Teaching The Jacksonian Era

Instructions for You

Objective: During the 1828 presidential election, opponents of candidate Andrew Jackson circulated a handbill describing the final moments of six soldiers who were executed under the orders of their superior officer: General Andrew Jackson. Adams' supporters thought it would clinch the presidency for their candidate, but they were wrong. Jackson won decisively despite the controversy around the executions. 

Today, your students will examine the handbill circulated by Adams' supporters and analyze both its effectiveness and the strength of its claims. They'll try to figure out why Jackson won despite concerns about his orders, and they'll also wrestle with the question of how military experience correlates with a successful presidency.

Length of Lesson: Two class periods. (NOTE: You can shorten this activity to one class period by stopping at Step Three.)

Materials Needed:

• Shmoop's Politics in the Jackson Era page
• Handbill featuring "Some of the Bloody Deeds of General Jackson"
• Online (or library) access to research the military service of past presidents

Step One: Review the background of the 1828 presidential election by reading aloud (or having your students read silently) the Politics Lens in Shmoop's Jackson Era learning guide. (Psst! Scroll down to "Character, Sex, and Violence: The Issues of 1828" and read to the end.)

Step Two: Now have your students take a look at this handbill, published by opponents of Andrew Jackson during the 1828 presidential election. As they read through it, they should jot down any words or phrases they find particularly interesting. Encourage them to pay special attention to the ways in which the handbill characterizes Andrew Jackson in the context of his military career.

Step Three: Help students make sense of everything they've just read by leading a class discussion. You can use the questions below as a guide. 

1. In what ways was this handbill politically effective?
   • Why might John Quincy Adams's supporters, in particular, be receptive to this particular attack on Jackson?
   • Why was it ultimately ineffective (in winning the election for Adams)?
2. Did Adams' supporters have a point in suggesting that Jackson's military record showed his temperament to be un-presidential? 
3. What other episodes or events from Jackson's past may have fed this criticism of Jackson's presidential qualifications?
4. Does military experience prepare a person for the presidency?
5. Which aspects of military experience prepare a person for the presidency? Which aspects of military experience might make the transition to public office difficult?
6. Did Jackson's performance as president confirm or rebut these suggestions that his military background left him ill-suited for the presidency?

Step Four: Help students divide into small groups and have them do a little research to answer the following question:

Which modern presidents (within the last 100 years) have had extensive military experience? 

In their groups, students should create a list of the last 15 (or so) presidents and note which ones have had military experience. They should also make a few notes to indicate how extensive that service was. What rank did the president rise to? Did the president serve during wartime? Did the president have combat experience?

Step Five: Bring the class back together and go over the groups' findings. You may want to create a master chart using data from all the groups to list the presidents and details of their service. Once you have all the info out in the open, tackle these last two questions in a class discussion.

• Considering this data, and the record of modern presidents with and without military experience, what conclusions can you draw about the correlation between military experience and successful presidencies? 
• Would this change if you went back 200 years? Why or why not?

(Lesson aligned with CA History-Social Sciences 9th-12th grade historical interpretation standards 2, 3, 4)

Instructions for Your Students

If you were running for President, and it came out that your opponent had ordered the executions of six American soldiers, you might think that would give you a leg up. And maybe it would. But it didn't help John Quincy Adams back in 1828.

Despite the attempts by Adam's supporters to discredit Andrew Jackson, Jackson won the 1828 election decisively. Today, you'll take a look at some campaign literature from that election and assess its effectiveness as well as the strength of its claims. 

Does extensive military experience qualify someone for the presidency? Or might someone used to leading soldiers be less qualified for such a political office? Today, you decide.

Step One: Review the background of the 1828 presidential election by reading the Politics Lens in Shmoop's Jackson Era learning guide. (Psst! Scroll down to "Character, Sex, and Violence: The Issues of 1828" and read to the end.)

Step Two: Now take a look at this handbill, published by opponents of Andrew Jackson during the 1828 presidential election. Read through it and jot down any words or phrases you find particularly interesting. Pay special attention to the ways in which the handbill characterizes Andrew Jackson in the context of his military career.

Step Three: Chat with your teacher and classmates about everything you've just read. You can use the questions below as a guide for your discussion. 

1. In what ways was this handbill politically effective?
   • Why might John Quincy Adams's supporters, in particular, be receptive to this particular attack on Jackson?
   • Why was it ultimately ineffective (in winning the election for Adams)?
2. Did Adams' supporters have a point in suggesting that Jackson's military record showed his temperament to be un-presidential? 
3. What other episodes or events from Jackson's past may have fed this criticism of Jackson's presidential qualifications?
4. Does military experience prepare a person for the presidency?
5. Which aspects of military experience prepare a person for the presidency? Which aspects of military experience might make the transition to public office difficult?
6. Did Jackson's performance as president confirm or rebut these suggestions that his military background left him ill-suited for the presidency?

Step Four: Divide into small groups and do a little research to answer the following question:

Which modern presidents (within the last 100 years) have had extensive military experience? 

With your group, create a list of the last 15 (or so) presidents and note which ones have had military experience. You should also make a few notes to indicate how extensive that service was. What rank did the president rise to? Did the president serve during wartime? Did the president have combat experience?

Step Five: Get back together with the rest of your class and go over your findings. You may even want to create a master chart using data from all the groups to list the presidents and details of their service. Once you have all the info out in the open, you can tackle these last two questions in a class discussion.

• Considering this data, and the record of modern presidents with and without military experience, what conclusions can you draw about the correlation between military experience and successful presidencies? 
• Would this change if you went back 200 years? Why or why not?