- When
- 1828
In one line: Andrew Jackson (Democratic) beat the incumbent John Quincy Adams (National Republican); this page holds two pro-Jackson objects and two anti-Jackson "coffin" broadsides issued by Adams supporters.
Context
Jackson won 178 electoral votes to Adams's 83 (261 cast, 131 needed) [1]. The popular vote was 642,553 for Jackson and 500,897 for Adams; in Delaware and South Carolina the state legislature chose the electors, so no popular vote is recorded there [2]. Jackson, who had won a plurality in 1824 but lost the House contingent election to Adams, ran again against him; the campaign is described in the cross-check source as one of heavy personal attack by both sides, and the electorate was larger than in 1824 as voting rights for white men widened [3].
The campaigns reached voters through printed tickets, broadsides, newspapers, rallies and lithographs. The "coffin handbills" attacking Jackson over the executions of militiamen were circulated by supporters of Adams; one of the handbills is attributed to the Philadelphia editor John Binns [3][4].
Campaign literature
| Candidate (party) | Objects in the archive |
|---|---|
| Andrew Jackson (Democratic) | 2 |
| John Quincy Adams (National Republican) | 2 |
Each side has two objects. The two Adams-side objects are filed there because of their target, not a stated issuer: both attack Jackson, and the Library of Congress attributes them to anti-Jackson (pro-Adams) literature, with John Binns named for one. The archive holds no item that Adams or his campaign issued in praise of Adams.
Andrew Jackson (Democratic)
- "Jackson ticket" with Hickory tree motto, Baltimore (1828) (leaflet, 1828): A printed Maryland election ticket headed JACKSON TICKET carries a woodcut tree and a verse urging voters to rally round the "Hickory tree", a reference to his nickname Old Hickory.
- "State Mining" Jackson campaign lithograph (1828) (cartoon, 1828): A lithograph shows Jackson seated on a rock labelled ROCK OF AGES while men with spades dig beneath him and an official pays them, so his opponents are cast as paid diggers.
John Quincy Adams (National Republican)
- "Some Account of some of the Bloody Deeds of General Jackson" coffin handbill (1828) (leaflet, 1828): A broadside titled "Some Account of some of the Bloody Deeds of General Jackson" sets six coffin woodcuts, each naming an executed militiaman, above narrative columns about incidents charged against Jackson.
- "Monumental Inscriptions!" coffin broadside (1828) (leaflet, 1828): A broadside titled "Monumental Inscriptions!" gives epitaphs on six coffin-shaped tablets for executed militiamen, each ending "by the orders of" Jackson, under an address asking voters to weigh his conduct.
Techniques visible
The same definitions apply to every candidate.
- Bandwagon: shown in items for Jackson. The tell is the same for each: a slogan, verse or picture announcing that the candidate is winning or that others are joining.
- Transfer: shown in items for Jackson, Adams. The tell is the same for each: the standing of a person, place, symbol or event is attached to a candidate.
- Name-calling: shown in items for Jackson, Adams. The tell is the same for each: a derisive or loaded label attached to a candidate, his backers or his opponents.
- Card stacking: shown in items for Adams. The tell is the same for each: only the facts or incidents that favour one side are shown, with the rest left out.
Sources
- National Archives, "Electoral College: 1828 Election", https://www.archives.gov/electoral-college/1828
- American Presidency Project, "Elections: 1828", https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/statistics/elections/1828
- Wikipedia, "1828 United States presidential election" (cross-check only), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1828_United_States_presidential_election
- Library of Congress records for the objects described: jackson-ticket-hickory-tree-1828, state-mining-rock-of-ages-jackson-1828, bloody-deeds-coffin-handbill-adams-1828, monumental-inscriptions-coffin-handbill-adams-1828.
- Case study on an earlier contest, for comparison of the medium: Adams v. Jefferson, 1800