Brian Edgerley
Pro-Jackson video
The election of 1828 ended up being a rematch of the 1824 election with Andrew Jackson defeating John Quincy Adams this time. Once again, Jackson won the popular vote, but this time Jackson received enough delegates to win the Presidency. This was the first presidential election that featured parties. Having structured parties, coupled with Jackson’s supporters trying to avenge his snub in 1824, led to this being the first national election. The numbers of voters increased from 350,000 to 1.143 million.
Andrew Jackson was viewed as the ultimate general during this election. The stories of Jackson’s heroics in the Battle of New Orleans and his leadership in adding Florida to the United States created an aura of protection and safety around anything he was leading. Similar to George Washington, Jackson’s military legends propelled him to the forefront of American politics and he was widely accepted as the stronger and more unwavering candidate. Contrasting with Adams’ support from the wealthy in the Northeast, Jackson became the man of the people during the election of 1828 and my goal was to illustrate him as thus, as well as a candidate with the natural leadership to be President of this great country.
My ad campaign begins with a portrait of General Andrew Jackson, looking young and renowned. I decided that the word “Honourable” illustrated Jackson’s character, and subtly denounced the election of 1824 for being dishonorable. This first picture of Jackson makes him look like a President. The next image is a section of an article from the New Hampshire Patriot that essentially says that Andrew Jackson is deserving of the presidency and fit for office, the opposite of what my attack ad in 1824 said. The last line of the highlighted clip mentions being honorable in electing Jackson, taking another snipe at the election methods of 1824. One last time I mention the election of 1824, this time with a map displaying which states elected which candidates. This shows that Jackson was the popular candidate in 1824. The next article displayed is from the Richmond Enquirer and calls Jackson a hero for nobly defending the US in the Battle of New Orleans. I emphasized the word hero to remind voters of Jackson’s importance in defending the US. With the word hero in mind and reminding the voters of Jackson leading his army in the Battle of New Orleans, I displayed a picture of General Jackson leading his men against the British. The words “Leader of Men” refers to his candidacy for president along with his leadership in the Battle of New Orleans. The next article is from the Farmer’s Repository and describes Jackson as the “object of universal esteem” which is a testament to Jackson’s character. To remind the viewer that Andrew Jackson was the man of the people during the election of 1828, I displayed a drawing of General Jackson in the thick of battle fighting along with his men. Like George Washington, he was a true American through and through. I next showed a toast to Jackson that describes him as an “undeviating republican of the school of seventy-six” to continue the connection between Generals Jackson and Washington. Finally, my ad campaign ends with a portrait of Jackson reminding voters of his candidacy and that he deserves both the voters’ votes and the presidency after being snubbed in 1828.
The music for my video is the Star-Spangled Banner, which was written during the War of 1812, yet another reminder of Jackson’s glory. Most viewers of the ad would have made the connection between the Star-Spangled Banner and Jackson’s leadership during the War of 1812, especially the Battle of New Orleans.
References/Bibliography
Salem Gazette July 9, 1824
Richmond Inquirer July 22, 1823
Farmer’s Repository October 12, 1815
New Hampshire Patriot April 28, 1828
1824 election map
Andrew Jackson general picture
Andrew Jackson older picture
Battle of New Orleans picture
Jackson leading in Battle of New Orleans
