Henry Clay's appointment as secretary of state, 7 March 1825
Summary
Reproduction number: A23 (color slide)
In the presidential campaign of 1824 the candidates were John Quincy Adams (1767-1848), Henry Clay (1777-1852), William Harris Crawford (1772-1834), and Andrew Jackson (1767-1845). Clay received the smallest number of votes cast and was eliminated from the race. Since none of the other candidates had received a majority of the electoral college votes, the outcome was decided by the House of Representatives. Clay used his influence to help deliver the vote of Kentucky's congressional delegation to Adams, in spite of a resolution by the Kentucky state legislature that instructed the delegation to vote for Jackson. When Clay was subsequently appointed to the first place in Adams's cabinet--secretary of state--the Jackson camp raised the cry of "corrupt bargain," a charge that was to follow Clay thereafter and thwart his future presidential ambitions.
Tags
Date
Source
Copyright info