Many Americans felt that the result of the 1824 election was fraudulent because the candidate who received the most popular and electoral votes, Andrew Jackson, did not win the presidency. Instead, the House of Representatives decided the outcome in favor of John Quincy Adams, who had received fewer popular and electoral votes. This was seen as a violation of democratic principles and led to accusations of a "corrupt bargain" between Adams and Henry Clay, who was the Speaker of the House at the time. The perceived manipulation of the election process and the disregard of the popular vote fueled widespread belief in the election's fraudulent nature.
