Birth of Modern Politics : Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, and the Election of 1828

English

Series: Pivotal Moments in American History Ser.

ISBN: 0195312872

EAN: 9780195312874

Category: Biography & Autobiography / Presidents & Heads Of State/Political Science / General/Political Science / Political Process / General/Political Science / Political Process / Political Parties/Political Science / Political Process / Elections/History / United States / 19Th Century/

Publisher: Oxford University Press, Incorporated

Release Date: 05/31/2009

Synopsis: The 1828 presidential election, which pitted Major General Andrew Jackson against incumbent John Quincy Adams, has long been hailed as a watershed moment in American political history. It was the contest in which an unlettered, hot-tempered southwestern frontiersman, trumpeted by his supporters as a genuine man of the people, soundly defeated a New England aristocrat whose education and political r sum were as impressive as any ever seen in American public life. It was, many historians have argued, the countrys first truly democratic presidential election. It was also the election that opened a Pandoras box of campaign tactics, including coordinated media, get-out-the-vote efforts, fund-raising, organized rallies, opinion polling, campaign paraphernalia, ethnic voting blocs, opposition research, and smear tactics. InThe Birth of Modern Politics, Parsons shows that the Adams-Jackson contest also began a national debate that is eerily contemporary, pitting those whose cultural, social, and economic values were rooted in community action for the common good against those who believed the common good was best served by giving individuals as much freedom as possible to promote their own interests. The book offers fresh and illuminating portraits of both Adams and Jackson and reveals how, despite their vastly different backgrounds, they had started out with many of the same values, admired one another, and had often been allies in common causes. But by 1828, caught up in a shifting political landscape, they were plunged into a competition that separated them decisively from the Founding Fathers era and ushered in a style of politics that is still with us today.

Birth of Modern Politics : Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, and the Election of 1828

Illustrated: Yes

Format: Hardcover

Height: 1.1 inches

Width: 9.3 inches

Length: 6.3 inches

Weight: 19.65 oz

Pages: 272