The Ugly Election That Birthed Modern American Politics
One of the most bitterly fought elections in U.S. history saw a split electoral college and the winner decided by “corrupt bargain.â€
By James Traub
This story appears in the November/December 2016 issue of National Geographic History magazine.
Before the election of 1824, the United States was at the tail end of the so-called Era of Good Feelings, a time when political partisanship was low and one party, the Democratic-Republicans, dominated U.S. national politics. The election of 1824 ended that era. Clashing interests on protectionism and trade, as well as sharply divided views on the role of government and America’s place in the larger world, created lasting schisms. By declining to give the nod to a designated successor, President James Monroe allowed a wide-open campaign to develop. Four men—John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, William Crawford, and Andrew Jackson—sought the presidency. The ensuing battles would transform politics, leading to a new democratic culture as well as to the Democratic Party.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/magazine/2016/11-12/america-presidential-elections-1824-corrupt-bargain/
