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== The Election of 1824, also the Steamboat ==

== The Election of 1824, also the Steamboat ==

After Monroe served two terms and retired just like Washington, a bitter race for president developed.  Jackson started his own Democratic Party and ran against John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts, the son of John Adams.  Other candidates, such as Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky, also ran.  John Quincy Adams, a Democratic-Republican (and later a National Republican), was a former Federalist who supported a strong national government.  He had previously served as a minister to Russia.

After Monroe served two terms and retired just like Washington, a bitter race for president developed.  Jackson started his own Democratic Party and ran against John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts, the son of John Adams.  Other candidates, such as Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky, also ran.  John Quincy Adams, a Democratic-Republican (and later a National Republican), was a former Federalist who supported a strong national government.  He had previously served as a minister to Russia when it acted as mediator to help negotiate the Treaty of Ghent to end the War of 1812.

Until 1824 presidential candidates were nominated by Congressmen in an informal political meetings called a "caucus".  The caucus is still used today at some political conventions.  The presidential candidate [[Barack Obama]] did better than [[Hillary Clinton]] in states that used caucuses (rather than an election by voters), which enabled Obama to defeat Clinton for the Democratic nomination.  But in 1824, all the leading candidates for president were from the same political party (the Democratic-Republican Party), and no caucus was held to pick the nominee for the party.  Instead, they all were on the ballot on Election Day for the voters to select their choices.

Until 1824 presidential candidates were nominated by Congressmen in an informal political meeting called a "caucus".  The caucus is still used today at some political conventions.  The presidential candidate [[Barack Obama]] recently did better than [[Hillary Clinton]] in states that used caucuses (rather than an election by voters), which enabled Obama to defeat Clinton for the Democratic nomination.  But in 1824, all the leading candidates for president were from the same political party (the Democratic-Republican Party), and no caucus was held to pick the nominee for the party.  Instead, they all were on the ballot on Election Day for the voters to decide.

Jackson won more votes than Adams in the election but not enough to become president, so the election went into the House of Representatives.  There Clay apparently struck a private bargain with Adams, whereby Clay persuaded Congressmen to vote for Adams and Adams made Clay his Secretary of State.  Jackson ("Old Hickory") supporters criticized this as the "corrupt bargain" and Jackson, campaigning against this "corruption", crushed Adams in the presidential election four years later.

Jackson won more votes than Adams on Election Day but not enough to become President, so the election went into the House of Representatives.  There Clay apparently struck a private bargain with Adams, whereby Clay persuaded Congressmen to vote for Adams, and Adams, after he won, appointed Clay to be Secretary of State.  Supporters of Jackson ("Old Hickory") harshly criticized this as the "corrupt bargain." Jackson, campaigning against this "corruption", crushed Adams in the presidential election four years later.

The national government kept passing tariffs to increase its funding, such as the Tariff of 1824.  Henry Clay adopted a term, the "American System," to justify a protective tariff plus internal improvements nationwide as a way of expanding our domestic economy and decreasing our dependence on foreign sources.

The national government kept passing tariffs to increase its funding, such as the Tariff of 1824.  Henry Clay adopted a term, the "American System," to justify a protective tariff plus internal improvements nationwide as a way of expanding our domestic economy and decreasing our dependence on foreign sources.