Presidential Election of 1824

The Candidates

Andrew Jackson, a military hero for his service during the War of 1812 and the Battle of New Orleans, as well as his battles against Native Americans, was in his second stint as Senator from Tennessee. He had previously served as a representative and territorial governor of Florida, though he had resigned from each of his positions. He was known as a man of the people, but was not universally popular. His iron-fisted rule of his troops caused many political leaders to view his military service as indicative that he did not possess the temperament to exercise civilian power. In fact, during his prosecution of the Seminole Wars, he drew rebuke from the House of Representatives, including Speaker Henry Clay, who took a dim view of Jackson's “penchant for shooting wayward militiamen and soldiers with as much zeal as his British and Indian enemies and hoped that the populace would seek a more refined leader as president.” Fellow Democrat Thomas Jefferson said that he did not believe Jackson possessed the proper disposition for civilian leadership. Jackson was, however, admired for having brought himself out of poverty.

John Quincy Adams, in contrast, had been brought up in high society. He was son of the former president, and the sitting secretary of state under President James Monroe. In his younger days, he had studied in Europe, and had a much more cosmopolitan lifestyle than did any of his opponents, or almost any American at that time. He did not have a charming personality to match his immense talents. His wife stated her displeasure with the manner in which he acted toward others who did not possess his intellectual aptitude. Adams acknowledged that his personality lagged behind his other abilities, citing statements from his political and personal opponents, but he did not believe he could change. Professionally, he had been a successful proponent of U.S. interests throughout his career. Among other things, he had a hand in negotiating the Treaty of Ghent to end the War of 1812, and had negotiated from Spain the cession of Florida, which included a westward expansion. His personality defects, though, seemed to overshadow his positive traits.

Presidential candidate John Quincy Adams received 84 electoral votes in the 1824 election.

William Crawford was the sitting secretary of the treasury and the choice of the Democratic-Republican Party leadership. He had received overwhelming support at the sparsely attended party caucus. Due to a paralytic stroke suffered in September 1823, Crawford was unable to campaign for the presidency, and by the time of the election, was not expected to win. Henry Clay was the sitting speaker of the House from Kentucky. A lawyer first elected to the House in 1812, he became speaker during his first term and had used his position appointing committee chair to consolidate his power and gain more effective control of the body. John C. Calhoun, who would serve as vice president under both Adams and Jackson, once a contender, but when he realized that the number of viable candidates made it unlikely that any of them would achieve an electoral majority, he dropped out of the race and threw his support to Jackson.

...