Question

The key issue in Henry Clay's campaign in 1832 against Jackson was:

• A. What to do with the Cherokee
• B. Jackson's perceived abuse of the spoils system
• C. Jackson's veto of the Bank recharter
• D. The South Carolina Nullification Crisis
• E. The Peggy Eaton Affair

Answer 1

The correct option is A What to do with the Cherokee

The major issue in the campaign was Jackson's determination to eliminate the Bank of the United States. Jackson had vetoed the bill reauthorizing the bank shortly before being renominated. Henry Clay decided to make that veto the major issue in the campaign. Clay's campaign headquarters were in Pennsylvania, where the bank was head-quartered. Thus, Clay was very popular at home. However, Clay’s strategy backfired. The bank was widely considered a tool of the rich. As a result, the bank was extremely unpopular. Jackson won by an overwhelming margin.