Election Of 1812 Essay, Research Paper
1812 The election of 1812 consisted of a battle between James Madison, and De Witt
Clinton. Madison had represented both Democratic and Republican beliefs, while Clinton
was a Federalist. James Madison was born in Port Conway, Va., on March 16, 1751. A
Princeton graduate, he joined the struggle for independence on his return to Virginia in
1771. He had been an active politician in the 1770’s and 1780’s. He was greatly know for
championing the Jefferson reform program, and in the Continental Congress. Madison, in
collaboration, had participated greatly in the, Federalist, a paper who’s main purpose was
to ratify the constitution. Madison first became president in 1809, when he bested Charles
C. Pickney. He had led the U.S. in a very unpopular war, in which the U.S. hadn’t been
prepared for…the War of 1812. De Witt Clinton was a Federalist, who’s main purpose of
the election was to get the U.S. out of a war in which he felt was very unnecessary.
DeWitt held every major elective office in New York between 1797 and
1828–assemblyman, senator, mayor of New York City, lieutenant governor, and
governor. He was a philanthropist and patron of the arts and science and, as canal
commissioner, championed construction of the Erie and Champlain canals The method in
which these candidates received nomination was by the Electoral College, or by King
Caucus. The idea of political conventions had not been present at this time. There were
no third-party candidates in this election. The major issue of this election was the War of
1812. The War of 1812, or “Mr. Madison’s War”, had been very unpopular among
different sections of America. Mainly the ship owners in New England. The war was
supposed to protect. This war was supposed to help their shipping, but instead, it had kept
them from trading and making money. The winner of the election of 1812 was James
Madison. Madison collected 128 electoral votes, while Clinton received 89, and the
number of “No Votes Cast” was 1. The Vice-presidential candidate, who won the election
was Elbridge Gerry, who received 131 electoral votes, while Jared Ingersoll received 86.
There was no record of the number of popular votes for this election. My opinion of why
Madison had won the election is because he had led the country into the War of 1812, and
therefore, he should be allowed to fight it. He was also much more popular than De Witt
Clinton. Madison’s part in ratifying the Constitution, and his other early deeds, were also
influential on the voters minds. He also did pretty well during his first term. 1844 The
candidates for the election of 1844 were James K. Polk, and Henry Clay. Two very
respectable men, who had great plans for the U.S. Polk represented the Democratic party,
while Clay represented the Whigs. James Knox Polk was born in Mecklenburg County,
N.C., on November 2, 1795. He graduated from the University of North Carolina, from
which he then moved to Tennessee, where he became prominent in state politics. He was
elected to the house of representatives in 1825. He was elected Speaker of the House in
1835. Four years later, he was elected governor of Tennessee, but was beaten in tries for
re-election in 1841, and 1843. Martin Van Buren, the president prior to the 1844 election,
counted on Polk as his running mate; but when Van Buren’s stand on Texas alienated
Southern support, the convention swung to Polk on the Ninth ballot. Henry Clay, a key
figure in U.S. politics during the first half of the 19th century, was a master of the art of
political compromise. Born in Hanover County, Va., on April 12, 1777, he studied law in
Richmond and moved to the frontier state of Kentucky in 1797. Clay became more and
more important in Kentucky politics, becoming speaker of the state assembly in 1807,
and winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1811. Clay made his first
try for the presidency in 1824. Four men ran, including Andrew Jackson, were on the
ballot. When no candidate won a majority, Clay threw his support to John Quincy Adams.
Adams won and promptly named Clay his secretary of state. The party members won
their candidacy by primary. The major upset of this time happened during the Democratic
convention. Everyone expected Van Buren to be named the Democratic candidate, but
because of Van Buren’s stand on Texas, the nomination went to Polk. This election had
no third-party candidates. The major issue of this election was the issue of Texas. Polk
and the Democrats, wanted Texas in the Union. Clay also wanted Texas, but he was
afraid that the acquisition of Texas would lead to war with Mexico. Clay never made it
clear just where the Whig party stood. The Oregon territory had also been a big part of
this election. Oregon was the name given to all the land between Alaska and California,
west of the Rocky Mountains. Both Great Britain and the U.S. claimed it. Polk said that
the Oregon territory would be America’s, even if it led to war. The winner of the election
was James K. Polk. He pulled in 170 electoral votes, while Henry Clay received 105.
There is no record of the number of popular votes for this election. My opinion of why
Polk won this election is because of his stand on land. He believed greatly in “Manifest
Destiny”, and this was very popular at the time. Clay, and the Whig party never made it
clear as to where they stood on Texas. Perhaps if the voters had known for sure on which
side of the line they stood, this election might have had a different outcome. 1912 The
election of 1912 was a three-man race between Theodore Roosevelt, who was a
Progressive, William H. Taft, a Republican, and Woodrow Wilson, a Democrat. Each one
had their own ideas on how to change America, but only one would get a chance to do so.
Born in NYC on October in 1858, Theodore Roosevelt was a Harvard graduate. His
interests included ranching, politics, and writing. Roosevelt was a Republican member of
the New York assembly from 1882-1884. He was an unsuccessful candidate for mayor of
NYC in 1886, but became police commissioner of NYC in 1895. Roosevelt assumed the
job of president in 1901, after the assassination of McKinley. Theodore Roosevelt
embarked mainly on conserving natural resources. He was very anit-big-buisness. After
his term was up, he was defeated in presidential primary as a Republican, so he chose to
start his own party, known as the “Progressives”. Teddy pulled most of the votes in
election of 1912, but the split between him and Taft caused Wilson to become president.
Born in Cincinnati on September 15, 1857, William Taft was a Yale graduate, who went
on to serve for the Ohio supreme court from 1890-92. He became the Secretary of war
under President Roosevelt. Taft won the republican nomination over Roosevelt during
their political convention, causing Roosevelt to form Progressive party. Lost election,
thus causing Wilson to become president. Taft had been chosen by Roosevelt essentially
to carry on Roosevelt’s progressive policies. In a certain sense he did: he instituted and
completed more antitrust cases than his “trust-busting” predecessor; he supported the
proposed income-tax amendment to the U.S. Constitution; he helped enact a system of
postal savings and a measure, the Mann-Elkins Bill, to regulate the railroads more
effectively; and he backed several social reforms, including an employer’s liability law for
work done on government jobs and a mandatory 8-hour day in federal employment.
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was born in Staunton, Va., on Dec. 28, 1856. He was
profoundly influenced by a devoutly religious household headed by his father, Joseph
Ruggles Wilson, a Presbyterian minister, and his mother, Janet Woodrow Wilson, the
daughter of a minister. Wilson studied at the University of Virginia Law School, briefly
practiced law in Atlanta, and in 1883 entered The Johns Hopkins University for graduate
study in political science. His book, Congressional Government, was published a year
before he received his doctoral degree. Success in New Jersey made him a contender for
the Democratic presidential nomination. Although Wilson entered the 1912 Democratic
National Convention a poor second to Speaker of the House Champ Clark, his strength
increased as Clark’s faded, and he won the nomination after 46 ballots. Offering a
program of reform that he called the New Freedom, Wilson ran against a divided
Republican party. In November, with only 42 percent of the popular vote, he won 435
electoral votes to 88 for Progressive candidate Theodore Roosevelt and 8 for the
Republican candidate, President William Howard Taft. The candidates for this election,
excluding Roosevelt, were all elected in a convention. Because Roosevelt lost his
convention, he formed his own party, allowing him a place on the ballot. The third party
candidate for this election was Theodore Roosevelt. His party, the Progressives main
issue were, they believed that abuses of power by government and business could be
ended (i.e., bribery and corruption), business regulations, importance of technology. The
main issues in this election were Big Business abusing powers by monopolizing others.
“Trust Busting” was the major idea of this period. Many felt that government should get
involved to stop power abusing. The idea of regulations, such as the on the meat packing
industry, were very much supported, after being exposed by the muckrakers of the time.
The winner of this election was Woodrow Wilson. Wilson received a total popular vote
count of 6,286,214, and a total electoral vote count of 435. Roosevelt’s popular vote total
was 4,126,020, with an electoral vote count of 88. Finally, Taft’s popular vote
accumulations were 3,483,922, and 8 electoral votes. The main reason Woodrow Wilson
won the election in my opinion, was because Roosevelt took many votes away from Taft.
As is in many third-party elections, the number of votes significantly changes, thus
causing some major upsets. Wilson won because congress voted him in, not because he
was elected. If Roosevelt hadn’t formed his own party, Taft would have had a better
chance of becoming President of the United States. 1936 The candidates in the election of
1936 were, Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat, Alfred M. Landon, a Republican, and
Norman Thomas, a Socialist. Roosevelt was born on January 30, 1882, at Hyde Park,
N.Y., to James Roosevelt. He was an average student at Harvard University, edited the
Harvard Crimson in his senior year, and after graduation attended Columbia Law School.
He dropped out of law school upon admission to the New York bar and worked for a
Wall Street law firm. Franklin married a distant cousin, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, on
March 17, 1905. Her uncle, President Theodore Roosevelt, gave the bride away. Their
children were Anna Eleanor, James, Elliott, Franklin Delano, Jr., and John; a sixth child
died in infancy. The Roosevelt’s were active in New York social circles but at the same
time devoted considerable energy to the plight of the less fortunate. Franklin’s handling of
small-claims cases in the municipal court system deepened his concern for the common
people. Although a Democrat, he admired the progressivism of Uncle Teddy and decided
early upon a political career. Alfred Mossman Landon, born in West Middlesex, Pa., on
September 9, 1887, was a key figure in the U.S. Republican party in the 1930s and ran
unsuccessfully for president in 1936. “Alf” Landon first entered the national political
arena in 1912, campaigning for Theodore Roosevelt, who was that year the Progressive
party candidate for president. Landon continued to be associated with progressive politics
within the Republican party. In 1932, Landon was elected governor of Kansas, and two
years later he was the only incumbent Republican governor to be reelected in an
otherwise Democratic landslide. This success made Landon a strong candidate to oppose
President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936. Although he won 17,000,000 votes, Landon
carried only two states, Maine and Vermont. Following his defeat Landon retired from
national politics. Norman Mattoon Thomas, born in Marion, Ohio, November 20, 1884,
was six times an unsuccessful Socialist Party candidate for president of the United States
between 1928 and 1948. A Presbyterian minister in East Harlem’s slums, he became a
pacifist and opposed American entry into World War I. In 1917 he helped found what
became the American Civil Liberties Union. Thomas joined the Socialist party in 1918
and became its leader in 1926. Defending a moderate, non-Marxist brand of socialism, he
failed (except in the 1932 election) to halt the decline of his party. Each candidate in this
election, won his nomination via a presidential convention. The third party candidate,
Norman Thomas, was a Socialist. Socialist’s believed mainly in public ownership of the
means by which goods and services are produced, distributed, and exchanged. The main
issue of the day for this election was the Great Depression. People were living in the
hardest economic times America had ever seen, and were looking for someone to get
them out of it. The winner of the election was F.D.R. Roosevelt received a popular vote
total of 27,751,597, and an electoral vote total of 523. Landon received 16,679,583
popular votes, and 8 electoral votes, and Thomas received 884,781 popular votes, and 0
electoral votes. Why F.D.R. won the election in my opinion is because he was a great
president. The American people loved him, and his style of government. He gained the
trust of the American people, by getting them out of the Great Depression. That is why he
was elected to the presidency more than any other president before his time. 1964 The
election of 1964 was a contest between Lyndon B. Johnson, a Democrat, and Barry M.
Goldwater, a Republican. Johnson was born on August 27, 1908, near Johnson City,
Texas, the eldest son of Sam Early Johnson, Jr., and Rebekah Baines Johnson. Johnson
attended public schools in Johnson City and received a B.S. degree from Southwest
Texas State Teachers College in San Marcos. He then taught for a year in Houston before
going to Washington in 1931 as secretary to a Democratic Texas congressman, Richard
M. Kleberg. In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President. Johnson greatly
admired the president, who named him, at age 27, to head the National Youth
Administration in Texas. In 1937, Johnson sought and won a Texas seat in Congress,
where he mastered public works, reclamation, and public power programs. When war
came to Europe he backed Roosevelt’s efforts to aid the Allies. During World War II he
served a brief tour of active duty with the U.S. Navy in the Pacific, but returned to Capitol
Hill when Roosevelt recalled members of Congress from active duty. Johnson continued
to support Roosevelt’s military and foreign-policy programs. In 1953 he won the job of
Senate Democratic leader. The next year he was easily reelected as senator and returned
to Washington as majority leader, a post he held for the next 6 years despite a serious
heart attack in 1955. Barry Morris Goldwater, born in Phoenix, Arizona on January 1,
1909, was the unsuccessful Republican presidential candidate in 1964. Goldwater was
elected to the Senate from Arizona in 1952. A firm conservative, he became a spokesman
for right-wing Republicans in their campaign against big government, advocating instead
greater state and local powers. He vigorously opposed federal welfare appropriations as
socialistic and sought to curb public ownership of utilities. A strong anti-Communist,
Goldwater supported American military intervention in Vietnam and criticized efforts to
achieve detente with the USSR. He was decisively defeated by Lyndon Johnson in the
1964 presidential election. Goldwater served in the Senate until retirement in 1987. Each
candidate won his nomination by a Presidential Convention, with the process of primary
elections. There were no third-party candidates in this election. The main issue of this
election was civil rights. Many people opposed Lyndon B. Johnson’s laws, claiming them
to be too “pro-black”. Many liberals and blacks themselves believed that the laws didn’t
go far enough. Race riots broke out in a number of cities because of these conflicts. The
winner of the election was Johnson, by a landslide. He brought in a popular vote total of
43,129,484, and an electoral vote total of 486. Goldwater, on the other hand, won a
popular vote total of 27,178,188, and an electoral vote total of 52. The reason Johnson
won the election of 1964, in my opinion is because of his prior term. He was able to
regain control of the White House, after taking over for the assassinated John F. Kennedy.
It was a time of equality and civil rights, and many people liked and agreed with where he
stood on these issues. 1988 The election of 1988 was a contest between George Bush, and
Michael Dukakis. Bush was a Republican, while Dukakis was a Democrat. Born on June
12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts, to Dorothy Walker Bush, daughter of a wealthy
investor, and Prescott Sheldon Bush, a banker and later Republican U.S. senator from
Connecticut, George Bush grew up in the New York City suburb of Greenwich,
Connecticut and attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. During World War II he
became the navy’s youngest bomber pilot. Shot down over the Pacific island of Chichi
Jima and rescued by a submarine, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and
three Air Medals. In 1945 he married Barbara Pierce and then matriculated at Yale
University, where he majored in economics, was captain of the baseball team, and
graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors in 1948. Michael Stanley Dukakis, born in
Brookline, Massachusetts, November 3, 1933, a three-term governor of Massachusetts,
was the Democratic presidential candidate in 1988. The son of immigrants from Greece,
Dukakis graduated from Swarthmore College and Harvard Law School. He was elected to
the Massachusetts legislature in 1962, serving four terms. Elected governor of
Massachusetts in 1974, Dukakis was denied re-nomination in 1978. Re-elected in 1982
and 1986, he claimed credit for part of the period’s economic resurgence–the
“Massachusetts miracle.” The state’s economy had soured when he declined to run again
in 1990. Stressing “competence” over “ideology,” Dukakis campaigned for the presidency
in 1988 in a manner that many observers found uninspiring. He and his running mate,
Sen. Lloyd Bensten of Texas, lost to the Republican team, George Bush and Dan Quayle,
by 46% to 54% of the popular vote. After leaving office as governor of Massachusetts,
Dukakis declared that he planned to do some lecturing and teaching, as well as
encouraging young people to enter public service. Each candidate in this election was
elected by the process of primary elections, and nominated at their Presidential
Convention. There were no third-party candidates in this election. The main issue of this
election was taxes. Bush’s promise of “no new taxes” won over the American public.
Bush won the election with a popular vote total of 48,886,097, and an electoral vote of
426. Dukakis received a popular vote total of 41,809,074, and an electoral vote total of
111. The reason Bush won the election in my opinion was because of his promise of “no
new taxes.” The American people just came off of a “Regan High”, with good economic
times. People thought the things would remain like they did during the “Reagan Era” if
they elected Bush. The most important election in my opinion of all of these was the
election of 1812. America was heading into a war which we weren’t prepared for. This
was a crucial time for someone to take the reigns, and lead America into a situation in
which we would come out on top. Madison was the right man for the job, at such a
crucial time in American History.