AP US History Exam
QUESTION:
How did TWO of the following contribute to the reemergence of a two party system in the period 1820 to 1840?
Major political personalities
States’ Rights
Economic issues
In the period of 1820 -1840 a two party system began to form for several reasons including major political personalities as well as economic issues. Conflicts began to surface during this time period, which contributed to the reemergence of a two party system.
Major Political Personalities such as Henry Clay, Andrew Jackson, William H. Crawford, and John Quincy Adams were all candidates for president in 1824. This is where the first split began. All four candidates were from the Republican Party. Andrew Jackson won the popular vote but failed to win the majority of the Electoral College. According to the constitution, the top three candidates would be voted on in the House of Representatives. Clay was eliminated as he received the 4th amount of votes. Clay used his power as speaker of the House to throw his support to John Quincy Adams. Shortly after Quincy Adams’ election he placed Clay in the position of Secretary of State, a known stepping-stone to the presidency. Jackson called this “foul play”, and many of Jackson’s followers called the Election of 1824 a “corrupt bargain.” When election time came again in 1828 Jackson ran as a democrat while Quincy Adams ran as Republican. Jackson won the election as a Democratic. Jackson faced many crises during this time, which made him quite a few friends as well as many enemies. The Tariff of 1828, which sought to drive up tariffs on many southern products, was widely disapproved by the people in the south but highly accepted by people in the north and could be seen as a power struggle between Daniel Webster who was Pro-Tariff and John C. Calhoun who was Anti-Tariff. Calhoun advocated a complete nullification of the bill in South Carolina. Jackson responded immediately by