John Quincy Adams is lucky to be president. He actually lost the popular vote to Andrew Jackson by a wide margin. However, Jackson did not reach the 50 percent threshold in the Electoral College vote, and there were three other men in contention, including Adams. In a series of backdoor moves, Adams was able to convince Henry Clay to give him his votes. The other candidate, William Crawford of Georgia, paralyzed and nearly blind from a recent stroke, kept his small tally. Clay, from Kentucky, was Speaker of the House and not a natural ally to Adams. However, after Adams secured Clay’s support,
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