The Presidential Campaign of 1832

Broadly speaking, his election was accomplished by his personal popularity, reinforced by the remnant of the old Republican party led by Van Buren, to which was joined the personal following of Calhoun. Each of these groups or factions, collectively known as "the friends of Jackson," had supported him from a different motive and expected a different result from the joint success. They may for convenience be styled the Western group, the Calhoun group, and the Crawford group. The Western group, whose type he was, comprised the backbone of Jackson's strength. It embraced the bulk of the country's democracy, with most of its numbers west of the Alleghenies, in Pennsylvania, in western Virginia and North Carolina. Jackson was its idol and it was firmly convinced of his entire integrity in all things.1 He knew these people thoroughly, understood better than any man of his time their likes and dislikes, and fully realized that most of his strength lay with them.2 This group had enthusiastically supported him against what they regarded as a corrupt and unprincipled aristocracy3 and confidently expected his election to introduce an era of reform and of government 1 James Buchanan to McLean, June u, 1829, McLean MSS. 2 Van Buren, Autobiography, p. 253. 3W. B. Lewis to J. A. Hamilton, December 12, 1828, Van Buren MSS. by the people,4 however vague their ideas may have been as to the meaning of the latter phrase. In one respect this Western group was inferior...