Presidential Election of 1832

THE ELECTION OF 1832 centered on the existence of the Second Bank of the United States. Andrew Jackson, [Page 569]the Democratic-Republican candidate running for reelection, was a vocal opponent of the bank and took a strong stand against it. His primary opponent, Henry Clay (the candidate of the National Republican Party), believed that the issue would bring about Jackson's defeat. In the end, the voters would side with Jackson on the issue and Jackson would take his election as a mandate from the voters to destroy the bank. This election was the first where the candidates were chosen by national convention. It was also the first election with three parties running candidates.

Senator Clay, along with Senator Daniel Webster, believed that they could turn the people of the United States against Jackson by forcing a fight over the charter of the U.S. Bank. Everyone knew that Jackson hated banks, especially the U.S. Bank, and therefore would veto any attempt to renew its charter (which was not scheduled for renewal until 1836). In 1832, Clay's bill to re-charter the bank early came before Jackson for his signature. As expected, Jackson vetoed the charter. Clay knew Jackson would veto the bill and expected the people to turn against him because of it. Instead, Jackson explained his veto in terms of class struggle, saying that the profits from the bank went to foreigners and monopolists. Jackson said that the Bank favored the rich at the expense of common men such as farmers and laborers. The banking issue marked the first time a presidential candidate took a stand on a social issue during an election.

The bank president, Nicholas Biddle, found Jackson's appeal to the masses of the common people dangerous. Biddle believed that he could show everyone how crazy Jackson's reasoning was, so he had copies of Jackson's explanation printed and distributed. Instead of turning the people against Jackson, it actually rallied them for Jackson. The citizens agreed with Jackson's reasoning and believed that the bank was their enemy.

Biddle continued to work against Jackson's election. He provided money to newspapers and congressmen who opposed Jackson. Jackson's supporters told voters they needed to be careful of Biddle and other supporters of the bank because they were only interested in money and power. The National Republicans fought back by saying that it was actually Jackson who was trying to oppress the people, and not the bank. They called him King Andrew I. In return, the Democrats attacked Biddle, calling him an emperor and a czar. Jackson not only hated the bank, but also the use of paper money. He believed that the only money that should be used was hard money or specie (gold and silver), and he paid for purchases with it. Jackson's supporters refered to gold as Jackson money.

The National Republicans also attacked Jackson's character, as they had in the campaign of 1828. They brought up stories about his bad temper and his early life, and added stories that his health was failing. After Jackson had surgery to remove a bullet from an old wound, the National Republicans started circulating (true) stories about how he had received the wound in a shootout. The Democrats fought back by digging up a story about Clay and the wound he received during a fight. The National Republicans also attacked Jackson's use of the spoils system, where he removed men from appointed offices who did not support him, replacing them with men who had supported his campaign. The Democratic Party was still much better at organizing than the National Republican party. Although the National Republicans made extensive use of cartoons in various media, this was no match for the parades, clubs, meetings, and other public activities used by the Democrats.

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