5.1The disputed election and a new coalition

In 1824 four candidates split the vote, and the House chose John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson, who had won the most votes. Jackson's furious supporters cried "corrupt bargain" and organized for revenge. Out of this grievance emerged a new party built on mass appeal: the Democratic Party.

Led by Jackson and the organizational genius Martin Van Buren, the Democrats celebrated the common man, states' rights, and limited federal government. They swept Jackson into the presidency in 1828 on a wave of expanded voting rights. American politics had entered a new age of parties, conventions, rallies, and unabashed popular campaigning.