Left Side
John Adams vs. John Q. Adams
John Adams established many of the basic ideas and principles that made up the United States Constitution. Adams was a well respected lawyer who was one of the first proponents of permanent separation from Great Britain. He beat out John Q. Adams in the election because the people favored John Adams Alien and Sedition act. The Alien and Sedition Acts consisted of four laws passed by the Federalist-controlled Congress as America was getting ready for war with France. These acts increased the residency requirement for American citizenship from five to fourteen years, and gave the president the right to imprison or deport aliens considered "dangerous to the peace and safety of the United States" and restricted speech critical of the government. John Adams also made peace with the British in the treaty of Paris of 1783. John Adams was also older then John Q. Adams and so the people thought he was wiser. Plus the younger Adams Tariff of abomination act didn’t please the south as it did the north because of the increased export tax.
James Monroe vs. James Madison
James Monroe the Era of good feelings president. Although both Monroe and Madison were part of the Democratic - Republican Party, the people elected James Monroe to be their president. Monroe’s Monroe doctrine saved his seat in the presidential election. The doctrine became a major tenet of U.S. foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere. The three main concepts of the doctrine—separate spheres of influence for the Americas and Europe, non-colonization, and non-intervention—were designed to signify a clear break between the New World and the autocratic realm of Europe. James Monroe seemed more qualified because he was a lawyer, a planter, and a farmer which meant he could relate to the people with no problem. He was also Captain, and then major and was assigned to the staff of General William Alexander, he served there for more than a year. Monroe was also a United States senator from 1790 to 1794. He introduced the tariff of 1824 for revenues. The people were simply looking for someone with the most political experience, and thus Monroe was elected president.
John Tyler vs. William H. Harrison
Also known as His Accidency, John Tyler won the election although he wasn’t elected. He was strict and wanted order in the states, and the people demanded that there be order. Tyler was a consistent supporter of states' rights and favored a strict interpretation of the Constitution. Tyler was an independent president, meaning he sometimes vetoed bills because of his states’ rights believes, and that got him in some conflict with his own party. He was ridiculed in his day but is regarded today as a man of great courage. He was the first President that Congress ever tried to impeach. The effort was unsuccessful; but in 1845 Tyler did become the first President to have a veto overridden by Congress. Being the first non-elected President, Tyler was widely resented and dubbed "His Accidency" by his political enemies. I admire his perseverance and efforts to maintain order in the house even though others disliked his ways.
Martin Van Buren vs. James K. Polk
Napoleon of the stump Polk was proud to hear that he was elected president. Although he only served in office for one term, he did more in those four years of presidency than any other president. He was of the Democratic Party, and he attended the University I plan on attending, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Prior to becoming president, he was a Farmer as well as a Lawyer. He was also the speaker of the house in 1835 to 1839. With his hard-won victory in the tariff debate, Polk next moved to revive the Independent Treasury Act that President Martin Van Buren had signed into law in 1840 and the Whig-dominated Congress had repealed soon afterwards. The act established independent treasury deposit offices separate from private or state banks to receive all