Andrew Jackson accused Henry Clay of using his influence to broker the "corrupt bargain" of 1824 (which cost Andrew Jackson the election) because Clay
Andrew Jackson accused Henry Clay of using his influence to broker the "corrupt bargain" of 1824 (which cost Andrew Jackson the election) because Clay Correct Answer was promised a cabinet position if John Quincy Adams was elected president
The election of 1824 is one of the more infamous elections in American political history and exposes one of the unanticipated flaws in the Electoral College system. Because of the winner-take-all system of awarding electoral votes in most states, it is possible for a candidate to actually win the popular vote nationwide but lose the election. According to the Constitution, a candidate must win a majority, not a plurality, of electoral votes to win the presidential election. If no one candidate receives the requisite majority, the election is "thrown into the House," and the House of Representatives chooses the president from among the top three candidates. In the event this occurs, each state casts only one vote. Because there were five candidates running for president in 1824, it was almost impossible for anyone to receive a majority. Realizing that he did not have enough support to win the presidency, Henry Clay threw his support to John Quincy Adams in exchange for Adams's promise to make Clay his secretary of state. Jackson believed he lost the election because of this "corrupt bargain."