Corrupt Bargain Research Paper

     John Quincy Adams, the son of former president John Adams, had a very rich political background prior to the election of 1824. In 1803, he was elected to the senate. He spent a few years in the senate, and then in 1809, James Madison appointed Adams his minister to St. Petersburg. He helped to bring about the end of The War of 1812 by help negotiate the Treaty of Ghent in 1814. After the war was over he became the minister to London in 1815. Then in 1817, James Monroe appointed Adams his secretary of state.5 Adams supported protective tariffs and federal programs that were intended for internal improvements. He was also had a much more formal manner than the other candidates.6

When the year of 1807 came around, the way that America elected a president changed. In previous elections, only the rich men were able to vote which as a result whoever promised more the wealth was elected for president. When the common man was able to vote in 1807, the type of candidate to win the election change. As seen in the election of 1828 the person who was more relatable to the people, won because the common man was able to vote and so they used that opportunity and elected whoever they thought was going to help them. Overall the people preferred Jackson over Adams because Jackson was able to relate to the people better, and because he was a symbol of the American dream.

Second, Andrew Jackson had very successful political career. After he resigned from being a senate, he once again was reelected to the U.S senate in 1822. After that the state group rallied around him, and then the he was nominated for the U.S presidency by the Pennsylvania convention. Even though Andrew Jackson was the

Although Adams and his supporters tried there hardest to corrupt Jackson's chances at becoming president, Jackson received three times the amount of electoral votes that Adams did, thus making him the President of the United States.

Andrew Jackson ran for president during the 1824 election. Due to the Corrupt Bargain, Jackson lost to Quincy Adams. However, the next election, Jackson won. When he took office, the Spoils System would take place. Government officials when George Washington was president had been fired because they did not have the same views as Andrew Jackson. In addition, he set up a Kitchen Cabinet of informal advisors to assist him. In 1833, Jackson vetoed the Bank Bill because he felt like the bank only benefitted the wealthy residents. This veto and all of his other vetoes, he would veto more bills than all the presidents before him would. During his presidency, he would use a lot of power while changing the view of a president.

In the Election of 1824, Jackson ran for president and won the popular vote, however he did not win the majority vote in the electoral college. Therefore, the House of Representatives would be left to decide who would be the next president. John Quincy Adams was running against Jackson. Adams wrote a letter to Henry Clay, a representative, saying that if Clay could convince the House to vote for him, he would give Henry Clay the job of Secretary of State.

Andrew Jackson’s path to presidency was unique. In the election of 1824, there were four main candidates, John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, William H. Crawford, and Andrew Jackson. Jackson gained the most popular votes of the four Democratic-Republican candidates, but not the majority of electoral votes to win the election. Henry Clay, who was eliminated from the election, held a decisive position as the speaker of the House of Representatives. Clay was in a position to throw the election to the candidate of his choice. Clay threw his support behind Adams since he had led some of the strongest attacks against Jackson. Rather than the nation’s presidency go to a man he abhorred, Clay secured the White House for Adams. In return Adams named

Unit 9 IDs The “Corrupt Bargain” of 1824 – Henry Clay, speaker of the house opposed Andrew Jackson and supported John Quincy Adams. When it was time to vote, John Quincy Adams got the majority even though Jackson had the popular vote. Jackson believed Adams and Clay struck a deal that Adams would win in return for Clay becoming Secretary of State.

The election of 1824 had failed to determine President James Monroe's successor because the electoral ballots were split among four candidates, none of whom had a majority. According to the Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution, the House of Representatives was required to select the chief executive from among the three men with the highest electoral count. In 1824 these three included the Senator from Tennessee, Andrew Jackson, who had 99 electoral votes; the Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams, with 84 electoral votes; and the Secretary of the Treasury, William H. Crawford, who received 41 electoral votes. Henry Clay, who was the fourth candidate, was eliminated since this total electoral count reached only 37 votes. Jackson also took a commanding 40,000 popular vote lead over the second highest candidate, John Adams.

John Quincy Adams may have been the greatest U.S. secretary of state, but he was not one of the greatest presidents. He was really a minority president, chosen by the House of Representatives in preference to Andrew Jackson and William H. Crawford following the inconclusive one-party ELECTION of 1824. In the popular contest Jackson had received the greatest number of votes both at the polls and in the state ELECTORAL COLLEGES, but lacked a constitutional majority. Henry Clay, one of the four candidates in 1824, threw his support to Adams in the House in February 1825, after secret conferences between the two, thus electing Adams on the first ballot. The supporters of Jackson and Crawford immediately cried "corrupt bargain": Clay had put Adams

Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay came from very similar backgrounds, yet they considered each other total opposites in regard to politics and morals. Both men became the leaders of two political parties: The Democrats, headed by Jackson, and the Whigs, headed by Clay. The main topics of debate between Jackson, Clay and their respective parties focused their arguments on the core principals of Clay’s American system, which were subsidies for internal improvements, protective tariffs and most importantly, the National Bank. The two men also had different ways of handling the Nullification Crisis. The debates of these two men impacted the still young nation by bringing up the struggles between democracy and development.

6. Clay figured that Jackson would either sign the charter and alienate his loyal western followers, or veto the charter and lose the presidency because he would have alienated his trusty (and wealthy) groups in the East. What Jackson did was veto the bill, but he argued that the reason he vetoed was because he found the charter harmful to the

Clay placed these War Hawks in the most important committees, even though several were also new congressmen. Clay was able to do this without upsetting senior representatives because of the fairness he still gave to his colleagues. Senior congressmen respected Clay’s speaking abilities, youth, experience as a senator, and respect for American rights. The position was now more powerful as well as effective. Clay always had a clear agenda of what was to be discussed that day. He worked with committees to achieve his goals and specifically war legislation as the War of 1812 was approaching. Earlier speakers acted as a guide to the House of Representatives, and refrained from debates and votes. Henry Clay used his personality and initial popularity to debate and produce the majority needed.

After becoming a national hero, Andrew Jackson wanted to further his career in politics. Jackson had held office in the government before, but not for any significant time period. Jackson decided to run for president against John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, and William Crawford in 1824, but he lost. However, he did receive the most electoral and popular votes and when this happens, the vote goes to the House of Representatives. Henry

Clay's appointment to the office of Secretary of State was in itself a controversial matter. That election cycle, Clay ran against John Quincy Adams. The election ended in a tie between Adams and Andrew Jackson, and it was up to Congress to cast the final vote. Although he had promised support for Jackson initially, Clay threw his support instead for Adams in order to forge new political ties and enhance expediency for his domestic policies. Doing so also secured Clay the position of Secretary of State, which is why his appointment by Adams was then called the "corrupt bargain." As Senator, Congressman, and Secretary of State, Clay