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.