System programme that he and Clay are now staunch allies on. Among other things Adams wants to adopt the metric system, do a full survey of the Eastern coastline, and establish a national university. He also wants to build a naval observatory, commission an exploratory team to explore the Pacific Coast and establish federal bankruptcy protections. All of these were proposed and rejected by Congress, which only provided funding for a National Road and for some canal and railroad expansion.
  • Jackson's Democrats want to repeal the tariffs and abandon all of these plans and to of course dissolve the National Bank.
The Campaign
  • This was a highly personal campaign. Jackson made much of what he called the 'corrupt bargain' that saw him win the popular vote by 10 points but not become president. He has also called into question Adams moral character, calling much attention to the fact that Adams routinely swims nude in the Potomac and that he did not swear his oath of office on a bible (instead swearing it on a copy of the constitution itself).
  • Adams for his part noted that together he and Clay won more of the vote than Jackson. He is also calling much attention to what he sees as Andrew Jackson's repugnant moral character himself. Jackson's history of routine dueling - now seen as a barbaric practice in the wake of Alexander Hamilton's demise - and alcoholism have become well known. Worse, Jackson not only owns slaves, but he is an active slave trader, making a fortune buying and selling slaves as an intermediary between plantations which strikes people as for more amoral than simply owning slaves.
  • Adams has also published pamphlets accusing Jackson of war crimes wherein Jackson butchered Native American civilians and prisoners of war according to accounts of those who served with Jackson.
  • More dubiously, Jackson has accused Adams of procuring prostitutes for the Czar of Russia while he served as Russian Ambassador
  • In response, Republicans have accused Jackson of not just slaughtering Indians, but of being a cannibal and eating those he slaughtered.
  • Finally, Thomas Jefferson passed away before being able to choose a side in the great schism of the Party he built and both sides are trying to claim that Jefferson supports their faction, with small scraps of letters from Jefferson praising or criticising one or the other making the rounds, though Jackson has been far more aggressive in claiming Jeffersonian approval.


Adams or Jackson? Who does b8 fancy?

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Anagram
06/30/20 4:39:04 PM
#2:


Eddv posted...
He has also called into question Adams moral character, calling much attention to the fact that Adams routinely swims nude in the Potomac
oh my godddddd

Adams

I can't imagine anyone voting for Jackson here.

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Eddv
06/30/20 4:50:57 PM
#3:


I think I dug up some interesting nuggets at least

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greengravy294
06/30/20 6:21:20 PM
#4:


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Paratroopa1
06/30/20 9:30:02 PM
#5:


Adams

I probably would have voted for him last election too but I forgot because I wanted to at least give the others a fair chance and then I just got lazy. Jackson deserves no such chance

The fact that JQA swims nude in the Potomac fucking owns
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Eddv
07/01/20 8:59:35 AM
#6:


Fair enough - I think Clay and Adams are pretty well enmeshed for much of this period.

Jackson DID win a large number of his duels intondecently old age.

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Brayze_II
07/05/20 2:20:15 PM
#7:


Holy shit how can I not love accusations of cannibalism?
'Small Government, Big Plantation' Jackson sure as hell isn't getting a vote from me. Adams

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Hbthebattle
07/05/20 2:53:53 PM
#8:


Adams
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Congrats to azuarc for winning the GotD Guru!
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jcgamer107
07/05/20 3:21:39 PM
#9:


John Quincy Adams

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azuarc wasn't even home. he was playing Magic the Gathering at his buddy's store, which is extremely easy to verify
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