Why did Andrew Jackson refer to the election of 1824 as a “corrupt bargain”?
In a five way tie-up candidate Henry Clay made an arrangement with John Quincy Adams whereby Clay threw his support to JQ and in return was awarded the post of Secretary of State which up until then had been the traditional route to the White House. Needless to say that tradition died with the ‘corrupt bargain’ of 1824 and since then no Secretary of State has become Prez. JQ was limited to one term, his reputation forever tarnished, and Andrew Jackson surged into the White House in 1828.
