File # 1824 Did a “Corrupt Bargain” Occur? History Cold Case File # 1824 Did a “Corrupt Bargain” Occur?

What is a “Cold Case?” A crime or accident that has not yet been solved, but is not the subject of a recent criminal investigation. History is filled with “cold cases.” Today you will be going to investigating one, to see if you can close it. At the end of the lesson, you will be asked to fill out a brief “Cold Case” report in which you close, or keep open the “historical cold case” we will be studying

Office Previously Held Here we go…… Exhibit 1 Office Previously Held President A Vice-President President B Secretary of State President C President D What pattern or trend emerges from the data? Office of Secretary of State appears to be the stepping stone to the Presidency.

Exhibit 2 Qualifications Talented Secretary of State Candidate A Candidate B Speaker of the House of Reps Candidate C Treasurer Candidate D Military Hero Which candidate seems most qualified to be President of the United States? Why? Which candidate seems least qualified to be President of the United States? Why?

Exhibit 3 Here are the results of a hypothetical, presidential election Candidate Popular Results Electoral Results A 108,740 84 B 47,136 37 C 46,618 41 D 153,544 99 Which candidate received the most popular votes? Which Candidate received the most electoral votes? Which candidate became President of the United States? Was the result surprising in light of who you thought was most and least qualified?

There are three important provisions of this Amendment. What are they? Exhibit 4 Amendment Twelve, United States Constitution (1804) - “If no person have such a majority [of electoral votes], then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as president, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President…” Point 1: a candidate has to receive a majority of electoral votes to win the Presidential election Point 2: If a candidate does not receive a majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives elects the President Point 3: Only the candidates receiving the three highest number of popular votes is eligible for consideration in the House election There are three important provisions of this Amendment. What are they?

Let’s Go back to Exhibit 3 Here are the results of a hypothetical, presidential election Candidate Popular Results Electoral Results A 108,740 84 B 47,136 37 C 46,618 41 D 153,544 99 Why would the section of the 12th Amendment be relevant in this election? How many electoral votes would be needed to win this election? In this case, who is given the Constitutional authority to decide this election?

Looking back at the data, which candidate seems to be at an advantage when the House chooses the next president? Under the 12th Amendment, who was disqualified from running in the House election? Despite his “Constitutional” elimination from the race, was there any way Candidate B might benefit politically from the situation? Qualifications Candidate A Talented Secretary of State Candidate B Speaker of the House of Reps Candidate C Treasurer Candidate D Military Hero Candidate Popular Results Electoral Results A 108,740 84 B 47,136 37 C 46,618 41 D 153,544 99

The Story Behind the Data The data was not hypothetical. It is the real data from early elections in US History President Year First Elected Federal Office Held Before Election 1. George Washington 1788 - 2. John Adams 1796 Washington’s Vice President 3. Thomas Jefferson 1800 Washington’s Secretary of State, Adams’ Vice President 4. James Madison 1808 Jefferson’s Secretary of State 5. James Monroe 1816 Madison’s Secretary of State Figure 5: Prior Offices Held by Early US Presidents

The Story Behind the Data The data was not hypothetical. It is the real data from early elections in US History Candidate Section Experience John Quincy Adams New England President Monroe’s talented Secretary of State Henry Clay West Speaker of the House of Representatives William Crawford Southeast President Monroe’s Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Jackson Southwest Hero of the Battle of New Orleans Figure 6: Candidate in Presidential Election of 1824

The Story Behind the Data The data was not hypothetical. It is the real data from early elections in US History Candidate Popular Votes Received Electoral Votes Received John Quincy Adams 108,740 84 Henry Clay 47,136 37 William Crawford 46,618 41 Andrew Jackson 153,544 99 Figure 7: Results of the election of 1824

The Story Behind the Data If you had been Henry Clay, how might you have used your influence to benefit from the situation in which you now found yourself? As was the case in the Presidential election of 1820, the Republican Party faced on serious challenge. The disloyalty of the Federalists during the War of 1812, as highlighted by their perceived threats at the Hartford Convention, brought about the dissolution of the Republicans’ rival party. Nevertheless, within the Republican Party a number of people wanted to become President. Four individuals ran serious campaigns and received support from within the different sections of the country that they represented. By the time the House of Representatives met to make its decision, one man suffered a physical setback. William Crawford suffered a serious stroke that left him a paralytic wreck, unable to walk normally or speak distinctly. The race came down to a choice between Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams. As a result of placing fourth in the electoral vote, Henry Clay was eliminated BUT, as Speaker of the House that would now choose the President, Clay’s influence was viewed as pivotal.

After a lengthy private conference with John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay (Adams’ former opponent), threw his powerful support to Adams. The House of Representatives elected Adams to the Presidency on February 9, 1825. Three days later, President-elect Adams formally offered the position of Secretary of State to (you guessed it) - Henry Clay. The supporters of Andrew Jackson (who had received more popular and electoral votes than Adams in the general election) were both suspicious and angry. They accused Adams and Clay of entering into a “corrupt bargain” through which Adams had “purchased” the Presidency from Henry Clay. Jackson, they claimed, had been cheated out of the Presidency!

Debrief What was the “corrupt bargain” that allegedly took place during the Election of 1824? Is it fair to say that Andrew Jackson was cheated out of the Presidency in 1824? What important political effect do you think the “corrupt bargain” might have had on American political history?

Let’s start investigating What might be useful sources or documents that might be analyzed to determine whether a “corrupt bargain” actually occurred in the election of 1824? You will now going to examine some evidence….