It is interesting to read that in the early 1800s there were restrictions on the voting rights of white males. It is easy to recall that the women's suffrage movement came much later in American history. It is easy to remember that free blacks and black slaves were not permitted to vote, but it is interesting to read that in the 1820s that the states were only just getting to the point of changing law that allowed only white males with property to vote. As a result of this change, politicians needed to broaden their appeal. It was no longer enough for a candidate to win the votes of the wealthy. To win an election, politicians had to identify with the needs of the common man. These insights about the election process give one a different perspective about how Presidential candidates were elected in the United States in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
Far more recently, racial discrimination was an important factor in the election of George W. Bush. It could be argued that irregularities in the voting process in certain states and in particular in Florida may have changed the course of American politics, and that the decision made by the United States Supreme Court relating to voting irregularities resulted in Bush's election. The similarities to the election process that resulted in Andrew Jackson being elected President were (a) that a minority of the American population elected the President, (b) and that the most popular candidate was not guaranteed to win the election and (c) that racial bias played a role in who was permitted to vote and who was not.
It is interesting to note that the Democratic Party to which Andrew Jackson belonged promoted the democratization of the political process and voter rights for some but not all citizens. The Democratic Party denied the rights of blacks, Native Americans and women to vote despite its avowed support of the concepts of liberty and equality. An interesting c
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