Sean Wilentz's The Rise Of American Democracy

In “The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln,” Sean Wilentz successfully argues that the election of 1828 represented a democratic revolt of the people as the election was crucial to the development and maintenance of the second-party system. Not only is Wilentz the George Henry Davis Professor of History at Princeton University, but Wilentz is also a successful author who has won many awards including the prestigious Frederick Jackson Turner Award, the Albert J. Beveridge Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Bancroft Prize. In his analysis, Wilentz claims that the election of 1828 marked an evolution in the American political system as Andrew Jackson became a symbol of political power as he appealed to the common man. In fact, Wilentz successfully argues that Jackson’s election and presidency lead to the development and mobilization of political organizations which significantly shaped future presidential elections. Therefore, in “The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln,” Wilentz successfully proves that the election of 1828 represented a democratic revolt of the people as the election …show more content…
The election of 1828 was a type of election that the American people, at the time, have never seen before. In fact, the election of 1828 was a turning point in American history which significantly shaped the future presidential elections. Before Jackson’s presidency, the American people were not involved in the presidential election process. However, Wilentz successfully argues that Jackson ran his campaign in hopes to influence Americans to get involved in the political elections. Therefore, Wilentz’s successfully proves that the election of 1828 created the second-party system which ultimately represented a democratic revolt of the