Final answer:
Henry Clay and Daniel Webster persuaded Nicholas Biddle to apply for a recharter of the national bank in 1832 to provoke a response from Andrew Jackson, aiming to discredit him and support Clay's presidential campaign.
Step-by-step explanation:
Henry Clay and Daniel Webster persuaded Nicholas Biddle to apply for a recharter of the national bank in 1832 primarily to provoke a negative response from Andrew Jackson and thereby discredit him (a. to provoke a negative response from Andrew Jackson and discredit him). Their strategy was underpinned by the belief that Congress would vote in favor of the bank and that Jackson would not risk vetoing the recharter because the bank was popular with the American people. If Jackson did veto the recharter, they believed Congress would override the veto and that this would benefit Clay in the upcoming presidential election. Although the Senate and the House both voted in favor of the bank's recharter, President Jackson vetoed the bill, exercising his executive authority in a move that reiterated his opposition to the institution. The Whig Party, of which Clay and Webster were leading figures, was fundamentally formed upon the opposition to Jackson and his policies, especially in regards to the national bank.