Although it is a source of debate among historians, some say the election of 1828, which pitted President John Quincy Adams against Andrew Jackson, marked the beginning of the modern political arena in the United States. It permanently established a two-party electoral system and decisively established democracy. It also marked an expansion of the electorate, with almost 10 percent of Americans casting their votes in the election, which was more than double the number who voted in 1824
