 This new Nation called he United States is emerging onto the international “world” scene at a fast pace.
 Keep in mind that many of the other countries at this time had evolved for thousands of years. They were an outgrowth of many generations of families and peoples who forged their nations.
 The United States however was unique in that this new nations was an eclectic blend of many nations coming together to form a new nation and government that was different to what history had seen.
 This new group of people had in essence invaded a continent and had dispersed the native people and took over the land.
 They came, they conquered, they united and they emerged into the most powerful and progressive nation the world has ever seen – The United States of
America!

 George Washington was the first president of the United
States. As the first President it was his responsibility to establish exactly what this office would be
 Washington, technically did not have any political affiliation.
 However, when major disputes erupted in his administration he tended to side with Alexander Hamilton, who was the leader of the Federalist Party.
 Keep in mind, that it was the Federalist Part who believed in a strong central government. They stood in opposition to the Anti-Federalist who believed in more local and state control.
 Washington’s role in history was as a the Father of our country, the true leader who established many precedents about how the office of the President should run.
 His international emphasis was on neutrality and he sought to establish credibility on behalf of the United States to other countries.

 When John Adams was elected President, the world witnessed the power of the United States government.
 George Washington has actually transferred the power of the presidency to John Adams. This was revolutionary!
 John Adams however was politically aligned. He was a part of the Federalist
Party.
 The Federalist as you might recall supported a strong national or central government.
 They emphasized a commercial and diplomatic harmony with the British government.
 This was a reflection of the politics of the Northern part of the country who relied so heavily on business and trade.
 John Adams only served one term. He lost a lot of credibility over his foreign policy and how it related to people at home (Alien and Sedition Acts)

 Thomas Jefferson defeated John Adams in the controversial election of 1800. This was when the election ended up a tie.
 Jefferson eventually won the White House after many votes in the House of Representatives.
 Ironically, it was Alexander Hamilton who used his political persuasion to help decide the vote.
 When Jefferson was elected to office it was also considered a revolution.
 The election was a realigning election that ushered in a generation of
Democratic-Republican Party rule and the eventual demise of the Federalist
Party in the First Party System.
 For the first time, a new political party with a new agenda for the nation was in charge.
 The Democratic Republicans and Jefferson reduced the size of the Federal government, reformed the judicial practices and cut the national debt.

 In 1808, James Madison took over as president, continuing the Democratic-Republican rule.
 Madison took the nation to war with Great Britain in the
War of 1812, standing up for American authority and independence in response to British abuses of American sailors and laws.
 Following the War of 1812, Madison began to shift away from basic
Democratic-Republican principles toward a stronger Federal government.
 Having nearly lost the war due to a lack of a national standing army and financial system, Madison's post-war governing began a party and national shift toward stronger national policies and institutions.
 But keep in mind that it was James Madison who along with Alexander
Hamilton and John Jay wrote the Federalist Papers when the Constitution was first being argued.
 Madison has that political foundation of a strong central government engrained in his political beliefs

 In 1816, James Monroe became the third Democratic-
Republican president.
 In the post-War of 1812 atmosphere, Monroe was essentially unopposed.
 As you might recall, this time is known as the Era of Good
Feelings because of the lack of political partisanship.
 Essentially, the Federalists had faded away after the War of 1812, and the
Democratic-Republicans were the only national party left standing.
 This era extended into Monroe's second term, as he was reelected in 1820 after running nearly unopposed for the presidency.
 However, things were about to change – Political drama at its best!

 Everything began to fall apart in 1824 when numerous candidates vied for the presidency, all from the same party.
 The main candidates --John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson,
Henry Clay, William Crawford, and John C. Calhoun-- split the vote, sending the election to the U.S. House of Representatives.
 There, Adams won the election with a House vote, despite Jackson having garnering the most popular votes.
 This outcome enraged Jackson, sending him on a mission to win the presidency in
1828, which he eventually did.
 Jackson's split from the party signaled the end of the party's dominance and the end of the spirit of non-partisanship. Adams served only one term as president.
 The Jackson administration gave rise to the Democratic Party, an offshoot of the
Democratic-Republicans.
 The Democrats were strong in the Southern states and supported the expansion of slavery, states' rights, and abolishing institutions such as the National Bank.

 The Election of 1828 was unique in that nominations were no longer made by Congressional but the state legislatures.
 John Quincy Adams was re-nominated
 The Democratic Republican opposition was posed by Andrew Jackson and his vice-presidential candidate, John C. Calhoun who had previously been vice president under Adams
 The campaign was the first true mud-slinging contest. Adams was accused of misusing public funds and Jackson was accused of murder for executing militia deserters.
 In addition, Jackson and his wife were accused of adultery. Rachel was a divorcee'; she and Jackson believed her divorce was finalized before their marriage. The papers were incomplete, however, and she was publicly branded an adulteress by Jackson's political opponents.
 Mrs. Jackson was humiliated, became ill and died before the inauguration.
Jackson believed these attacks caused his wife's death and said, "May God
Almighty forgive her murderers as I know she forgave them. I never can."

 Jacksonian democracy encouraged the strength of the executive branch and that of the Presidency. All this was done at the expense of Congressional power but with the view of getting more public participation in the government.
 Jackson believed in giving power to all white men rather than just the privileged elite. The supporters also supported the patronage system which allowed politicians to appoint their supporters in administrative offices. This was done with the view of reducing the powers of the elitists and preventing aristocracy from forming.
 Jackson also wanted elected judges and ended up rewriting many state constitutions to reflect the new values.
 The Jacksonian era lasted from the time Andrew Jackson was elected as president in 1828 until the slavery issue became highly contentious after 1850.

Jacksonian democracy was built on several principles:
 Expanded suffrage -- Voting rights should be more expanded.
 Manifest Destiny -- Americans had a destiny to settle the American West and to expand control over entire North America from Pacific Ocean to Atlantic.
 Patronage -- This is also known as the Spoils System and it was the policy of placing political supporters into appointed offices.
 Loose Interpretation of the Constitution -- The Jacksonians favored a federal government with limited powers. However, as the Jacksonians increased their power, they advocated a more elaborate construction of the Constitution and presidential power.
 Dis-involvement in Economics -- The Jacksonians did not want to get involved in the economy of the country as Andrew Jackson believed that if the government got involved in the economy, favored groups would win privileges which was not correct for a nation that was run by, and for, the common man.