None of the 1824 presidential candidates received the required majority votes, so the decision was sent to the House of Representatives as required by the 12th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The candidates with the most votes were Andrew Jackson, who got 99 electoral votes, and John Quincy Adams who got 84. The House of Representatives voted in favor of Adams, having being influenced by Henry Clay, the House Speaker. Clay strongly disapproved of Andrew Jackson, so he worked with others in the House of Representatives to elect John Adams as the 6th President of the United States. In return for Clay’s support, Adams appointed Clay as the Secretary of State. Jackson’s supporters termed the appointment a “corrupt bargain,” arguing that it displayed a corrupt system in which the elite insiders forged coalitions in pursuit of self-interests, ignoring the will and voice of the people.

Source: The 1824 Election and the “Corrupt Bargain”
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