¹The most prominent southern leader in national politics during the early 1800s was William H. Crawford. ²He served as President Monroe's secretary of the treasury. ³During his service in the Georgia legislature, he spoke for the large planters against the interest of the small farmers. ⁴In 1807, he was elected to the United States Senate. ⁵Later he put in a tour of duty as minister to France. ⁶Crawford was direct and friendly and a marvelous storyteller, and one of the few persons in Washington who could teach the new senator Martin Van Buren anything about politics. ⁷Crawford was one of the first politicians to try to build a national political machine. ⁸"Crawford's Act" of 1820, limiting the term of minor federal employees to four years, was passed. ⁹As the name of the act suggests, it was passed largely through Crawford's efforts. ¹⁰He realized before nearly anyone else that a handful of petty offices, properly doled out, could win the loyalty of thousands of voters.

3. The topic of the passage is __________.  

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