Transcript Presidential Election of 1824
Presidential Election of 1824
• In 1824, there was no clear favorite to win the election for President of the US.
• There was only one political party, since the Federalists had died out, leaving the Republican Party in total power.
• There were four candidates who were very popular in their own area of the country.
• These men were called “favorite son” candidates.
• The four candidates were:
John Quincy Adams
• He was the son of John Adams, the only Federalist president.
• He was the favorite son of the Northeast.
• He favored a high protective tariff.
• He was the leading contender.
Henry Clay
• He was the favorite son of the West.
• He was from Kentucky.
• He actually shared political views with Adams, but they did not like each other because of their differing personalities.
• Adams: the rigid New Englander versus Clay,the hard- drinking Westerner.
Andrew Jackson
• He was a Senator from Tennessee and military hero.
• He was one of the favorite sons of the West, since he drew Western support from Clay.
• His political views were not well-known at the time of this election.
William Crawford
• William H. Crawford of Georgia was born in Virginia and hoped to continue the “Virginia Dynasty”.
• He was the favorite son of the South.
• He held to the old Republican view of limiting the role of the central government.
Corrupt Bargain
• The 12 th Amendment provided that elections in which no candidate received a majority should be decided by the House of Representatives from among the top three candidates.
• Clay was out of contention and Crawford was an unlikely prospect because of a serious illness. • Jackson clearly expected to win, figuring that the House would act to confirm his strong showing. • However, Clay, as Speaker of the House, used his influence to sway the vote to Adams. • Although they were not close, Clay knew that he and Adams shared a common political philosophy.
• Clay also was not interested in doing anything to further the career of his main rival in the West. • Adams won the election on the first ballot in the House of Representatives and became the nation’s sixth president.
• His subsequent appointment of Henry Clay as Secretary of State led to angry charges of a “corrupt bargain.”
• Why did Jackson feel that Clay and Adams had cheated him by making a deal?
• By making Clay the Secretary of State, Adams was putting Clay in line to become the next President, since the last four Presidents had earlier been Secretary of State.