Election of 1824 - Timeline

January Near the end of James Monroe’s term, the leading presidential candidates include John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, William Crawford, Andrew Jackson, and John Calhoun.

May Averse to public campaigning, candidates privately garner the influence of as many political “friends” as possible. Crawford is the favorite, while Calhoun has dropped out of the race.

Decemeber Andrew Jackson secures the most votes, but no candidate wins an outright majority. The House of Representatives will hold a vote with the top three candidates: Jackson, Adams, and Crawford.

January Adams may have given Clay assurance of his place in the new administration in exchange for his influence in the Kentucky vote in an unofficial deal that Jackson will dub the “corrupt bargain.”

February 1825 The House elects Adams with 13 votes, Jackson gets 7, and Crawford takes 4. Jackson vows to unseat Adams in 1828, beginning an era of political rancor.