The Andrew Jackson Legacy
I'm in History 1700. Gen Ed history. We're studying about The Era of Good Feelings all the way to 1850 right now. I have a test tomorrow on it, in fact. And as I was reading about the election of 1828, it got me to thinking. Mudslinging has been around since 1824 in American elections, and we've almost always pulled through. So, here's the deal: At least these aren't our choices.
John Quincy Adams portrayed Andrew Jackson as and adulterer. Why? Because when he married his wife, on a technicality she was already married. Oops. Her divorce wasn't final yet, so technically it was adultery. Bad move on Jackson's part. Also, he was an ANGRY man...a brawling frontiersman, a mean-spirited soldier, and a *gasp* slave owner (in the eighteen hundreds, from the South? shocker!)
Jackson painted Adams as a pimp. See, during his presidency, Adams would supply hook-I mean, "ladies of the evening" to Russian Ambassadors. During HIS PRESIDENCY. So, it was just a pimp running against an adulterer for 1828. Who won? The adulterer, Jackson. Now, THAT's a fun presidency, but a discussion for another day.
I'm so glad we have neither running this year.
Oh wait! I forgot Bill...well, maybe history will repeat itself...though this time it's the victim running, though occasionally we get confused as to who is running in that marriage...
I think I'm in a mean mood. 