Adams presided over major repairs and further construction on the National Road, and shortly after he left office the National Road extended from Cumberland, Maryland, to Zanesville, Ohio.[116] The Adams administration also saw the beginning of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal; the construction of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal and the Louisville and Portland Canal around the Falls of the Ohio; the connection of the Great Lakes to the Ohio River system in Ohio and Indiana; and the enlargement and rebuilding of the Dismal Swamp Canal in North Carolina.[117] Additionally, the first passenger railroad in the United States, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, was constructed during Adams's presidency. Though many of these projects were undertaken by private actors, the government often provided money or land to aid the completion of such projects.[118]

Formation of political parties
See also: First Party System and Second Party System
General Andrew Jackson, Adams's opponent in the 1824 and 1828 United States presidential elections
In the immediate aftermath of the 1825 contingent election, Jackson was gracious to Adams.[119] Nevertheless, Adams's appointment of Clay rankled Jackson, who received a flood of letters encouraging him to run. 