In what year did the “corrupt bargain” occur

The "corrupt bargain" refers to an event that took place during the United States presidential election of 1824. This alleged arrangement occurred after no candidate secured a majority of the electoral votes, requiring the House of Representatives to choose the winner among the top three candidates. The deal was purportedly between John Quincy Adams, who eventually won, and Henry Clay, who was the Speaker of the House at the time. It is alleged that Adams promised Clay the position of Secretary of State in return for Clay's support in the House. The "corrupt bargain" is said to have taken place in 1824.

Extra: The election of 1824 featured four major candidates, all of whom were members of the Democratic-Republican Party, as this was a time when America's two-party system was in its infancy. The candidates were John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, William H. Crawford, and Henry Clay. None of the candidates managed to secure a majority in the Electoral College, which was necessary for a win at the time (as it is now). Andrew Jackson received the most electoral votes, but still not enough for a majority.

According to the Constitution, if no candidate wins a majority in the Electoral College, the House of Representatives must choose the president from among the three candidates with the most electoral votes. In this instance, the House had to choose between Jackson, Adams, and Crawford (Henry Clay, as the fourth-place candidate, was eliminated).

After the selection, which saw Adams prevail, Jackson and his supporters furiously claimed that a "corrupt bargain" had been struck between Adams and Clay. The outcry was partly because, after Adams became president, he appointed Clay as his Secretary of State, which was seen as a stepping stone to the presidency.

This incident led to a deep division in U.S. politics and is often cited as the beginning of the split that resulted in the formation of new political parties. Moreover, the term "corrupt bargain" became a rallying cry for Andrew Jackson and his supporters and helped him secure the presidency in the 1828 election.