false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255710354m/5058681.jpg 5058681 1 The 1828 presidential election, which pitted Major General Andrew Jackson against incumbent John Quincy Adams, has long been hailed as a watershed moment in American political history. It was the contest in which an unlettered, hot-tempered southwesetern frontiersman, trumpeted by his supporters as a genuine man of the people, soundly defeated a New England "aristocrat" whose education and political resume were as impressive as any ever seen in American public life. It was, many historians have argued, the country's first truly democratic presidential election. Lynn Hudson Parsons argues that it also established a pattern in which two nationally organized political parties would vie for power in virtually every state. During the election of 1828 voters were introduced to a host of novel campaign tactics, including co-ordinated media, get-out-the-vote efforts, fund-raising, organized rallies, opinion polling, campaign paraphernalia, ethnic voting blocs, "opposition research," and smear tactics. <br> In The Birth of Modern Politics, Parsons shows that the Adams-Jackson contest began a national debate that is eerily contemporary, pitting those whose cultural, social, and economic values were rooted in community action for the common good against those who believed the common good was best served by giving individuals as much freedom as possible to promote their own interests. It offers fresh and illuminating portraits of both Adams and Jackson and reveals how, despite their vastly different backgrounds, they had started out with many of the same values, admired one another, and had often been allies in common causes. Both were staunch nationalists, and both shared an aversion to organized parties and "electioneering."<br> But by 1828, caught up in a shifting political landscape, they were plunged into a competition that separated them decisively from the Founding Fathers' era and ushered in a style of politics that is still with us today. 5125313 1 5 2009 The Birth of Modern Politics: Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, and the Election of 1828 (Pivotal Moments in American History) total:8|5:0|4:7|3:1|2:0|1:0| 8 31 19 1 4 0 false false Wed Sep 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 12 08:14:38 -0700 2009 Thu Nov 19 14:29:09 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Wed Nov 25 11:24:44 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 25 11:24:44 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Thu Nov 12 16:38:38 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 12 16:38:38 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sun Nov 15 07:27:00 -0800 2009 Sun Oct 11 05:48:28 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 11 05:48:36 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Sep 24 06:14:56 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 24 06:14:56 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Sep 21 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 21 02:25:13 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 22 02:14:37 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Thu Sep 10 17:15:45 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 15:55:04 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 10 17:15:45 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Aug 20 07:31:42 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 20 07:31:42 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Aug 05 12:54:47 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 05 12:54:47 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sun Jul 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 21 19:02:06 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 21 19:03:22 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Jul 17 15:13:45 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 17 15:13:45 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Tue Aug 04 06:45:18 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 24 06:19:06 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 04 06:45:18 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu May 28 09:49:05 -0700 2009 Thu May 28 09:49:38 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri May 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon May 11 16:30:33 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 01 13:11:15 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Apr 22 17:09:21 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 22 17:09:38 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Mar 16 09:30:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 16 09:30:00 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Mar 05 09:29:39 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 05 09:29:39 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Feb 25 21:14:39 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 25 21:14:39 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Feb 25 21:12:03 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 25 21:12:03 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=5058681