How did the eaton affair affect politics?

Answer 1

The Eaton affair was very revelant in politics because Jackson (president at the time) was very angry that the ladies' inner circle shunned Mrs. Eaton because of the suspected "affair". Jackson took this to heart because his wife had also been subject to such accusations when he became president. Van Buren knew this, so he became intimate friends with the Eatons when nobody else in washington would. This pleased Jackson, and he made Van Buren Secretary of State (a cabinet office that has been known as the stepping stone to presidency). Subsequently, Van Buren became the next president after Jackson.

Answer 2

Two major changes took place as a result of the Eaton affair. First was the rise of Martin Van Buren. As Secretary of State, he supported the Eatons, and as a result became a closer adviser to President Andrew Jackson. When patronage jobs were handed out, Jackson saw to it that Van Buren and his Northern Democrats got the plum assignments. Southern Democrats (those who opposed the Eatons) got very little, which may have contributed to Southern animosity towards the Federal government.

The second change was to prevent America from becoming a theocratic nation. In the 1820's, a prominent Philadelphia minister, Rev. Ezra Stiles Ely, began a movement to have American declared an official "Christian nation", and see to it that only practicing Christians would be elected to public office. When the Eaton scandal began, Rev. Ely began repeating some of the attacks against the Eatons. This made President Jackson denounce Rev. Ely as a liar and a scoundrel. Rev. Ely quickly lost political support. Although politicians may have fears the wrath of God, the wrath of Old Hickory was too close for comfort.