Mr.. beat presents presidential elections in American history
The fourth presidential election in American history was held from Friday October 31st to Wednesday December 3rd, 1800
It was a significant election. In fact some called the, "revolution of 1800"
Due to the political realignment it created
It was essentially a rematch between incumbent president John Adams and his off-and-on friend/enemy
Vice President Thomas Jefferson
In 1800 Adams and Jefferson were far from friends
The two had spent the previous four years
Awkwardly working side-by-side as president and vice president,
but now they seemed to hate each other,
their campaigns were just plain nasty
Jefferson supporters said President Adams had a "hideous hermaphroditical character
which has neither the force and firmness of a man nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman."
Adams supporters responded by calling vice president Jefferson "A mean-spirited
son of a half-breed Indian squaw sired by a Virginia
Mulatto Father."
Federalists called Jefferson a "Bad Christian" who had too much sympathy for the French Revolution.
While Democratic Republicans said that Adams was giving too much power to the federal government,
talking trash about his signing of the alien and sedition acts and
his expansion of the military.
With this election political party's officially chose running mates for Adams and Jefferson.
Hoping they each would be elected the vice president.
Therefore avoiding another embarrassing result like the one after the election of 1796.
Where two dudes with opposite views were in the executive branch together.
The Federalists chose Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
as Adams running mate and the Democratic Republicans chose Aaron Burr
Remember under the original electoral college each elector could vote for
two people for president; the top two candidates would be president and vice president
And here are the results
First of all it's important to note that the results were heavily disputed.
However, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr both received
73 Electoral votes
Ensuring the Democratic Republican victory.
One of the Democratic Republican electors was supposed to not vote for Burr.
But he did anyway.
So with Jefferson and Burr tied.
The house of representatives had to choose one of them to become president.
Partially due to the always influential Alexander Hamilton.
The still mostly Federalist house went with Jefferson
Jefferson became the third President and Aaron Burr became the third vice president in American history
John Adams became the first one term president when he received 65 electoral votes.
The federalists planned a bit better by giving
64 Electoral votes to Charles Cotesworth Pinckney and one electoral vote to John J.
This election was significant because it was the first peaceful transition of
Political power between opposing parties in American history
it was also a turning point. It marked the beginning of a
Generation of Democratic Republican party rule in the decline of the Federalist party.
Who would never again have a president in office.
The result of this election was affected by the three-fifths compromise.
Had slaves not been counted for purposes of congressional apportionment
Adams would have beat Jefferson however Jefferson still would have won the popular vote.
I'll see you for the next election buddy.
