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Viewers of the political thriller House of Cards will probably not be
surprised to learn that political intrigue is as old as the Republic.
The presidential election of 1824
was one of the most hotly contested elections in the nation’s history. The Federalist Party had dissolved and the
United States found itself in the unique position of having only one political
party, the Democratic Republicans.
Sadly, this brief period of political unity within the country would be
short-lived as members of the Party began to divide into factions.
What made the
election of 1824 so unique was that the four top contenders for the highest
office of the land were all favorite son candidates. Andrew Jackson, the hero of the Battle of New
Orleans, was supported by the South, West, and mid -Atlantic. Henry Clay found some support in the West,
but hoped to garner support in the South and East. William Crawford was supported by the East,
while John Quincy Adams was supported by New England.
When the final
vote in the Electoral College was made, Andrew Jackson had the most votes with
ninety-nine. John Quincy Adams came in
second with eighty-four. William
Crawford came in third with forty-one and Henry Clay rounded out the list with thirty-seven. The presidential election went to the House
of Representatives for a decision, in accordance with the provisions of the
Constitution. As it was written in the
Constitution, only the top three candidates could have their names submitted to
Congress for a vote to determine the next president of the United States. Since he came in fourth place, Henry Clay was
automatically eliminated.
To the surprise
of most, the House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams president of
the United States. Rumors of a “corrupt
bargain” spread over the capital city.
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