Change in Voting & Strife Within Political Party (College Board AP® US History)

Summary

By 1824, the United States had faced its first economic crisis, known as the Panic of 1819, which had widespread impacts across the entire nation, including the elite wealthy. This economic downturn, caused by a combination of factors like inflation, land speculation, and the overextension of credit, led to high unemployment and financial instability. 

Voting rights expanded significantly in the early 19^th century, particularly among white men. By the time of the 1824 election, many states had relaxed property requirements for voting which grew the number of eligible voters. This expansion of voting rights is often referred to as the growth of men’s franchise. The House of Representatives would once again determine the outcome of a presidential election due to no candidate securing a majority in the electoral college. This election highlighted the growing division within political parties and the increasing complexity of political competition.

Growth of Men’s Franchise & Panic of 1819

Growth of Men’s Franchise

• The Growth of Men’s Franchise refers to the expansion of voting rights for White men

  • Historically, white male landowners had always had voting rights 

• As new states entered the Union, many of them loosened the voting requirement about land ownership

  • Eight new states had no land or other economic requirements for white men to vote

  • States like Ohio and Mississippi only required white men to pay a small tax payment to vote 

• The expansion of the franchise was a shift towards greater political inclusion among white men, regardless of economic status

• Some groups of people lost the right to vote when states changed their voting requirements

  • New York: A small number of Black landowners had been able to vote, but the legislature passed an 1826 amendment to the state’s constitution that only extended suffrage to white men

  • New Jersey: Women, “persons of color" and immigrants had the right to vote but lost it in 1807 when the state officially gave the franchise only to white male taxpayers 

Panic of 1819

• The Panic of 1819 was the first major economic crisis in the United States

• It was triggered by the Second Bank of the United States attempting to control inflation by tightening its lending policies and asking that loans be repaid

• These policies caused: 

  • state banks to fail

  • falling values of houses and real estate

  • no market for real estate since few people could afford to buy it 

  • bankruptcies 

  • unemployment as manufacturing factories stopped producing goods

  • prison terms for borrowers unable to repay their debts 

• There was a nationwide impact:

  • Wealthy Americans lost significant amounts of money

  • Farmers lost land as the banks confiscated property

  • Factory workers lost jobs as there was a reduction in trade

    • Over 75% of workers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were out of work

  • Charities were overwhelmed with citizens who needed support

  • Sales of cotton fields included the sale of the enslaved people who worked on them

• The Panic of 1819 led to social and economic fallout:

  • Distrust and hostility toward banks grew across the nation 

  • There was increased criticism of people with lower incomes because:

    • rising costs of relief programs led to resentment

    • belief that people receiving aid should not be better off than someone earning wages from a job

    • people wanted someone to blame for causing their economic circumstances

• Support for workhouses increased as a way to:

  • monitor and reform perceived “bad” behaviors 

  • discourage reliance on charities and relief programs

Election of 1824

• One dominant political party took part in the election of 1824 this was the Democratic-Republican Party

• The Democratic-Republican Party was split into two groups: Democrats and National Republicans

  • Democrats: strict constructionists

  • National Republicans: loose constructionists

• Four candidates ran for president: 

  • John Quincy Adams

  • William Crawford

  • Henry Clay

  • Andrew Jackson

• With no clear winner, the House of Representatives chose the new president

  • Crawford had had a stroke in 1823, so his health reduced his chances 

  • Clay declared his support for Adams

  • Adams became the sixth president

    • Henry Clay was named Secretary of State

• Andrew Jackson accused Adams and Clay of making a deal with each other, which came to be known as the “Corrupt Bargain”

• Jackson’s supporters continue to make this claim for the next four years and through the 1828 presidential campaign