AP® United States History review sheet from Aim for Five (aimforfive.com/us-history/units/4/4-7)
Unit 4 · Topic 4.7
4.7 Expanding Democracy
By the 1820s and 1830s most states had dropped property requirements, so nearly all adult white men could vote, and new mass political parties competed for their votes. The disputed election of 1824 led to Andrew Jackson's victory in 1828 and to the Second Party System of Democrats and Whigs. Women, most free Black men and Native Americans were left out.
Key terms
- white male suffrage
- election of 1824
- corrupt bargain
- Democratic Party
- Whig Party
- Second Party System
Wider suffrage for white men
Suffrage means the right to vote. In the early republic, most states required voters to own property or pay taxes. Between about 1800 and the 1830s, most states dropped property requirements for white men. New Western states such as Indiana and Illinois led the way, and older states followed. More offices became elected, and by 1832 nearly every state let voters, not legislatures, choose presidential electors.
Turnout soared. About a quarter of eligible voters took part in the 1824 presidential election; in 1840, about 80 percent did.
At the same time, voting rights were taken away from others. New Jersey ended the voting rights of women and free Black men in 1807. New York's 1821 constitution removed property requirements for white men but required Black men to own $250 in property to vote. Pennsylvania (1838) and North Carolina (1835) took the vote away from free Black men entirely.
The 'corrupt bargain' and the election of 1828
In 1824 four candidates ran, all Democratic-Republicans. Andrew Jackson won the most popular and electoral votes but not a majority in the Electoral College, so the House of Representatives chose among the top three, as the Twelfth Amendment requires. Henry Clay, who finished fourth and was Speaker of the House, backed John Quincy Adams, who won. When Adams then named Clay Secretary of State, Jackson's supporters called it a 'corrupt bargain'.
Jackson's supporters organized for four years. Martin Van Buren built a new Democratic Party with newspapers, local committees and rallies. In 1828 Jackson defeated Adams in a nasty campaign. Jackson presented himself as a champion of the 'common man' against a corrupt Eastern elite.
The Second Party System
The Whig Party formed in the early 1830s to oppose what its members called 'King Andrew' and his use of executive power. The competition between Democrats and Whigs from about 1828 to the early 1850s is called the Second Party System. Both parties were national, with supporters in North and South, which helped hold the country together until slavery split them.
New political methods appeared: national nominating conventions (first used by the Anti-Masonic Party in 1831), party newspapers, parades and slogans. In 1840 the Whigs won with William Henry Harrison by copying Jacksonian style, presenting him as a 'log cabin and hard cider' common man even though he came from a wealthy family.
| Democrats | Whigs |
|---|---|
| Led by Jackson and Van Buren | Led by Henry Clay and Daniel Webster |
| Limited federal government; states' rights; against the national bank | Active federal government to promote the economy: Clay's American System |
| Opposed government-sponsored moral reform | Supported moral reforms like temperance and public schools |
| Strongest among small farmers, many Southerners, urban workers and Catholic immigrants | Strongest among merchants, manufacturers, evangelical Protestants and in New England |
Worked examples
Try each one yourself first, then open the solution.
- Example 1
Evaluating 'democracy'
Short-answer practice: Briefly explain ONE way American democracy expanded in the period 1820 to 1840, and ONE way it remained limited.
Show the solutionHide the solution
- Step 1: Name a specific expansion with evidence.
- Step 2: Name a specific limit with evidence.
- Step 3: Keep each part short and precise.
Answer: Model answer: Democracy expanded as most states eliminated property requirements for voting, so nearly all adult white men could vote, and voter turnout in presidential elections rose from about a quarter of eligible voters in 1824 to about 80 percent in 1840. However, it remained limited because women could not vote anywhere, and states such as New York and Pennsylvania restricted or eliminated voting rights for free Black men.
Common mistakes
- Giving Jackson credit for ending property requirements. States changed their own laws, mostly before or during his rise; he benefited from and celebrated the change.
- Calling 1824 a stolen popular election. Jackson had a plurality, not a majority, and the House followed the Constitution; the 'corrupt bargain' charge was about the Clay appointment.
- Forgetting that rights for free Black men actually shrank in several states during this era.
On the exam
- 'Expanding democracy' questions reward answers that show both expansion and its limits.
- Know the core differences between Democrats and Whigs; they show up in comparison questions and in sources like party cartoons.
Connected topics
Videos
Check yourself
4 questions on 4.7 Expanding Democracy. Pick an answer to see if you got it, and why.
Which of the following most expanded political participation in the 1820s and 1830s?
| Presidential election | Turnout of eligible voters (percent) |
|---|---|
| 1824 | 26.9 |
| 1828 | 57.6 |
| 1832 | 55.4 |
| 1836 | 57.8 |
| 1840 | 80.2 |
| 1844 | 78.9 |
Source: The American Presidency Project, University of California, Santa Barbara, based on historians' estimates. In these years eligible voters were almost entirely white men.
The change in turnout between 1824 and 1828 is best explained by
The high turnout in 1840 most directly reflected
The trend in the table is best understood in the context of which broader development?
0 of 4 answered