Presidential Election of 1824 PDF

The Election Of 1824 In 1824, the election was in the house. John Quincy Adams was facing off against Andrew Jackson, former military hero. This controversial election led to the breakthrough of two new parties, the modern democratic party and the second party system. Before 1824, America...

The Election Of 1824 In 1824, the election was in the house. John Quincy Adams was facing off against Andrew Jackson, former military hero. This controversial election led to the breakthrough of two new parties, the modern democratic party and the second party system. Before 1824, America itself was already in a relatively settled period. The war of 1812 (The Second War of Independence) was just beginning to become a faded memory. As a result of this, the Missouri Compromise in 1821 had put aside the contentious issue of enslaving African people. Fast-forwarding to 1824, candidates did not campaign for themselves. Their campaign was left to managers and surrogates, and throughout the year various partisans gave speeches and wrote in favor of the candidates. The election was already in disarray. Clearly, the party system never functioned properly in 1824, this led to the final collapse of the Republican-Federalist political framework. Even though Adams came in second, Jackson had some states at the time that picked electors that didn’t tally a popular vote for president. Since no one had a majority, the House of Representatives chose between the top three candidates (Andrew Jackson, William Crawford, John Quincy Adams). This is where the argument called, “The Corrupt Bargain”, began. This particular moment in time is where things went south, and where controversial arguments were disputed between two political powers, the candidates John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. Andrew Jackson was born on March 15, 1764 near Lanchester, South Carolina, to a family of Scottish-Irish immigrants (WhiteHouseHistory). The area had little opportunity for a good and formal education, and what schooling he received was interrupted by the British invasion of the western Carolinas in 1780-81 (Britannica) In the later years, he was captured by British troops (Britannica). After being imprisoned, he refused to obey the British soldiers and was struck across the face with a saber (Britannica). His mother and two brothers died after the closing years of the war (Britannica). This tragic occurrence fixed in Jacksons mind a lifelong hostility toward Great Britain (Britannica). After the American Revolution, he studied law in an office in Salisbury, North Carolina, and was admitted to the bar of that state in 1787 (Britannica). In 1788 he went to the Cumberland region as prosecuting attorney of the western district of North Carolina (Britannica). When he arrived in Nashville, the community was a frontier settlement. As the prosecuting attorney, Jackson was occupied with suits for the collection of debts (Britannica). He was super successful in these litigations, he soon had a thriving private practice and had gained the friendship of landowners and creditors (Britannica).For almost thirty years, Jackson allied with this group in Tennessee politics, Jackson then became part of the democratic party. Jackson, a passionate public affairs and politics enthusiast, was elected as the first representative from Tennessee to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1797. He returned to Tennessee but was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1798. After resigning, he served as a judge of the state's superior court and as major general of the Tennessee militia. Jackson's leadership during the War of 1812 marked a significant shift in his political career. In 1812, Jackson became part of the Military. Jackson called for 50,000 volunteers for an invasion of Canada. After declaring war, he offered his services to the US. He was given command to fight against Creek Indians, allied with Britain (Britannica). In 1813-14, he crushed the Creeks, establishing him as the West's hero. In 1814, Jackson led his army to Mobile to prepare for the U.S. occupation of Florida, a Spanish possession. He learned of British regulars landing at Pensacola and occupied the city on November 7, just as the British evacuated to Louisiana. Andrew Jackson led his army to New Orleans in December 1815, where he defeated the British army in the Battle of New Orleans. This victory brought relief to Washington and made him the hero of the West and a significant part of the country. After the war, Jackson was named commander of the southern district and took active service in December 1817 (Britannica). He ordered an invasion of Florida, captured Spanish posts, and appointed a military governor, leading to a cabinet crisis in Washington. Jackson's military triumphs led to suggestions that he should become a candidate for president, but he had little to no interest (Britannica). In 1822, a group of Nashville friends, combining devotion to the general with political astuteness, successfully nominated General Jackson as a presidential candidate and elected him to the U.S. Senate, showcasing his popularity in Tennessee. During the election in 1824, Jackson’s military triumphs led to the increased support of votes for his election as the president. In 1824, four candidates received electoral votes, with Jackson receiving the highest number. The House of Representatives had to elect a president from the three with the highest votes (Britannica). Jackson's support was tipped to be corrupt, but he decided to challenge his supporters in 1828, believing popular will had been swayed by intrigues. Even with Jackson receiving the majority, the house appointed Adams as the president. This started the corrupt bargain between Adams and Clay, making the election system rigged, or unfair. Andrew Jackson, developing a bitter revenge for himself, confident to win the next election in return for Adams actions. Moving onto John Quincy Adams, he was born on July 11, 1767, Braintree, Massachusetts. John Quincy Adams, born during the American Revolution, was influenced by his patriotic father, John Adams, and mother, Abigail Smith Adams. He studied in Paris and the University of Leiden, Netherlands, acquiring knowledge of French and Dutch. Adams kept a diary, which documented his actions and those of his contemporaries, and considered it the most valuable book ever written by human hands (Britannica). His diary became a prominent record of American history. At 14, Adams accompanied Francis Dana, a US envoy to Russia, as his private secretary and interpreter of French (Britannica). After a year in St. Petersburg, Adams returned to Paris and acted as an additional secretary to American commissioners in the Peace of Paris. He attended Harvard College and later read law at Newburyport. Adams controversial doctrines in Thomas Paine's Rights of Man and supported George Washington's neutrality policy during the war between France and England. His articles were brought to President Washington's attention, leading to his appointment as U.S. minister to the Netherlands in 1794 (Britannica). Adams's letters were read by President Washington and he transacted public business in London with the British Foreign Office. John Quincy Adams married Louisa Catherine Johnson in 1797, daughter of Joshua Johnson and Katherine Nuth. Despite her frail health, she was a gracious hostess, skilled in Greek, French, and English literature, and was considered one of the most traveled women of her time. John Quincy Adams, a member of the Federalist Party, faced opposition from his father's followers and reactionary groups. Despite being an unpopular member of an unpopular minority, Adams remained a self-respecting individual. He voted against a bill that allowed the president to control newly acquired territory, overstepping constitutional powers and violating self-government (Britannica). In December 1807, Adams supported President Jefferson's embargo to stop commerce with other nations, which was unpopular in New England and cost his seat in the Senate. His successor was chosen in 1808, and Adams resigned shortly after. He later attended the Republican congressional caucus and allied with James Madison for the presidency. In 1809, President Madison sent Adams to Russia to represent the United States at Tsar Alexander I's court (Britannica). Adams met with favorable reception and was keen to promote American commerce. During the war between the United States and England, Adams was sent to negotiate the Treaty of Ghent with Albert Gallatin and James Bayard. He visited Paris and London, where he negotiated the "Convention to Regulate Commerce and Navigation." Adams became U.S. minister to Great Britain and later became secretary of state in President James Monroe's cabinet. His appointment was based on his diplomatic experience and the Era of Good Feelings. John Quincy Adams, as secretary of state, played a significant role in the acquisition of Florida, which was eventually included in the Transcontinental Treaty in 1819. Adams negotiated with Spain to abandon all claims to territory east of the Mississippi River, relinquish US claims to Texas, and draw a US boundary from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean (Britannica). This was a significant victory for Adams, as it marked a triumphant "epocha" in US continental expansion. Adams also played a role in the conclusion of the 1818 treaty with Great Britain, which laid down the US northern boundary. In 1824, President Monroe's second term ended with a lack of good feeling among his advisers, including Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, Secretary of War John C. Calhoun, and Secretary of the Treasury William H. Crawford (National Historical Park Of Massachusetts). Three candidates, Jackson, Adams, and Clay, were nominated for the presidency, with the House of Representatives making the decision. Clay's influence led to Adams's election, but Jackson's supporters turned his term into a four-year campaign. In January 1824, Adams invited Clay to visit him, leading to widespread suspicions. In February 1825, Adams won the House election, thanks to Clay's support, becoming president. In the end, Adams won the election with the lottorial vote of the House of Representatives and the support of Henry Clay, leading to an outburst of controversy regarding the election, especially the two of them. This started the corrupt bargain, and the Jacksonians campaigned on his narrative over the next four years. The public also took part in the corrupt bargain, mentioning that the election was rigged, and that Adams shouldn’t be the president, but some other people thought that Adams deserves the presidency and not Jackson. The victory of John Quincy Adams led to the country prospering, he lived a normal life, walking through the streets and conducted the vast expansion of the country's roads with federal aid (Britannica). Jackson, furious over Adams' appointment of Clay as secretary of state, resigned his Senate seat and planned the 1828 presidential campaign. After losing to Jackson, Adams retired briefly and ran for Congress, advocating against African American enslavement. He died in 1848. Clay ran for president again, losing to Jackson in 1832 and Polk in 1844. Despite never gaining the highest office, he remained a significant figure in national politics until his death in 1852. In the end, the Corrupt Bargain was a really controversial time, but looking back it sparked interest and was significant in shaping how elections work today. This teaches the American way of fairness as to not bargain with another candidate to win an election, to play fair.  MLA Citations Bemis, Samuel Flagg. “John Quincy Adams - Secretary of State & Florida Purchase.” Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Quincy-Adams/Secretary-of-state. Bradley, Harold Whitman. “Andrew Jackson | Facts, Biography, & Accomplishments.” Britannica, 30 September 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Andrew-Jackson. Accessed 15 October 2024. Kratz, Jessie. “The 1824 Presidential Election and the “Corrupt Bargain” – Pieces of History.” Pieces of History, 22 October 2020, https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2020/10/22/the-1824-presidential-election-and-the-co rrupt-bargain/. Lengel, Edward G. “Adams v. Jackson: The Election of 1824 | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.” Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |, https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/essays/adams-v-jackson-election-1824. Accessed 15 October 2024. Whiteside, Ralph Eleaser. “Andrew Jackson.” White House Historical Association, https://www.whitehousehistory.org/bios/andrew-jackson. McNamara, Robert. “The Election of 1824: The Corrupt Bargain.” ThoughtCo, 23 September 2019, https://www.thoughtco.com/the-election-of-1824-1773860.