Fourth Grade
Worksheets
John Quincy Adams as President
John Quincy Adams was the sixth president of the United States. He was only president for four years. The people of the country did not elect him. The House of Representatives picked him as the next president after the election in 1824.
Four men ran for president in 1824. Adams was the son of the second president. He had been the Secretary of State. He had also helped to end the War of 1812.
People thought that Adams was a smart man. But they also thought he was cold toward other people. Adams did not like to be with common people. This showed when he was out campaigning for people to vote for him.
Adams did not get enough votes to become president. No one else did, either. Because of this, the House of Representatives had to pick the winner. Andrew Jackson had received the most votes. People thought that Jackson should become president.
Henry Clay was the Speaker of the House. He had also run for president in the election. He had finished fourth and could not be picked. Instead, he told members of the House to vote for Adams. They listened to him. Adams became the next president.
After Adams was named the president, he named Clay as his Secretary of State. This was called a "corrupt bargain." Others said that Clay and Adams had made a deal so that Adams could become president.
The men said that this was not true. Adams was the new president of the country. He already had problems. Many people were angry because of the election. Adams would have to find a way to bring the country back together.
Adams had a plan to help the country's economy keep growing. He thought that the government should pay for new roads and canals. They would help farmers get their goods to bigger cities.
He also said that the government should give money to help the arts and sciences. He wanted the country to build a university. He also wanted to build an observatory. From here, scientists would be able to study the stars.
