The Election of 1824 wasn’t just another presidential contest—it was a political brawl that exposed the fractures in the so-called “Era of Good Feelings.”

Four candidates, all claiming the banner of the Democratic-Republican Party, fought for control of the White House, but none secured an electoral majority. Enter the House of Representatives, where backroom deals and personal vendettas determined the outcome. Andrew Jackson won the popular vote, but John Quincy Adams took the presidency, thanks to what Jackson’s supporters called a “corrupt bargain.”

Today, we break down the election that changed everything—and set the stage for modern American politics.