From 1816 to 1824, the United States had only one political party, the Jeffersonian Republicans. Within the party, however, differences arose among various groups that had their own views and interests. In 1824, James Monroe was finishing his second term as president but declined to run for a third term. Four candidates from the Republican Party competed for the presidency.

The four candidates’ opinions differed on the role of the federal government. They also spoke for different parts of the country. The Republican Party nominated William H. Crawford, a former congressman from Georgia. However, Crawford’s poor health weakened him as a candidate. The other three Republicans in the presidential race were “favorite son” candidates, meaning they received the backing of their home states rather than that of the national party. Two of these candidates, Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay. came from the West.

Clay, of Kentucky, was Speaker of the House of Representatives. He fought for his program of internal improvements, high tariffs, and a stronger national bank. General Andrew Jackson of Tennessee was not a Washington politician, but he was a hero of the War of 1812. Raised in poverty, he claimed to speak for the Americans who had been left out of politics. John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts, son of former president John Adams, received support from merchants of the Northeast.

In the election, Jackson received the largest number of popular votes. However, no candidate received a majority, or more than half, of the electoral votes. Jackson won 99 electoral votes, which gave him a plurality, or largest single share. Under the terms of the Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution, when no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives selects the president.

While the House was preparing to vote on the next president, Henry Clay met with Adams. Clay agreed to use his influence as Speaker of the House to defeat Jackson. In return, Clay may have hoped to gain the position of secretary of state. With Clay’s help, Adams was elected president in the House. Adams quickly named Clay as secretary of state, traditionally the steppingstone to the presidency. Jackson’s followers accused the two men of making a “corrupt bargain” and stealing the election.

In Washington, D.C., the “corrupt bargain” cast a shadow over Adams’s presidency. Outside the capital, Adams’s policies ran against popular opinion. Adams wanted a stronger navy and government funds for scientific expeditions. Adams also wanted the federal government to direct economic growth. Such ideas horrified those who desired a more limited role for the federal government, and Congress turned down many of Adams’s proposals. This was especially true after the congressional elections of 1826, when enemies of Adams controlled both the House and Senate.

By 1828, the party had divided into two separate parties: the Democratic-Republicans, who supported Jackson, and the National Republicans, who supported Adams. Jackson’s Democratic-Republicans, or Democrats, favored states’ rights. Most were individualists from the frontier, immigrants, or laborers in the big cities. The National Republicans wanted a strong central government. They supported federal measures, such as road building and the Second Bank of the United States, that would shape the nation’s economy. Many were merchants or farmers.

During the campaign, both parties resorted to mudslinging, or attempts to ruin their opponent’s reputation with insults. The Democratic-Republicans accused Adams of betraying the people. They put out a handbill calling the election a contest “between an honest patriotism, on the one side, and an unholy, selfish ambition, on the other.” The National Republicans fought back. They created a vicious campaign song to play up embarrassing incidents in Jackson’s life. One involved Jackson’s order in the War of 1812 to execute several soldiers who had deserted. The attack on Jackson’s wife was so nasty that it caused her death. Jackson never forgave or forgot. Mudslinging was not the only new element introduced in the 1828 campaign. Election slogans, rallies, buttons, and events such as barbecues were also used to arouse enthusiasm. All these new features became a permanent part of American political life.

In the election, Jackson received most of the votes cast by voters of the new frontier states. He also received many votes in the South, where his support for states’ rights was popular. John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, who had served as Adams’s vice president, switched parties to run with Jackson. Calhoun also championed states’ rights. Jackson won the election in a landslide, an overwhelming victory, with 56 percent of the popular vote and 178 electoral votes.