1 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:32,600 Speaker 1: I'm Bob Crawford. This is founding son John Quincy's America. 2 00:00:34,839 --> 00:00:39,679 Speaker 1: There's a town in Massachusetts, just outside of Boston called Quincy. 3 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:43,999 Speaker 1: In that town you'll find a home called Peacefield. And 4 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:48,479 Speaker 1: in that house you'll find a clock. It's a clock 5 00:00:48,559 --> 00:00:51,639 Speaker 1: that belonged to John Adams, our second president, one of 6 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:56,679 Speaker 1: our founders. It still works today, marking the seconds and hours, 7 00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 1: two hundred years after his death. I like to imagine 8 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 1: John and his wife Abigail, sitting in their parlor hearing 9 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:06,480 Speaker 1: it tick as they talked about the nation they helped create. 10 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:10,040 Speaker 1: What would they have said about it? I like to 11 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 1: imagine their son, John Quincy Adams, greeted by its steady 12 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:18,320 Speaker 1: beat when he returned home from Washington for his father's funeral. 13 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,080 Speaker 1: John Quincy was President of the United States when his 14 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:27,920 Speaker 1: father died. Like his father before him, he reached the 15 00:01:27,960 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 1: pinnacle of political success. Yet he never escaped the long 16 00:01:32,320 --> 00:01:37,960 Speaker 1: shadow cast by the founding father, John Adams. John Quincy 17 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:41,920 Speaker 1: Adams would not be remembered as a national hero no 18 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:45,400 Speaker 1: matter what he did, how hard he tried, or how 19 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 1: much time he had. By many accounts, John Quincy Adams 20 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:55,960 Speaker 1: accomplished just as much even more than his father, beginning 21 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 1: with his education in staycraft at just ten years old, 22 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 1: following his dad on diplomatic missions to France during the 23 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:07,280 Speaker 1: height of the American Revolution. In life, facing down Southern 24 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 1: politicians who held Congress in a chokehold, John Quincy Adams 25 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:17,600 Speaker 1: was the only president elected to the House of Representatives 26 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:22,400 Speaker 1: after leaving office. You could argue that he did more 27 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:25,760 Speaker 1: for this nation in his nearly two decades as a 28 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 1: congressman than he did as President, thrusting the issue of 29 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:34,520 Speaker 1: slavery to the center of political debate when Southern politicians 30 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 1: wanted to silence the very discussion of it. The slave ocracy, 31 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:43,160 Speaker 1: as John Quincy called it, had to be stopped. The 32 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 1: slavery the snake coiled under the table when the Constitution 33 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 1: was drafted, was unfurled and slithering into our culture and 34 00:02:50,920 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 1: our laws. The head of the snake needed to be 35 00:02:53,800 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 1: lopped clean off. John Quincy never gave up the fight, 36 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:03,680 Speaker 1: ultimately collapsing at his desk in the US Capitol and 37 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 1: dying on the job, paving the way for Abraham Lincoln 38 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:11,200 Speaker 1: and the next generation of lawmakers and activists to finally 39 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: end human bondage in America. He was the right man 40 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:18,640 Speaker 1: for his time, a bridge that linked the founding of 41 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:21,960 Speaker 1: our nation to the war that freed its enslaved citizens 42 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:26,239 Speaker 1: and preserve the union. His war was not against tyranny 43 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:29,200 Speaker 1: like his father's, but a war for the direction of 44 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:32,880 Speaker 1: the fledgling nation, a nation being pulled apart as a 45 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:39,760 Speaker 1: new generation took the reins. This is what led me 46 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 1: to tell the story of John Quincy Adams, a man 47 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 1: whose story is just as relevant today as it was 48 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:48,840 Speaker 1: two hundred years ago. Some of you know me as 49 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:52,200 Speaker 1: a musician. I'm the basis for the Avett Brothers, and 50 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 1: as a musician, I spent a lot of time on 51 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:58,640 Speaker 1: the road. I fill that time by reading mostly biographies 52 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 1: in American history. Some of you who know me well 53 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 1: know I also host a historical podcast called The to Now. 54 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:09,280 Speaker 1: Of all the figures in American history who have gotten 55 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 1: lost in the annals of time, John Quincy Adams tops 56 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:16,719 Speaker 1: my list. Can you name one of his accomplishments. He 57 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:20,360 Speaker 1: fought to protect American democracy and build the nation while 58 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:23,360 Speaker 1: others sought to infiltrate the government and tear it down 59 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:27,600 Speaker 1: from the inside. He fought for the Constitution and American 60 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 1: ideals putting the nation above any political party, even his own. 61 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:37,360 Speaker 1: A true maverick, a poet, a public servant, a president. 62 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:43,320 Speaker 1: I'm Bob Crawford, and this is founding son John Quincy's America, 63 00:04:48,120 --> 00:05:02,240 Speaker 1: Chapter one, The Corrupt Bargain. In the late fall of 64 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:05,760 Speaker 1: eighteen twenty four, votes were still being counted in America's 65 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:10,440 Speaker 1: tenth presidential election. James Monroe was about to leave office. 66 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:14,440 Speaker 1: His secretary of State, John Quincy Adams, won in the gig. 67 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:17,920 Speaker 1: He was itching for it, so John Quincy threw his 68 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:21,440 Speaker 1: hat in the ring. Do you think that in some 69 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:25,440 Speaker 1: way inside, John Quincy Adams felt like the presidency was 70 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:27,239 Speaker 1: his birthright. Yes. 71 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:30,839 Speaker 2: I don't think it was really because he had some 72 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:32,960 Speaker 2: notion of hereditary succession. 73 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:36,279 Speaker 1: That's John Quincy Adams biographer James Traub. 74 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:40,480 Speaker 2: I think it's more because he was brought up by 75 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:46,880 Speaker 2: his parents to see serving this infant republic, which became 76 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:49,719 Speaker 2: a republic, it became a free nation while he was 77 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,719 Speaker 2: a boy as the highest good. 78 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:57,280 Speaker 1: By eighteen twenty four, one of the two original political parties, 79 00:05:57,320 --> 00:06:02,120 Speaker 1: the Federalist disintegrated, leaving really only one party, the Democratic 80 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:06,240 Speaker 1: Republican Party. Since every candidate was technically a member of 81 00:06:06,280 --> 00:06:09,560 Speaker 1: the same party. This period became known as the Era 82 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:13,640 Speaker 1: of Good Feelings. Despite the name, there was plenty of 83 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:18,160 Speaker 1: factionalism and discord. The four way race to replace Monroe 84 00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:23,880 Speaker 1: devolved into an all out brawl. Adams was facing off 85 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:26,039 Speaker 1: against the crowded field. And I don't want this to 86 00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:28,240 Speaker 1: get too confusing for you, so let me break it down. 87 00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:32,920 Speaker 1: These are the candidates. William Crawford no relation, a Georgia 88 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:37,360 Speaker 1: statesman and Monroe's Secretary of the Treasury. Henry Clay, a 89 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:41,200 Speaker 1: season lawmaker from Kentucky who is ambitious as it gets 90 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:45,880 Speaker 1: you'll see later. But his most potent challenger was Andrew Jackson, 91 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:49,000 Speaker 1: a US senator and former general from Tennessee. 92 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:59,200 Speaker 2: Andrew Jackson was an adventurer. He was not just a 93 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:03,280 Speaker 2: military figure. He was a military figure who almost could 94 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 2: not be restrained. He famously fought a war against first 95 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:13,440 Speaker 2: the Spanish and then the Indians, which was really brutal, 96 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:17,640 Speaker 2: and famously executed two British citizens who he said were 97 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:19,960 Speaker 2: agents on a drumhead. That is to say, he had 98 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:23,680 Speaker 2: his own impromptu court and hanged them. He was an 99 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:25,360 Speaker 2: ungovernable figure. 100 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:28,520 Speaker 1: Is there a single word or a sentence you would 101 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:29,960 Speaker 1: use to describe. 102 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:32,560 Speaker 3: Andrew Jackson probably not a very nice one. 103 00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:37,000 Speaker 1: Presidential historian Lindsay Schervinsky picks it up from there. 104 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:39,800 Speaker 3: By the time that he died, he owned one hundred 105 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:43,760 Speaker 3: and fifty enslaved people, which was a huge estate, and 106 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:47,960 Speaker 3: so he presented himself as this man of the people, 107 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:50,080 Speaker 3: but actually was incredibly wealthy. 108 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:54,200 Speaker 1: Jackson did not back down from a fight. For many 109 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:57,200 Speaker 1: Southerners at the time, dueling was a common way of life, 110 00:07:57,360 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 1: and Jackson had a number of them under his belt. 111 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:03,440 Speaker 3: The concept of honor and honor culture some feels a 112 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:06,600 Speaker 3: little bit foreign to us, but it was essential at 113 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:09,480 Speaker 3: that point because your reputation and your honor was what 114 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:13,080 Speaker 3: made possible business arrangements, business deals, whether or not you 115 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:16,920 Speaker 3: could get credit, what families you were able to socialize 116 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:19,760 Speaker 3: with or marry into, and so it was really important 117 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:22,680 Speaker 3: to people, and there was this sense that you had 118 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:26,240 Speaker 3: to defend it, even up through violence, and so dueling 119 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:30,200 Speaker 3: was a very complex system, and most duels actually were 120 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:33,560 Speaker 3: not violent, and so Andrew Jackson himself had been in 121 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:36,480 Speaker 3: several duels where they agreed to either walk away or 122 00:08:36,520 --> 00:08:40,079 Speaker 3: they agreed to fire into the sky. So while fans 123 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:43,200 Speaker 3: of Hamilton may know that that duel was fatal, most 124 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:48,400 Speaker 3: were not. Now, some that Andrew Jackson were in were violent. 125 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:53,600 Speaker 1: In eighteen oh six, Jackson killed a man in a duel, 126 00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:56,920 Speaker 1: and in another one Jackson took a bullet to the shoulder. 127 00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:00,960 Speaker 1: In the election of eighteen twenty four, all bets were 128 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:04,600 Speaker 1: on Jackson to win. He was a war hero, a firebrand, 129 00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:08,040 Speaker 1: riding a populist wave. More states were joining the Union 130 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:11,960 Speaker 1: all the time, bringing new voters to each election, and Jackson, 131 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:15,400 Speaker 1: being a tough talking Southerner, was popular with these voters. 132 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:19,040 Speaker 1: He promised to wrestle federal government control from New England 133 00:09:19,120 --> 00:09:21,600 Speaker 1: and East Coast elites and put it in the hands 134 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:24,400 Speaker 1: of the people. Whether it was true or not, he 135 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:27,959 Speaker 1: was seen as one of them, a common man empowering 136 00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:29,000 Speaker 1: the common man. 137 00:09:29,720 --> 00:09:33,400 Speaker 3: A lot of states started to amend their suffrage laws, 138 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:36,360 Speaker 3: meaning more people had the right to vote. Now, of course, 139 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:39,600 Speaker 3: at this time it still really only applied to white men, 140 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:43,600 Speaker 3: but a lot of states dropped the property requirements, so 141 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:47,040 Speaker 3: even if you were not a landholder, you could still vote, 142 00:09:47,679 --> 00:09:50,680 Speaker 3: which meant that what we might think of as more 143 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:54,240 Speaker 3: sort of radical voters started to have a voice in 144 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:55,120 Speaker 3: this process. 145 00:09:57,240 --> 00:10:01,480 Speaker 1: Establishment politicians like Clan Adams feared Jackson, and they had 146 00:10:01,480 --> 00:10:03,280 Speaker 1: no idea what he would do as president. 147 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:06,240 Speaker 3: They didn't know if he would work to undermine these 148 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:09,959 Speaker 3: institutions that they felt were really essential to long term success. 149 00:10:10,400 --> 00:10:12,840 Speaker 3: And there was a lingering sense, and this had been 150 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:18,600 Speaker 3: an inheritance from the founding generation, that populism or mob 151 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:23,480 Speaker 3: control would lead to anarchy, and so they weren't sure 152 00:10:23,520 --> 00:10:26,120 Speaker 3: if you gave the people too much power what they 153 00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:27,800 Speaker 3: would do with it, if they would tear down the 154 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:31,319 Speaker 3: entire system. 155 00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:35,000 Speaker 1: If you were a voter in eighteen twenty four, Jackson 156 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:38,600 Speaker 1: was the wild card and Adams was the safe bet. 157 00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:41,640 Speaker 1: He promised to unite the nation, and he was by 158 00:10:41,679 --> 00:10:43,840 Speaker 1: far the most qualified to be president. 159 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:49,000 Speaker 2: In John Quincy Adams's day, the presidency was almost a 160 00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:53,280 Speaker 2: thing that you succeeded to by right, that is to say, 161 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:57,280 Speaker 2: you earned your way to it by conspicuous public service. 162 00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 2: Adams had been a diplomat from the age of twenty six. 163 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:03,760 Speaker 2: Really he became America's senior diplomat while he was still 164 00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:04,920 Speaker 2: in his thirties. 165 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:08,160 Speaker 3: He had been the Secretary of State for eight years 166 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:12,480 Speaker 3: and had an incredible tenure, got some really major treaties 167 00:11:12,560 --> 00:11:15,520 Speaker 3: passed that were essential to the United States future, as 168 00:11:15,560 --> 00:11:19,120 Speaker 3: well as the articulation of the Monroe Doctrine, and was 169 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:21,559 Speaker 3: I think one of the best secretaries of State we've 170 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:22,079 Speaker 3: ever had. 171 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:26,000 Speaker 1: Up until eighteen twenty four. Being secretary of State was 172 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:29,400 Speaker 1: like being president in waiting. In the short life of 173 00:11:29,400 --> 00:11:33,400 Speaker 1: the Republic, three former secretaries of State were elected President, 174 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 1: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. Now Adams was up. 175 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:46,240 Speaker 3: So he's coming into this position thinking, surely, hit some 176 00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:50,320 Speaker 3: my turn. Surely the American people will select me and 177 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:52,320 Speaker 3: recognize these credentials. 178 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:54,960 Speaker 1: As he waited for the election. In the fall of 179 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:59,280 Speaker 1: eighteen twenty four, Adams returned to Quincy to visit his 180 00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:03,600 Speaker 1: aging father, the ex president. Pondering his fate, he walked 181 00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:07,480 Speaker 1: through the family graveyard, visiting his sister Nabby, who had 182 00:12:07,520 --> 00:12:11,800 Speaker 1: died from breast cancer. As he paced, perhaps the words 183 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:15,160 Speaker 1: of his father rang in his ear. If you do 184 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:17,920 Speaker 1: not rise to the head not only of your profession, 185 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:20,400 Speaker 1: but of your country, it will be owing to your 186 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:26,640 Speaker 1: own laziness, slovenliness, and obstinacy. Adams also stopped at the 187 00:12:26,679 --> 00:12:30,800 Speaker 1: grave of his great great grandfather, Henry Adams, who came 188 00:12:30,840 --> 00:12:33,760 Speaker 1: over from England nearly two centuries. 189 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:38,480 Speaker 4: Before last another century, we shall all be moldering in 190 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:44,560 Speaker 4: the same dust, or resolved in the same elements. You, then, 191 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:48,480 Speaker 4: of our posterity, shall visit this yard. What shall he 192 00:12:48,560 --> 00:12:53,360 Speaker 4: read engraved upon the stones? This is known only to 193 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:58,319 Speaker 4: the creator of all The record may be longer, may 194 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:01,640 Speaker 4: be of as blameless lives. 195 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:06,360 Speaker 1: When the election got under weigh in October, John Quincy's 196 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:10,520 Speaker 1: anxiety only got worse. What if all this experience, his 197 00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:14,000 Speaker 1: diplomatic skills, his knowledge, What if it wasn't enough to 198 00:13:14,120 --> 00:13:17,320 Speaker 1: rise above the anger and resentment the war hero General 199 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:21,240 Speaker 1: Jackson stoked in the minds of voters, what do you 200 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:24,719 Speaker 1: think was going through John Quincy Adam's head while the 201 00:13:24,800 --> 00:13:25,880 Speaker 1: votes were being counted? 202 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:30,520 Speaker 3: He so desperately doesn't want to care, and yet cares 203 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:34,120 Speaker 3: so much, And he sort of detested himself for wanting 204 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:34,840 Speaker 3: it so badly. 205 00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:38,840 Speaker 1: When the votes were finally tallied, US Secretary of War 206 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:42,840 Speaker 1: John C. Calhoun won a clear majority to become vice president. 207 00:13:43,560 --> 00:13:46,800 Speaker 1: In the presidential race, Jackson was the clear front runner, 208 00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:49,800 Speaker 1: but the four way race split the vote so much 209 00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:53,800 Speaker 1: that no single candidate won a majority of votes or electors. 210 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:58,320 Speaker 3: Under the rules of the current system, the top three candidates. 211 00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:00,360 Speaker 3: If there was no majority, which there was not, the 212 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:03,480 Speaker 3: top three candidates would go to the House, and the 213 00:14:03,520 --> 00:14:06,319 Speaker 3: House of Representatives would be in charge of then basically 214 00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:07,720 Speaker 3: selecting the next president. 215 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:13,679 Speaker 1: For the second time in America's short history, the House 216 00:14:13,679 --> 00:14:17,480 Speaker 1: of Representatives would decide who would become the next president. 217 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:20,640 Speaker 1: If that sounds like a complicated and contentious way to 218 00:14:20,640 --> 00:14:24,080 Speaker 1: decide an election, it is not to mention the House 219 00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:28,880 Speaker 1: of Representatives circa eighteen twenty four wasn't exactly like we 220 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:30,520 Speaker 1: see these days on c SPAN. 221 00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:37,240 Speaker 3: The House was really quite calamitous. So there's a great 222 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:40,360 Speaker 3: book by Joanne Freeman that talks about the violence in 223 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:42,960 Speaker 3: the House of Representatives leading up to the Civil War 224 00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:45,480 Speaker 3: called The Field of Blood, and it talks about how 225 00:14:45,520 --> 00:14:50,200 Speaker 3: the House chambers the floor was covered with straw because 226 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:54,720 Speaker 3: a lot of congressmen wouldn't bother to spit their tobacco 227 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:58,800 Speaker 3: juices into tins, and so the entire floor was just disgusting. 228 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:01,520 Speaker 3: A lot of people would kind of be coming in 229 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:03,760 Speaker 3: and out of the chambers. They would be taking naps 230 00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:08,400 Speaker 3: at their desk. There was often regular threats of violence, 231 00:15:08,440 --> 00:15:11,720 Speaker 3: so this was not a particularly esteemed branch of government 232 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:12,440 Speaker 3: at the moment. 233 00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:18,560 Speaker 1: The House scheduled the vote to decide the election for 234 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:23,040 Speaker 1: early February. Henry Clay was automatically eliminated because he got 235 00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:26,480 Speaker 1: the fewest votes. But Clay wasn't the type of guy 236 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:29,920 Speaker 1: to sit on the sidelines. He threw his support in 237 00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:32,760 Speaker 1: all his political capital behind Adams. 238 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:38,720 Speaker 2: Clay admired Adams. They were radically different people. Clay was 239 00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:41,640 Speaker 2: a Westerner and a card player, and a drinker and 240 00:15:41,680 --> 00:15:44,560 Speaker 2: a carouser, and I'm sure he was the world's most 241 00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:47,160 Speaker 2: charming person. We would have loved him if we met him. 242 00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:50,880 Speaker 2: Adams was not. Adams was a prickly, bearish New England, 243 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:53,880 Speaker 2: high principled, high toned federalist. 244 00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:59,080 Speaker 1: Clay and Adams both wanted a strong centralized government. They 245 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:02,280 Speaker 1: wanted a central bank. They wanted the federal government to 246 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:06,280 Speaker 1: fund national infrastructure projects to find the east to the 247 00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:10,720 Speaker 1: growing West. And they wanted tariffs to protect northern manufacturers 248 00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:11,960 Speaker 1: from farm products. 249 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:16,160 Speaker 3: And they didn't know what Jackson would do with all 250 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:18,200 Speaker 3: of those things. They didn't know if he would be 251 00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:21,560 Speaker 3: pro union or would be just pro Tennessee or pro West. 252 00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:26,520 Speaker 1: Even though they agreed on so much, Clay wasn't always 253 00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:29,680 Speaker 1: a fan of Adams. The two had been political rivals 254 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:33,960 Speaker 1: when both vied to be Monroe's Secretary of State. Now 255 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:35,640 Speaker 1: they had a common enemy. 256 00:16:36,760 --> 00:16:39,960 Speaker 2: Clay hated Jackson, maybe because they were both Westerners, and 257 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:42,760 Speaker 2: he also regarded them as a dangerous figure because he 258 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:45,920 Speaker 2: was a general, and since Washington, America hadn't elected a 259 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:48,040 Speaker 2: general as president, so he regarded him as what we 260 00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:51,040 Speaker 2: would now call a man on horseback, like Napoleon. 261 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:52,960 Speaker 1: Here's how Henry Clay put. 262 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:56,520 Speaker 3: It, I cannot believe that killing twenty five hundred Englishmen 263 00:16:56,560 --> 00:17:00,640 Speaker 3: at New Orleans qualifies for the various, difficult and complicated 264 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:05,920 Speaker 3: duties of the Chief Magistry. So there was no way 265 00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:08,680 Speaker 3: he was going to support Jackson period. He just could 266 00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:12,480 Speaker 3: not stand him. 267 00:17:12,800 --> 00:17:16,639 Speaker 1: Adams knew that Clay, a congressman from Kentucky, could be 268 00:17:16,719 --> 00:17:19,559 Speaker 1: an ally in the House vote, but he had to 269 00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:23,879 Speaker 1: tread lightly. The two couldn't be seen doing anything that's 270 00:17:23,919 --> 00:17:25,040 Speaker 1: smacked of scheming. 271 00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:31,799 Speaker 2: A complicated dance then ensued. Adams began to meet with 272 00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:36,679 Speaker 2: people who clearly were proxies for Clay, who made it 273 00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:41,759 Speaker 2: clear that if Adams could, and there was always a 274 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:46,759 Speaker 2: euphemism like treat mister Clay with the respect that he deserves, 275 00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:51,320 Speaker 2: nobody was more specific than that that he would feel 276 00:17:51,359 --> 00:17:54,679 Speaker 2: that it was right to support mister Adams. 277 00:17:55,560 --> 00:17:59,039 Speaker 1: In early January, just weeks before the House would decide 278 00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:02,679 Speaker 1: the election, Clay visited Adams in person for the first time. 279 00:18:03,399 --> 00:18:07,399 Speaker 1: Here's how Adams remembered it in his die. 280 00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:09,879 Speaker 2: Clay came to talk to me and we spoke frankly. 281 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:14,759 Speaker 2: He says of men and events, and he uses the 282 00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:19,520 Speaker 2: expression of prospective events future events. Well, does that mean 283 00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:22,840 Speaker 2: the future event of perhaps John Adams appointing Henry Clay 284 00:18:22,879 --> 00:18:24,839 Speaker 2: as Secretary of State. We don't know. 285 00:18:25,639 --> 00:18:28,919 Speaker 1: The meeting would be one both men would regret for 286 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:35,239 Speaker 1: the rest of their lives. Within days, the partisan press 287 00:18:35,959 --> 00:18:40,040 Speaker 1: and yes it was pretty rancorous, reported that Adams and 288 00:18:40,119 --> 00:18:45,240 Speaker 1: Clay were engaged in a corrupt bargain. They were scheming 289 00:18:45,719 --> 00:18:50,959 Speaker 1: to steal the election from Jackson. In his diary, John 290 00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:54,719 Speaker 1: Quincy feared the tension surrounding the election was growing, spreading 291 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:55,679 Speaker 1: beyond Washington. 292 00:18:56,520 --> 00:19:01,599 Speaker 4: Letter from Philadelphia threatening organized opposition in civil war if 293 00:19:01,679 --> 00:19:06,999 Speaker 4: Jackson is not chosen. This blustering as an air of desperation, 294 00:19:07,399 --> 00:19:09,560 Speaker 4: but we must meet it. 295 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:14,159 Speaker 3: Jackson's supporters became convinced that they had been robbed of 296 00:19:14,199 --> 00:19:18,239 Speaker 3: a rightful victory, that there had been election fraud, that 297 00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:21,480 Speaker 3: there was this deep stake ball trying to keep Jackson 298 00:19:21,560 --> 00:19:22,600 Speaker 3: from the White House. 299 00:19:23,679 --> 00:19:27,119 Speaker 1: The fragile unity holding the nation together was on the 300 00:19:27,159 --> 00:19:45,959 Speaker 1: brink of collapse. We'll have more after the break. Dawn 301 00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:49,760 Speaker 1: broke cold and snowy on the February morning the House 302 00:19:49,919 --> 00:19:53,839 Speaker 1: was set to decide the presidency. A long line of people, 303 00:19:54,159 --> 00:19:58,080 Speaker 1: dressed in their finest clothes, brave the weather, camping outside 304 00:19:58,119 --> 00:20:01,359 Speaker 1: the Capitol for hours. Many traveled days to get a 305 00:20:01,399 --> 00:20:04,359 Speaker 1: front row seat for the political spectacle about to unfold. 306 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:07,720 Speaker 1: And even though this was one of the most intense 307 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:11,280 Speaker 1: moments of John Quincy Adams's life, he avoided the commotions 308 00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:12,280 Speaker 1: surrounding the vote. 309 00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:15,160 Speaker 3: The way that he dealt with that was to kind 310 00:20:15,199 --> 00:20:17,239 Speaker 3: of ignore it and to try and go about his 311 00:20:17,320 --> 00:20:22,200 Speaker 3: daily business. He was very strict with his physical health regimen, 312 00:20:22,359 --> 00:20:25,639 Speaker 3: so he usually involved either along walk or swimming almost 313 00:20:25,679 --> 00:20:28,319 Speaker 3: every day. He tried to approach it like any other 314 00:20:28,399 --> 00:20:30,560 Speaker 3: day and be in the office and just treat it 315 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:33,800 Speaker 3: as a matter of state. Of course, that didn't really work, 316 00:20:33,840 --> 00:20:35,719 Speaker 3: and we can all kind of guess where his brain 317 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:38,279 Speaker 3: probably was. But he tried, He really tried. 318 00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:43,359 Speaker 1: This wasn't the first time the House decided a presidential election. Still, 319 00:20:43,639 --> 00:20:46,280 Speaker 1: nobody could predict how the vote would go down. 320 00:20:47,760 --> 00:20:52,679 Speaker 3: So the original constitution specified that in presidential elections, each 321 00:20:52,719 --> 00:20:55,639 Speaker 3: elector would cast two votes. One in theory was a 322 00:20:55,719 --> 00:20:58,040 Speaker 3: vote for the president, and one was a vote for 323 00:20:58,159 --> 00:21:02,080 Speaker 3: the vice president. Under that system, however, it remained that 324 00:21:02,159 --> 00:21:05,040 Speaker 3: if there was a tie, or if no one can 325 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:08,719 Speaker 3: it received a majority of the Electoral College votes, the 326 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:11,399 Speaker 3: election would go to the House of Representatives, and that 327 00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:14,600 Speaker 3: is what happened in eighteen hundred. The election went to 328 00:21:14,679 --> 00:21:17,599 Speaker 3: the House. It took thirty six ballots for them to 329 00:21:17,639 --> 00:21:22,879 Speaker 3: figure out that Thomas Jefferson would be the third president, thirty. 330 00:21:22,679 --> 00:21:25,920 Speaker 1: Six rounds of voting in the House to finally declare 331 00:21:25,959 --> 00:21:31,519 Speaker 1: Thomas Jefferson president. While the build up to the eighteen 332 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:35,119 Speaker 1: twenty four election was long and arduous, the vote itself 333 00:21:35,199 --> 00:21:38,239 Speaker 1: was simple. There were twenty four states at the time. 334 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:42,919 Speaker 1: The delegation from each state would cast a single vote 335 00:21:42,919 --> 00:21:46,760 Speaker 1: for either Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams or William Crawford, 336 00:21:47,719 --> 00:21:49,919 Speaker 1: but no one really saw Crawford as a threat. 337 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:54,320 Speaker 3: Crawford was incredibly ill. There was uncertainty whether or not 338 00:21:54,399 --> 00:21:56,479 Speaker 3: he would actually be able to serve out a full term, 339 00:21:56,560 --> 00:21:59,719 Speaker 3: so that's not exactly putting the country on its strongest foot. 340 00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:02,679 Speaker 1: It all came down to a two way race between 341 00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:08,039 Speaker 1: Jackson and Adams to capture an absolute majority of thirteen 342 00:22:08,199 --> 00:22:12,759 Speaker 1: votes to win. Behind the scenes, Henry Clay was whipping 343 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:16,839 Speaker 1: delegations into the Adams camp, encouraging state delegates who had 344 00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:19,800 Speaker 1: supported him to now vote for Adams. 345 00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:24,599 Speaker 2: Kentucky wanted Andrew Jackson to be president, but it was 346 00:22:24,719 --> 00:22:29,760 Speaker 2: the congressional delegation that made that decision, and they chose 347 00:22:29,879 --> 00:22:34,840 Speaker 2: to completely violate the will of the voters and cast 348 00:22:34,879 --> 00:22:39,000 Speaker 2: their vote for Adams. They had become what we would 349 00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:41,639 Speaker 2: nowadays call faithless electors. 350 00:22:42,159 --> 00:22:43,799 Speaker 1: So this is where we get the idea of a 351 00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:47,999 Speaker 1: corrupt bargain. James Trupp says that Clay promised Adams the 352 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:52,560 Speaker 1: support of Kentucky's congressional delegates, even though the state obviously 353 00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:53,520 Speaker 1: supported Jackson. 354 00:22:54,239 --> 00:23:01,119 Speaker 2: Once Kentucky had shifted, that began a series of other shifts. 355 00:23:01,359 --> 00:23:05,759 Speaker 2: And so a series of these smaller states, Maryland as well, 356 00:23:06,199 --> 00:23:10,439 Speaker 2: began to swing away from Jackson and towards Adams. 357 00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:15,119 Speaker 1: Thanks to Henry Clay, Adams won thirteen states in the 358 00:23:15,159 --> 00:23:19,000 Speaker 1: first round of voting, a slim majority, but enough to win. 359 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:24,600 Speaker 1: An old friend and former colleague, Alexander Everett, ran to 360 00:23:24,679 --> 00:23:28,119 Speaker 1: adams home on f Street with the news he won. 361 00:23:28,879 --> 00:23:31,080 Speaker 1: He would become the first son of a president to 362 00:23:31,080 --> 00:23:35,600 Speaker 1: become commander in chief. Later that night, President Monroe held 363 00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:39,439 Speaker 1: a celebration in honor of President elect Adams. All of 364 00:23:39,639 --> 00:23:40,520 Speaker 1: Washington was there. 365 00:23:41,239 --> 00:23:44,199 Speaker 2: So Jackson walks to the door with a lady on 366 00:23:44,320 --> 00:23:48,040 Speaker 2: his arm, and there is Adams. 367 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:52,080 Speaker 1: As the story goes, the crowd parted as Jackson approached Adams. 368 00:23:52,639 --> 00:23:55,999 Speaker 1: Nobody knew what he might say or do. This was 369 00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:58,240 Speaker 1: a man with a history of gunning down his rivals. 370 00:23:58,439 --> 00:24:01,560 Speaker 1: A bullet still lies in his shoulder. When Jackson got 371 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:02,760 Speaker 1: to Adams, he said. 372 00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:05,919 Speaker 5: I give you my left hand for the right, as 373 00:24:05,959 --> 00:24:09,559 Speaker 5: you see, is devoted to the fair. I hope you 374 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:11,119 Speaker 5: are very well, sir. 375 00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:17,559 Speaker 1: The gentility did not last. Just days after winning the 376 00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:22,679 Speaker 1: House vote and becoming president, Adams nominated Clay, not Jackson, 377 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:24,359 Speaker 1: to be a Secretary of State. 378 00:24:24,959 --> 00:24:29,200 Speaker 3: Well, there was an immediate blowback right away. Jackson's supporters 379 00:24:29,359 --> 00:24:31,560 Speaker 3: started chanting corruption. 380 00:24:33,919 --> 00:24:38,119 Speaker 1: Jackson was outraged Clay's ascension to Secretary of State was 381 00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:41,799 Speaker 1: proof that he and Adams had in fact hatched a 382 00:24:41,879 --> 00:24:42,639 Speaker 1: corrupt bargain. 383 00:24:43,239 --> 00:24:46,439 Speaker 5: The Judas of the West has closed the contract and 384 00:24:46,639 --> 00:24:50,840 Speaker 5: will receive the thirty pieces of silver. Was there ever 385 00:24:50,959 --> 00:24:54,359 Speaker 5: witnessed such a bear faced corruption in any country before? 386 00:24:55,199 --> 00:25:00,719 Speaker 2: It created this sense that John Quincy Adams had stolen 387 00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:06,279 Speaker 2: the presidency and Clay was the cynical inst whereby he 388 00:25:06,320 --> 00:25:10,439 Speaker 2: had stolen that presidency, and Clay insisted he'd done nothing wrong. 389 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:12,879 Speaker 2: Is that we had nothing on his conscience? He says, 390 00:25:12,919 --> 00:25:17,879 Speaker 2: something like these knaves can't even credit true innocence where 391 00:25:17,919 --> 00:25:20,119 Speaker 2: it exists. 392 00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:24,840 Speaker 1: Adams did offer Jackson the War Department, but Jackson had 393 00:25:24,919 --> 00:25:28,879 Speaker 1: no intention of taking the position. He was the rightful president. 394 00:25:29,439 --> 00:25:33,960 Speaker 1: How could he work with the usurper Adams. Stoked by 395 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:37,199 Speaker 1: fire and fury, jackson supporters geared up for his next 396 00:25:37,239 --> 00:25:39,080 Speaker 1: presidential run in eighteen twenty eight. 397 00:25:39,919 --> 00:25:43,960 Speaker 3: Immediately they started planning their revenge tour and the reelection 398 00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:47,479 Speaker 3: campaign for Jackson. So what was already a very well 399 00:25:47,639 --> 00:25:52,719 Speaker 3: organized organization became even more so, so they bulked up 400 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:58,280 Speaker 3: their newspapers. They started to build out their state infrastructure. 401 00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:04,959 Speaker 1: Newspapers ran wild, printing alternative facts claiming Adams stole the election, 402 00:26:05,439 --> 00:26:10,719 Speaker 1: calling him an illegitimate president. The Democratic Republican Party splintered 403 00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:14,199 Speaker 1: in two, laying the foundation for what would become the 404 00:26:14,399 --> 00:26:18,560 Speaker 1: new Democratic Party and sending the nation into a deep 405 00:26:18,639 --> 00:26:23,239 Speaker 1: and lasting division. Before Adams even took the oath of office, 406 00:26:23,359 --> 00:26:28,479 Speaker 1: his presidency was facing unyielding opposition. Jacksonian lawmakers vowed to 407 00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:32,439 Speaker 1: oppose all of Adam's objectives, pledging to make him a 408 00:26:32,639 --> 00:26:51,600 Speaker 1: one term president. On the next episode of Founding Sun. 409 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:55,799 Speaker 5: It appears we live in evil times when those exalted 410 00:26:55,879 --> 00:27:00,720 Speaker 5: to high, dignified, and honorable stations have abandoned the course 411 00:27:00,919 --> 00:27:02,679 Speaker 5: dictated by truth and honor. 412 00:27:03,359 --> 00:27:07,800 Speaker 2: There were so many reasons why Adams failed as president 413 00:27:08,479 --> 00:27:14,080 Speaker 2: that you almost could remove the legitimacy question and say 414 00:27:14,239 --> 00:27:15,599 Speaker 2: he still would have failed. 415 00:27:15,639 --> 00:27:20,359 Speaker 1: He Founding Son is a curiosity podcast brought to you 416 00:27:20,399 --> 00:27:24,039 Speaker 1: by iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. For help with 417 00:27:24,080 --> 00:27:27,479 Speaker 1: this episode, we want to thank James Traub, author of 418 00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:32,519 Speaker 1: John Quincy Adams Militant Spirit and Lindsay Stravinsky, author of 419 00:27:32,560 --> 00:27:36,480 Speaker 1: The Cabinet, George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution. 420 00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:42,119 Speaker 1: Our lead producer, story editor and sound designer is James Morrison. 421 00:27:42,679 --> 00:27:46,600 Speaker 1: Our senior producer is Jessica Metzger. Our production manager is 422 00:27:46,679 --> 00:27:51,840 Speaker 1: Daisy Church. Fact checking by Adam Bisno. Jesse Niswanger mixed 423 00:27:51,840 --> 00:27:57,320 Speaker 1: and mastered this episode. Executive producers are Virginia Prescott, Brandon barr, 424 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:02,119 Speaker 1: El C. Crowley, and Jason English. Original music by me 425 00:28:02,399 --> 00:28:07,680 Speaker 1: Bob Crawford. Additional scoring by Blue Sessions. John Quincy Adams 426 00:28:07,719 --> 00:28:11,560 Speaker 1: is voiced by Patrick Warburton, Andrew Jackson is voiced by 427 00:28:11,639 --> 00:28:16,879 Speaker 1: Nick Offerman. Luisa Adams is voiced by Gray Delisle. Additional 428 00:28:16,959 --> 00:28:20,959 Speaker 1: voice in this episode provided by John King. Show art 429 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:25,720 Speaker 1: designed by Darren Shock. Special thanks to John Higgins, Julia 430 00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:30,840 Speaker 1: Chris gaw, the Massachusetts Historical Society, and Mary Anne Peak 431 00:28:31,199 --> 00:28:34,560 Speaker 1: with the National Park Service for letting us record John 432 00:28:34,639 --> 00:28:38,999 Speaker 1: Quincy Adams's clock at Peacefield. If you enjoyed this podcast, 433 00:28:39,160 --> 00:28:42,440 Speaker 1: please give it a five star rating in your podcast app. 434 00:28:43,040 --> 00:28:46,280 Speaker 1: You can also check out other Curiosity podcasts to learn 435 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:50,799 Speaker 1: about history, pop culture, true crime, and more. This podcast 436 00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:54,400 Speaker 1: was recorded under a SAG after a collective bargaining agreement. 437 00:28:55,040 --> 00:28:57,800 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Bob Crawford, Thanks for listening. 438 00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:08,440 Speaker 2: School of Humans