When the New York congressmen voted, Van Rensselaer was still not certain. He put his head down on his desk and asked God to help him make the right choice.
After this short prayer, he opened his eyes and saw on the floor at his feet a piece of paper with Adams's name on it. Van Rensselaer picked it up and put it in the ballot box as his vote.
This gave Adams the vote of the state of New York and made him the next president of the United States.
Two days later, Adams told President Monroe that he had decided to offer the job of secretary of state to Clay. He said he was doing so because of the western support he had received.
Clay accepted the offer.
Now, Jackson was sure that Clay had sold his vote to Adams for the top cabinet job. He wrote to a friend: "Was there ever before such bare faced corruption? What is this trade of vote for office, if not bribery?"
Jackson, himself a senator, showed his feelings when the Senate was asked to approve Clay as secretary of state. He voted no. And 13 other senators joined him against the nomination. But they were too few to prevent Clay from getting the job.
With Clay as his secretary of state, John Quincy Adams began his first term as president. His administration will be our story next week.
I’m Steve Ember, inviting you to join us next time for The Making of a Nation – American History from VOA Learning English.
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2013-11-25
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