What is the significance of the Corrupt Bargain charge in the election of 1824?

Answer 1

It is known as the Corrupt Bargain because John Q. Adams seemed to have made an unsavory bargain deal with Henry Clay. Clay finished fourth in the electoral vote and so was not eligible to win . He was able to get the states that he had carried to vote for Adams even though Jackson would seem to be the more logical choice for their interests. In return Adams appointed him as Secretary of State, a position which at that time was viewed as a stepping-stone to the Presidency

Answer 2

It was initially thought to be corrupt, because when no candidate had a majority of the electoral votes, the decision then rested with the House of Representatives where some back room dealing was felt to have taken place. It was in the House that Clay threw all of his three states to John Quincy Adams, thus giving him the majority of electoral votes. In turn, Adams made Clay his Secretary of State. Many, at the time, thought that this was a corrupt quid pro quo arrangement. It turns out that the people in the states which Clay had won would rather have had Adams than Jackson, anyway. So, from this standpoint, the matter actually begins to appear less corrupt.

Answer 3

According to the Constitution, if no one receives the majority of the votes in a presidential election, then Congress picks who it wants. The election of 1824 had been a four-way

election between John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, William Crawford, and Henry Clay. Although Jackson receivedmore votes than any othercandidate(41%, compared to Adams's 31%, Crawford's 11%, and Clay's 13%), he had not

receiveda majority of the votes (that is to say, over 50%). Therefore, Congress got to decide who won and it picked Adams, who then appointed Clay as his Secretary of State.

Jackson's supporters claimed that Clay (who wasSpeaker of the House at the time) had convinced Congress to pick Adams, and did so in exchange for Adams making him Secretary of State. It is unknown whether such a bargain actually took place.

Answer 4

The election of 1824 became controversial because Jackson won the electoral vote by plurality, meaning he didn't win the majority, but received more votes than any other candidate, but the vote was passed on to the House of Representative. According to the 12th amendment, when there is no majority winner, the vote must always be passed onto the House of Reps. So, Adams won by these terms, but had it been up to electoral votes, Jackson would have been victorious. For this reason, it may be considered corrupt and controversial.

Answer 5

John Quincy Adams was corruptly elected by the House of Representatives with a huge influence by J.Q. Adams' supporter, Henry Clay who was speaker of the House at the time.

Answer 6

This term refers to an apparent bargain between John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay. Adams became president and Clay became his Secretary of State.