Participation In Political Campaigns Dbq

In the U.S.A. today, political campaigns and elections are accepted as normal. Almost every new year brings regulations, politicians, or some other form of legislature to be voted on by the people, both on the national and local levels. Today, the idea of universal suffrage is often thought of as an obligation or even a burden. This mindset which American’s have today completely contrasts with the mindset of American’s in the past, specifically in the early 1800’s. Between 1815 and 1840, participation in political campaigns and elections in the United States changed greatly. This time period of transition immediately followed the highly controversial War of 1812. “First-generation politicians” had begun to appear, including well-known, popular

Many forces played important roles in preparing the stage for voter participation in political campaigns. Document A, made up of speculation data on trends in voting participation between 1812-1840, gives people a view today of how people began to take hold of being considered “necessary” to politics. This document gives a relevant view of trends because it translates abstract claims and theories into concrete numbers and ratios, which helps readers understand the nature of the trends taking place during that time. The percent of states allowing voters to choose presidential electors increased from 44.4% to 95.8%, and the percent of eligible voter participation increased from not being known to 80.2%. Essentially, the field of voters greatly increased, and their ballots began carrying more weight. This opportunity to have a noticed voice affected how people of the early 19th century thought about politics, and this opportunity was made possible because of widening of requirements for valid suffrage by state governments. Suffrage began becoming more

Document C discusses the idea of “combining General Jackson’s personal popularity with…old party feeling”. General Jackson was a hero of the War of 1812, and his supporters desired to use his popularity to drive his political campaign. This “political combination”, helped voters associated a politician’s face with “his” political campaign. Document F, explains how John Quincy Adams worked to establish a shining reputation among the people of the country. “Both the drunk and the sober” screamed praise for Adams when elections approached during 1832. In addition, Frances Trollope, the author of Document F, was an immigrant to the United States, and he initially associated John Quincy Adams with the presidential office, rather than just the Democratic-Republican Party. Trollope saw a person as his leader, and he did not feel bound to a faceless party. Document H displays a view of the changed approach of the politician to politicks, narrated by David Crockett. He writes, seemingly to fellow politicians, “visit your constituents far and wide…promises cost nothing…deny nobody who has a vote or sufficient influence to obtain one, talk of your devotion to country.” Crockett shows how politicians think, how everything is constructed to grab the vote. These new approaches all began to appeal to voters and increase national participation (of those who were eligible). During the late