The Election of 1832 was the first presidential contest in U.S. history to feature multiple organised national parties. Andrew Jackson, known as “Old Hickory,” sought re-election amidst scandal, fierce opposition, and an escalating battle over the future of the National Bank.
Jackson’s Presidency
Jackson entered the 1830s as a populist hero but also a deeply polarising figure. His presidency had been marked by forceful decisions that reshaped the nation.
The Indian Removal Act of 1830 authorised the relocation of Native American tribes from their ancestral homelands to new territories west of the Mississippi. Though the Supreme Court ruled in Worcester v. Georgia (1832) that Georgia’s actions against the Cherokee were unconstitutional, Jackson allegedly responded: “John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it.” His policies set the stage for the forced relocations later known as the Trail of Tears.
Tariffs also proved divisive. The Tariff of 1828 — branded the “Tariff of Abominations” in the South — provoked South Carolina to claim it could nullify federal laws. The resulting Nullification Crisis saw Jackson threaten military force while Congress passed the Force Bill. A compromise tariff brokered by Henry Clay in 1833 defused the crisis, but not before Vice President John C. Calhoun resigned in protest, severing ties with Jackson.
With Calhoun gone, Jackson turned to his close ally Martin Van Buren, co-founder of the Democratic Party, as his running mate in 1832.
The Bank War
The defining issue of the election was Jackson’s war against the Second Bank of the United States. Its charter was set to expire in 1836, but Jackson’s opponents in Congress, led by Henry Clay, forced an early recharter bill to make it a campaign issue. Clay and the National Republicans believed Jackson’s veto would damage him politically.
Instead, Jackson doubled down. In his veto message, he attacked the bank as a corrupt institution favouring elites at the expense of ordinary citizens. To his supporters, the message was electrifying. Jackson became the defender of the people against entrenched privilege.
Not only did Jackson veto the charter, he ordered federal deposits removed from the bank and placed into state banks, dubbed “pet banks.” Critics accused him of acting like a monarch, and political cartoons depicted him as “King Andrew” trampling the Constitution. Ironically, the imagery strengthened his populist appeal.
The Bank War cemented Jackson’s re-election — but it also destabilised the financial system, fuelling speculation that would later trigger the Panic of 1837 under Van Buren.
Scandal and the Petticoat Affair
Jackson’s presidency was further distracted by the Petticoat Affair, a social scandal involving his Secretary of War John Eaton and his wife Peggy. Washington elites, led by Floride Calhoun (wife of John C. Calhoun), ostracised Peggy for her alleged improprieties.
The controversy fractured Jackson’s cabinet. Eaton and Van Buren resigned, giving Jackson the opportunity to reshuffle his team with loyal allies. The scandal worsened his feud with Calhoun but deepened his trust in Van Buren — setting up Van Buren as his chosen successor.
Clay Returns
Jackson’s main challenger in 1832 was Henry Clay, the former Speaker of the House and Adams’s Secretary of State, who had been at the centre of the 1824 “Corrupt Bargain.” Clay, now leader of the National Republican Party, made the Bank the central issue of the campaign. His running mate was John Sergeant, a fellow Pennsylvanian and staunch supporter of the bank.
The Anti-Masonic Party
A new force also entered national politics: the Anti-Masonic Party. Emerging from public backlash against the perceived secrecy and influence of Freemasonry, they nominated William Wirt, a former U.S. Attorney General, with Amos Ellmaker as his running mate.
Though short-lived, the Anti-Masons made history by holding the first national nominating convention in Baltimore in 1831 — an innovation that both major parties quickly adopted. They also pioneered the use of coordinated campaigning and platforms, shaping how American politics would operate going forward.
The Nullifier Party
Finally, discontent in South Carolina gave rise to the Nullifier Party, which put forward John Floyd for president. While Floyd was not a national contender, South Carolina’s electors backed him in protest against Jackson’s tariff policies.
Expansion of Voter Participation
By Election of 1832 , voting rights had expanded significantly. Most states had eliminated property requirements for white men, greatly increasing voter turnout. This made Jackson’s re-election not only a personal triumph but also a reflection of America’s new era of mass democracy.
Jackson’s persona as “Old Hickory” — tough, plain-spoken, and unyielding — resonated with frontier settlers, farmers, and working-class voters. He successfully framed himself as a man of the people battling elites in Washington.
The Results
The outcome of the election reflected both Jackson’s enduring popularity and the fragmentation of his opponents:
- Andrew Jackson (Democrat) – 219 electoral votes; 54.2% of the popular vote
- Henry Clay (National Republican) – 49 electoral votes; 37.4% of the popular vote
- William Wirt (Anti-Masonic) – 7 electoral votes; 7.8% of the popular vote
- John Floyd (Nullifier) – 11 electoral votes (South Carolina only)
Jackson swept the South, West, and much of the mid-Atlantic. Clay’s support was largely confined to New England and a few border states. The Anti-Masons gained traction in parts of New England, while South Carolina stood alone with Floyd.
Significance
The Election of 1832 was significant for several reasons:
- It was the first election decided through national party conventions, establishing a new norm.
- It solidified the Second Party System, with Democrats vs. National Republicans (soon to evolve into the Whigs).
- It confirmed Jackson’s immense popularity, even as opponents branded him a tyrant.
- It showcased the rise of third-party politics, with Anti-Masons and Nullifiers influencing the national stage.
- It marked the triumph of mass voter participation, with the electorate larger and more engaged than ever before.
Jackson emerged triumphant, strengthened by a loyal Democratic base and his populist image. Yet his Bank War policies and confrontations with opponents also deepened the divisions that would dominate the turbulent 1830s.
Legacy
The Election of 1832 followed Jackson’s revenge victory in 1828, where he defeated John Quincy Adams in one of the dirtiest campaigns in U.S. history. Four years later, he defeated Henry Clay and entrenched the Democratic Party’s dominance — while inadvertently setting the stage for the Panic of 1837 under his successor.
Next came the Election of 1836, when Jackson’s chosen heir, Martin Van Buren, would face a divided opposition as the Whigs launched a multi-candidate strategy to stop the Democrats.
