The Presidency of John Quincy Adams

The Election of 1824 The election saw 4 Democratic-Republican candidates for president: New England supported John Quincy Adams The South supported William Crawford The West supported Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay Election was so close, no one had a majority, so it fell to the House of Representatives to decide the winner

Controversial Results Henry Clay (who was Speaker of the House and hated Jackson) didn’t have enough votes to win the election for himself, so he threw his support to John Quincy Adams As a result, Adams became president over Andrew Jackson, despite only winning 30% of the popular vote

“The Corrupt Bargain” After becoming President, Adams rewarded Clay’s support by naming Clay Secretary of State Andrew Jackson, furious over losing the election, claimed that Adams and Clay had struck a “corrupt bargain” – that Adams had bought Clay’s support during the election by promising him the Cabinet position

The Democratic-Republican Party Shatters The issue of the “corrupt bargain” completely divided the Democratic-Republicans, leading it to break into two separate political parties Andrew Jackson’s supporters became the Democratic Party (the same Democratic Party that still exists today) John Quincy Adams’ supporters became the National Republican Party (NOT the Republican Party that exists today) This marked the end of political unity and a return to a two-party system

John Quincy Adams 1767 – 1848 National Republican 6th President (1825-29) Son of former President John Adams Had served mainly as a foreign diplomat (under Washington, Adams and Madison) and as Secretary of State under Monroe Originally a Federalist

Adams’ Domestic Agenda Adams objectives: Strengthen federal government Federal investment in transportation improvements Found a national university Raise tariffs to protect U.S. industry

“The American System” Program endorsed by Henry Clay to achieve Adams’ domestic agenda: Enact a high tariff to protect American industries and generate revenue for the federal government Maintain high public land prices to generate federal revenue Preserve the Bank of the United States to stabilize the currency and rein in risky state and local banks Develop a system of internal improvements (such as roads and canals) which would knit the nation together and be financed by the tariff and land sales revenues.

The South Hated the “American System” Southerners tended to be strict-constructionists, supporting states’ rights over a strong central government They saw no Constitutional support for a National Bank or for federally funded transportation improvements Tariffs hurt farmers, especially cotton farmers Southerners liked the idea of “nullification” – states don’t have to enforce laws they interpret as unconstitutional or harmful

“Tariff of Abominations” Officially the Tariff of 1828, nicknamed the Tariff of Abominations by its opponents Highest tariff in U.S. history, designed to protect U.S. industries from cheaper English imports Badly hurt South by raising the price of manufactured goods and by leaving the British to have less money with which to buy Southern cotton

Expansion of Roads & Canals

The Erie Canal Completed in 1825 Connected Lake Erie to New York’s Hudson River Cheap way to travel for families heading west, cheap and fast way to move farm goods back east Connected New York City to the Great Lakes, making New York the top commercial port in the U.S.

The National Road Also known as the Cumberland Road Built 1811 – 1839, paved with macadam in the 1830s U.S. government never finished the road due to financial crises in the late 1830s and the rise of railroads

Toll roads & turnpikes Privately owned and operated roads made more sense in the north By 1821, 4000 miles of toll roads had been built (almost all in the North or Ohio) Mainly built between Northern cities or to connect the West to Northern cities

The Election of 1828 Rematch of Andrew Jackson vs. John Quincy Adams Jackson had resigned from the Senate and dedicated the last four years to winning this election Jackson was billed as the “common man” while Adams was portrayed as an over-educated aristocratic elitist Jackson won both the popular and electoral vote, taking the entire Southern and Western vote