The Confrontation between Old Hickory and Prince Hal

After American Revolution, America was born. For a newborn nation, it remained many conflict problems about the government, politic, etc.; that lead to the confrontations and disagreements between people and parties. In the era of 1820’s, the history recorded the confrontation between Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay on many major issues. We could see clearly their differences through the elections of 1824, 1828, and the bank war.

Both Jackson and Clay went ran for president in 1824, besides there were John Quincy Adams, William H. Crawford, and John c. Calhoun. In the end, either Jackson or Clay won the election. However, Jackson was the person who got the most popular and electoral votes1, but he did not received majority of the electoral vote. According to the Twelfth Amendment, the election would be decided by the House of Representatives in the case no candidates received a majority. At the final, John Quincy Adams became the president with the help from Clay and his supporters. The election 1824 was the only one that the candidate who received the most electoral votes and popular votes did not become president. After the election, Jacksonians “directed most of their fury at Clay”2, and the reason for choosing Adam was given later by Clay. He explained that “I have interrogated my conscience as to what I ought to do, & that faithful guide tells me that I ought to vote for Mr. Adams.”2 Right after the explanation of Clay, in the letter to Samuel, Jackson expressed drastic his dissatisfied on Clay’s decision “Mr. Clay never yet risked himself for his country, sacrificed his repose, or made an effort to repel an invading foe.”3

The next four years, election 1828 was a rematch of Jackson and Adams. It was different from the last e...

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... a large number of stockholders at that time were British; he warned the dangerous when let foreigners to control “a key national asset.”13-82 Besides, Jackson gave a fact that most of the stockholders were in northerners, and a major of the loans came from west and south. Above all, Jackson emphasized that the bank was favoring “a privileged few”14 and it was not fair when a small number of wealthy people benefiting from the expense of the others “Jackson saw growing up around him came from private individuals who had gained more from government than they should.”15-82 By the end, the veto “was a splendid popular success”, and it helped Jackson won again in the election 1832.

The disagreements of Henry Clay and Andrew Jackson through two elections 1824 and 1832, and also the Bank War give us a clear view about how difficult and dramatic of a newly born America.