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

men such as Andrew Jackson. Politicians began to build campaigns based on answering questions about the role of government involvement in the lives of individuals, the most efficient form of economic function, and the monster of an issue concerning immigration. They sought to capture the approval and interest of Americans. Nevertheless, the idea of of voter participation had only just begun to take hold in the adolescent nation. Because of suffrage policy changes and the development of “political parties”, politics began becoming more personable and more appealing to individual Americans.

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

“universal”, slowly becoming less centered on the white male who owned property and identified with an Anglican Congregation. In Document B, James Kent is discussing the purpose of amending New York’s state constitution. Written in 1821, this excerpt is addressed to other convention members in the spirit of debate. Kent gives people today a picture of how controversial the idea of allowing universal suffrage was during this time. Kent speaks of this “extreme democratic principle” and its “apprehended dangers” in a tone of caution and uncertainty. Nevertheless, he reveals that the action of individual states, such as New York, allowing the majority to become “voters”, is necessary. The nation was “no longer to remain plain and simple republics of farmers”. America’s diversification of people and development of industry called for a larger representation of the American voice, through voting. Document E, penned by George H. Evans, illustrates yet another force that made politics popular. In 1829, when “The Working Men’s Declaration of Independence” was created, industry workers had begun taking action against their employers to enforce their demands through the formation of working parties and unions. Document E gives observers an example of the devotion of one man to his “party” and his view on the party’s new entitlement and values. As Evans shows, the members “mutually pledge to each other” and are “entitled to equal means to obtain equal moral happiness, and social enjoyment”. Formation of parties that maintained unique interests, united people under one cause. The idea that the individuals in these parties could have political power greatly appealed to people. These forces all worked to change Americans’ view on the importance of politics.

The nature of party politics began changing to become more personal during the early 19th century.

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

1900’s, the art of a personal political campaign helped Ronald Reagan win the election of 1980. Although Reagan was a Republican, the American people knew him from the television as a man who had a bright, engaging personality. By making his own face the face of his campaign, he gave his policy a personality.

Between 1815 and 1840, powerful forces influenced voter participation in political campaigns. These changes to politics eventually gave way to the second-party system. Before the Civil War, the main opposing parties changed, seemingly decade to decade, originally beginning with the Federalists against the Antifederalists and eventually evolving into the Whigs against the Democrats. Regardless of the bodies in the political arena, the value of a person’s vote could no longer be ignored.