THE ELECTION OF 1800
John Adams, despite much criticism over the Sedition Act, stood for reelection in 1800. The vice presidential candidate of the Federalists was Charles Pinckney. The candidate for the Republicans was Thomas Jefferson, with Aaron Burr running for vice president. At this point all candidates were eligible for votes in the Electoral College; Jefferson and Burr each received 73 votes (the Twelfth Amendment of 1804 would change this, stating that the Electoral College would vote for president and vice president separately). The Constitution in 1800 threw the election to the House of Representatives, where each state received one vote. Federalists supported Burr, and it was only on the thirty-sixth ballot that Jefferson was elected president. Jefferson’s victory was only assured when Alexander Hamilton convinced some Federalists to switch their votes to Jefferson, telling them that Burr was “the most unfit man in the United States for the office of president.” Some historians term this election the “Revolution of 1800”; as previously stated, Jefferson’s vision of America had almost no similarity with the views of the Federalists who had been in power since the beginning of the republic, yet they peacefully gave up power when the balloting was completed in the House of Representatives.
Some historians maintain that Thomas Jefferson was one of the most brilliant men ever to be elected president. Recent movies and exposes on the life of Jefferson have largely ignored his immense political skills and intellect. Jefferson had been a diplomat, was familiar with European affairs, was a skillful politician, and was a distinguished political philosopher. He implemented Republican policies almost as soon as he took office, with the goal of cutting back on the growth of the federal government that had taken place under Adams. The Alien and Sedition Acts of Adams were not renewed, taxes such as the whiskey tax were eliminated, and Jefferson opposed further expansion of the national debt. On the other hand, Jefferson remained a pragmatist. As a member of Washington’s Cabinet, he had vigorously opposed the creation of a National Bank, yet as president he supported it (he reasoned that American economic growth was dependent on the existence of the Bank.)