Question

jackson finally becomes president

1. which 3 states split their electoral votes in the election of 1828?
2. how do you know that jackson only received 1 electoral vote in maine?
3. in the election of 1824, jackson had more electoral votes than adams, but did not become president. why?
4. how many electoral votes did jackson gain between the elections of 1824 and 1828? (hint: jackson received 99 electoral votes in 1824)
5. how many electoral votes did adams lose between the elections of 1824 and 1828? (hint: adams received 84 electoral votes in 1824)
6. what area(s) of the country did adams win in 1828? why do you think this is so?
7. what area(s) of the country did jackson win in 1828? why do you think this is so?
8. from the results of the election of 1828, which party do you think will benefit from westward expansion? why?

Explanation:

1. Historical election records document the three states that split their electoral votes in 1828.
2. Official 1828 election returns for Maine track Jackson's electoral vote count there.
3. U.S. presidential election rules require a majority of electoral votes; if no candidate wins a majority, the House of Representatives selects the president.
4. Calculate using 1824 and 1828 electoral vote totals for Jackson.
5. Calculate using 1824 and 1828 electoral vote totals for Adams.
6. Adams' support was concentrated in regions aligned with his policy base.
7. Jackson's support came from regions favoring his populist platform.
8. Jackson's party's regional strength aligns with westward expansion trends.

Answer:

1. Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri
2. Official electoral vote tallies from the 1828 U.S. presidential election for Maine show Jackson received only 1 of the state's 9 electoral votes.
3. No candidate won a majority of electoral votes (Jackson had 99, short of the 131 needed), so the House of Representatives chose John Quincy Adams as president per the 12th Amendment.
4. Jackson won 178 electoral votes in 1828. $178 - 99 = 79$, so he gained 79 electoral votes.
5. Adams won 83 electoral votes in 1828. $84 - 83 = 1$, so he lost 1 electoral vote.
6. Adams won New England and parts of the Mid-Atlantic. This is because these regions were home to wealthy merchants, industrialists, and established elites who supported his pro-business, federal infrastructure policies.
7. Jackson won the South, the West, and most of the Mid-Atlantic. This is because he positioned himself as a populist champion of ordinary farmers, frontiersmen, and working people, who opposed Adams' elite-focused agenda.
8. The Democratic Party (Jackson's party) will benefit. Westward expansion created more new states with populations of frontiersmen and small farmers, who aligned with Jackson's populist, pro-agriculture platform.