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I liked your analysis. I liked your emphasis on how the image portrays Jackson rather than how it should portray him, meaning he isn't trying to command the voters or manipulate them but rather subtly imply with the amount of legwork he had to put in to get to where he was. The battle of New Orleans, for example, labeled him a war hero in the eyes of many; the people probably saw him as a "defender of the people" or a "champion of the common man" or some other romanticized phrase. And I bet, like Eisenhower centuries later, he would also have used the political power gained from his military experience to boost his political running. "It was about restoring the honor of the presidency after what that corrupt Adams did to it." I bet it went something like that. excellent analysis. I enjoyed the read :)

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You make a strong point about the 1828 election's mudslinging and how cartoons were used effectively to sway public opinion. The phrase "SYMPTOMS OF A LOCKED JAW" likely mocks Jackson's violent nature, given his history of duels and aggression, as you noted. The metaphor of "Plain Sewing Done Here" could symbolize the need for Jackson to “fix” the chaos he created. As The American Yawp notes, Jackson’s "wartime accomplishments appealed to many voters’ pride," but his tactics often stirred controversy, making him a divisive figure. Even though Jackson won, such cartoons helped shape his image during the election.

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This political cartoon appears to depict Andrew Jackson attacking a man. Likely created by Jackson’s opponents, possibly in support of John Quincy Adams, the cartoon attempts to portray Jackson as violent and unfit for the presidency. The 1828 election was marked by intense mudslinging, with Jackson’s critics painting him as a hot-tempered and uneducated military brute. The accusations of violence in this ad align with fears among elites that Jackson’s populist appeal made him a dangerous choice for president. However, his supporters, many of whom were ordinary citizens drawn to his war hero status and promises of political reform, may have viewed this attack as an unfair attempt to discredit him. According to The American Yawp, Chapter 9, “Adams’s supporters…accused Jackson of murder and attacked the morality of his marriage.” These brutal political attacks reflect how character assassination became a key campaign strategy during the early 19th century.

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This ad is definitely attacking Andrew Jackson. The ad portrays Andrew Jackson as a monster who shot a child. However John Woods was a legal adult and had committed mutiny against Andrew Jackson, of which the penalty is death. The ad is very clearly trying to take down Andrew Jackson politically and deem him a militant tyrant unfit for office. I don't think this would have really resonated with the American people of 1828. The present day USA is not very compassionate about other peoples problems and potential suffering and most support is still predatiously capitalized and it was only worse back then. Jackson also won by a landslide, the people probably saw him as a stronger leader willing to do what needs be done rather than find him vile and repulsive for it because John Woods died a mutineer and the age for being sent to war is still 18. The book talks about how Andrew Jackson was a "lawyer, enslaver, and general" This would have been seen as he is someone who can do a lot, a strong man if you will. This ad while attacking Jackson probably ended up helping him gain more voters than it deterred. There were multiple conflicts in the USA's early history and the people would have been attracted to a strong man type of leader and someone who would be seen as able to fight tyrants effectively.

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The simplest explanation is that Andrew Jackson was getting attacked by the political opposition. My initial guess was John Quincy Adams, but the facial features and personality traits do not match. It's more likely that this was a simple run-of-the-mill naysayer who would've been against Jackson's political campaign. Giving the benefit of the doubt, this could've been someone like Thomas Benton or William Carroll, the former of whom had a very identical facial structure and reasoning to be depicted the way they've been. Nonetheless, the evident conclusion here is that this cartoon comes from Adams' side of the political pond.

The phrase "SYMPTOMS OF A LOCKED JAW" likely mocks Jackson, more than likely referencing his aggressive nature and tendency to violence (He has a history of duels, murder, and assault). The phrase “Plain Sewing Done Here” is probably a metaphor for his entire political campaign as well, saying that it's an 'open wound' of sorts that needs to be stitched up, or it can again be alluding to his violent tendencies that forced others to fix the problems he created. Given that the 1828 election was one of the dirtiest in American history, with both sides prone to slandering the other, so I imagine it wasn't uncommon to see slanderous cartoons like this come from either side of the argument.

Political cartoons back in the early 19th century managed to be incredibly effective, a lot more than today, I might add. Literacy rates varied greatly during this, so to combat this, visual satire like this was used as a powerful way to sway public opinion. Granted, Jackson won the election in the end, so this cartoon in particular could've been used to reinforce his image more than anything.

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Hi Brie,

I agree with this. My ad was similar to yours. At this time Andrew Jackson was well known. He was a very patriotic, as you talked about as well. In the textbook, it talked about how he was a great leader and wanted to fight for the country. Do you think this was a good choice?

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This ad is promoting Andrew Jackson, George Steuart, and John McMahon. This makes Jackson look like a hero and show patriotism. It emphasizes the military, leadership, and the legacy they hold. This ad is encouraging voters to be on Jacksons side, and make everyone understand he is a great leader and can do great things. The textbook talks about Andrew Jacksons past and says that he was "A lawyer, enslaver, and general". Meaning he had a lot of power. This ad was very effective because it made Jackson look like a strong leader and a great person to vote for. Overall, Jackson had a lot of respect and patriotism for what he believed in.

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This ad is promoting Andrew Jackson for President of the United States. The ad describes him as a man of the people, which is probably supported by his background fighting for the country and being born into a humble upbringing. In the textbook, it says that he was born to Irish immigrants and later went into the Revolutionary War (Democracy in America, Section IV). This probably resonated well with the people of the time. They had only recently gotten away from the government structure of Britain, with the elites controlling the majority. Jackson was probably a welcome contradiction to that; he would know how it is living in the lower class and would be able to see the world from the people's point of view. His military background also probably helped him win favor. In a new country coming out of many political and violent conflicts, they would probably lean towards someone who has experience in those things and would be able to lead well incase another conflict arises.

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After watching "War and Politics in the Early 1800s" part 1 and looking at the 1828 election ads make TWO posts:

ONE: Choose one of the political ads and create a post including:

-         A screenshot of your chosen ad

-         Who you believe the ad shows and who it supports

-         What you believe the ad is trying to say about the election of 1828

-         How effective you think the ad would be to the voters of the 1820s

-         Be sure to include some piece of evidence from the textbook or lecture

(Each cartoon may be used by only one group member)

TWO: Make a substantive reply to another group member’s post. You may agree, disagree or expand on what they say. Like all posts, however, remember to tie it directly to evidence from the documents.

Be sure to put your name in the title of both of your posts!