Final answer:
The term 'corrupt bargain' refers to the supposed deal between John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay during the 1824 presidential election, which resulted in Adams becoming president and appointing Clay as Secretary of State despite allegations of a rigged agreement by Andrew Jackson and his supporters.
Step-by-step explanation:
What is the Corrupt Bargain of 1824?
The term corrupt bargain refers to the alleged backroom deal between John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay during the 1824 presidential election. After none of the candidates secured a majority of the electoral votes, the decision went to the House of Representatives. It was here that Henry Clay, who was Speaker of the House and a candidate who had been eliminated from contention, was believed to have thrown his support behind Adams. Shortly after Adams won the presidency in the House vote, he appointed Clay as his Secretary of State. This appointment raised suspicions and was labeled as evidence of a corrupt bargain by Andrew Jackson, who had won the most popular and electoral votes but not a majority. Jackson's supporters were outraged, viewing the entire sequence of events as an anti-democratic subversion of the popular will and as an example of cronyism prevalent in Washington politics. The scandal and perception of corruption overshadowed Adams's presidency and were pivotal in Jackson's successful campaign for the presidency in 1828.
Despite the accusations and public outcry from Jackson and his advocates, there was minimal hard evidence to confirm a premeditated deal between Adams and Clay. Nevertheless, the prevalent rumors and accusations of a corrupt bargain proved politically detrimental to Adams, permeating his term and serving as a significant factor in the heated election of 1828.