The politics of transition : Virginia and North Carolina and the 1824 presidential election

Although James Monroe stood unopposed for the presidency in 1820, many political observers knew that the next election would not be so placid. Monroe's failure to designate a successor split the Republican party into factions, as a new generation of political leaders eagerly aspired to take their place at the head of national affairs. In 1824,John Quincy Adams, John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, William H. Crawford, and AndrewJackson all vied for the presidency. This election marks a key transition in American Political development, for it splintered the Republican party of Thomas Jefferson, ended the influence of the congressional caucus, and launched the coalitions that later develops into the second party system.This study examines the transition from factional politics to coalition politics inVirginia and North Carolina within the framework of the 1824 and 1828 presidential campaigns. An investigation of the elections in these states yields a clearer understanding of the complexities of the coalition-building process. Moreover, an analysis of support inVirginia and North Carolina for the various candidates illustrates the importance of their character and philosophy of government in attracting followers. This dissertation surveys public meetings, campaign rhetoric, the construction of electoral tickets, and voter turnout to ascertain the depth of popular support for the candidates and the means used to gamerthat backing.In this era of transition, various factions sought to form coalitions to solidify their support and relied upon an aggressive democratic rhetoric to amass popular enthusiasm.vmIn the post-1824 factional realignment, conservative Crawfordites in Virginia and NorthCarolina reluctantly backed Jackson and became a crucial component of the newly emerging Jacksonian alliance that defeated the Adams-Clay coalition in 1828. Thefactional discord of 1824 unleashed new methods of campaigning, sparked the shift to coalition politics, and transformed Jackson from a popular military figure to a symbol of the common man, the champion of democracy and reform, and protector of southern OldRepublican conservatism.