1828: The Birth of Populism

In a rematch of the 1824 election, Jackson's convincing win over President Adams broke the grip that the Massachusetts and Virginia leaders of the early republic had on the presidency. This campaign was negative long before attack ads came into vogue. The Tennessean's supporters called Adams a pimp, while the propriety of Jackson's marriage was questioned. "Jackson was the first President to style himself a man of the people," says Greenberg. "Old Hickory" expanded the frontier and the power of the presidency and gave jobs to loyal backers. White House patronage has been in style ever since.

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