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What Role Did Henry Clay Play In The Presidential Election Of 1824

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In the United States presidential election of 1824, John Quincy Adams was elected President on February 9, 1825, after the election was decided by the House of Representatives. The presidential election of 1824 is one of the most unique elections in American history because the four candidates in the election, who were William Crawford, Henry Clay, John Quincy Adams, and Andrew Jackson were all from the Jacksonian Republican Party. There was only one-party government in the United States in the previous few years since the United States was established. Finally, leaving only the Democratic-Republican Party in the political arena as the Federalist Party had dissolved. In addition, this election is notable for being the only time since the passage …show more content…

Also, Clay’s support in the house helped John Quincy Adams win the 1824 contingent election after he unsuccessfully running for president in 1824. His rival Andrew Jackson publicly claimed that the two men had struck a “corrupt bargain” after Adams appointed Clay as secretary of state in 1825. In addition, Clay was one of a handful of national leaders to actively work from 1811 to the 1850s, defining the issues, proposing nationalistic solutions, and creating the Whig Party (Henry Clay). In the presidential election of 1824, the 12th Amendment dictated that the Presidential election had sent to the House of Representatives, whose Speaker and candidate in Henry’s own right without an absolute majority in the Electoral College. It also gave his support to John Quincy Adams, and was then selected to be his Secretary of State. As dictated by the Constitution, the election was then turned over to the House of Representatives. In other words, the 12th Amendment states that if no electoral majority is won, only the three candidates who receive the most popular votes will be considered in the House. Representative Henry Clay, who was disqualified from the House vote as a fourth-place candidate, agreed to utilize his broad influence to assist John …show more content…

He gained the most popular votes with 153,544 than other four candidates. John Quincy Adams gained 108,740, and William Crawford and Henry respectively gained 46,618 votes and 47,136 votes (Election of 1824). Although Andrew Jackson didn’t successfully win the presidential election of 1824, he was the favorite for the citizens of the United Stated, had won 43 percent of the popular vote. In addition, Andrew Jackson spend most of John Quincy Adam’s term renewing his own campaign for the presidential election of 1824, and Adam’s own sitting vice president, John C. Calhoun, became Jackson’s running mate. Also, he was nominated for president by the Tennessee legislature in October 1825, more than three years before the 1828 election. It was the earliest such nomination in presidential history, and it attested to the fact that Jackson's supporters began the 1828 campaign almost as soon as the 1824 campaign ended. Losing the 1824 election, despite receiving the majority of votes, convinced Jackson that democratic suffrage was vital to the health of the republic. Moreover, Andrew Jackson believed that John Quincy Adams and House Speaker Henry Clay, both of whom had been candidates, entered into a "corrupt bargain" that gave a majority to Adams, who became president and named Clay his secretary of state.

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