Andrew Jackson, who hailed from the Tennessee frontier, was the first “people’s candidate”-the kind of guy voters could imagine having a beer with. When he won the 1828 election, his opponents complained that his uncouth ways would bring degradation on the office of the president. The post-inaugural celebration seemed to prove their point. Rowdy Jackson supporters streamed into the White House, muddying carpets, trampling furniture and smashing priceless china in their rush to get at the refreshments. Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story, an aghast witness, records, “I never saw such a mixture. The reign of King Mob seemed triumphant.” The chaos only subsided when someone thought to set buckets of punch out on the lawn. The thirsty partiers soon followed.
-
Recent Entries
Tags
1850s 1890s 1940s 1960s Activist actor Affiliation allegiance background ballot form Bill British campaign campaign trail candidates celebrity church Civil war Communism congress conservative constituent corruption demographic draft dodger election english-speaking expenditure Facade first lady fundamentalist government Government spending high-school educated ideology influence Journalists loyalty male membership military moratorium mormon Mud slinging news nickname obstruction opposition Party platitude President Presidential election Pro-war Project Religion Religious reporters reporting Republican party revenue rhetoric right-wing slavery small government small town speech state supreme court tax cuts taxes Voter Voting white house witch hunt working class