John Quincy Adams became secretary of state as part of the “corrupt bargain” of 1824. Option A is correct.
In the 1824 election, in which an absolute majority was not achieved in the Electoral College, the 12th Amendment determined that the Presidential election be sent to the House of Representatives, whose Speaker and candidate in his own right, Henry Clay, gave his support to John Quincy Adams, and was then appointed as his Secretary of State. In the 1876 election, accusations of corruption stemmed from officials who were responsible of counting the necessary and hotly contested electoral votes of both sides.
