The Elections of 1800 and 1828

Presidential elections have always been exciting but turbulent times in the United States of America. Who is going to be the President for the next four years? Who is able to provide expert guidance to the people of this big nation and ensure economic and political stability, prosperity and success for the years to come? These are extremely important and very difficult questions. To understand the development and the significance of the presidential elections we have to look back in American history, more specifically we need to study the process of the early elections. The most pivotal elections in the development of our fair nation's history are considered to be by most scholars the elections of 1800 and 1828 (2). This short research paper investigates the following questions. Who were the dominant figures and parties and what was the outcome of these elections? Did the results of the election represent the triumph of the elites or the party of the "common man"? How did the political platforms of the various parties reflect their elite or more populist constituencies? The answers to the above questions lead to the conclusion that both elections in 1828 and 1800 were equally important because they both helped shape the election process in United States and had major impacts on how we choose our president and vice president today.

The presidential election of 1800, also known as the "Revolution of 1800" (3) was a major landmark in US history. The candidates were John Adams, the president at the time; Aaron Burr, a former senator from New York; John Jay, Governor of New York, Thomas Jefferson, the vice president at the time; and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, a former US minister to France from South Carolina. (4) The 1800 election was actually a replay of the 1796 elections between the Federalist John Adams and the Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson. This time, however, Jefferson won the trophy. During the Adams presidency, public discontent had risen due to the Alien and Sedition Acts, Federalist military preparations, and the use of federal troops to crush a tax rebellion in Pennsylvania. (5) These occurrences put the country in a general mood of dislike towards Adams, leaving an opportunity for Jefferson to take the win. Many of John Adams' party's members opposed him because of his refusal to declare war on France, and when a war finally did occur, John Adams ended it with diplomacy, whereas many of the Federalists wanted the war to continue. The campaign wasn't all that simple though. There were countless personal and campaign attacks, mudslinging, insults, and so on. The Federalists attacked Jefferson as a heartless demon who would destroy the country. Newspaper articles were published, "Murder, robbery, rape, adultery, and incest will be openly taught and practiced, the air will be rent with the cries of the distressed, the soil will be soaked with blood, and the nation black with crimes." (1) Adams wasn't only attacked by his Democratic-Republican political enemies; higher members within his own party ridiculed him as well. For example, a private letter in which Hamilton depicted Adams as having "great and intrinsic defects in his character" was found by Aaron Burr and hand delivered to the national press. (1) Rumors such as "Adams had planned to create an American dynasty by the marriage of one of his sons to a daughter of King George III." were spread, which only angered the opposed politicians more. (1)

When the electoral votes came in, Jefferson and Burr were in a tie as they both had received 73 electoral votes. Adams and his running mate, Charles C. Pinckney won 65 and 64 votes and lost the race. (1) Back then, one major flaw in the old Constitution was that electors weren't required to pick between the president and the vice president, they could only cast two votes for president. Whoever received more votes became president, while the runner-up became the vice-president. This problem was later solved with the Twelfth Amendment, which required electors to vote separately for president and vice president. Because Jefferson and Burr received the same number of votes, the final decision of the election was put into the hands of the House of Representatives, which at the time had a Federalist majority. After a week long deadlock, Federalist Alexander Hamilton put his support behind Jefferson, because he despised him less than Burr. As a result, on the 36^th ballot, Jefferson was elected president, although Aaron Burr was literally a ballot away from victory. The support Hamilton showed for Jefferson caused Burr to go into an outrage. Several years later, Burr killed Hamilton with a shot to the chest during a duel over mutual insults. (1)

The Campaign and Election of 1828

There were only two major candidates in this election, the candidate of the National Republican Party, John Quincy Adams, who was the president at the time and Andrew Jackson, the Democratic Party candidate. The election of 1828 was probably one of the most one-sided presidential campaigns in history. It is also often known as the "rise of the common man" and the "Revolution of 1828". (2) This election was a rematch between the candidates, who previously fought for the presidency in 1824. Even though Jackson won the popular vote in 1824, he lacked electoral majority and the election was then decided in the House of Representatives. Henry Clay, who was the Speaker of the House then, made a deal with John Quincy Adams. As a result, Adams became president and Clay became Secretary of State. (6) This was called the Corrupt Bargain, which generated public outrage and eventually helped Jackson to the presidency in 1828. (6) In the election of 1828, unlike in previous elections, there weren't any other threatening candidates, allowing Andrew Jackson to strengthen his campaign and defeat John Quincy Adams. Yet again, campaigning in this election was famous for the mudslinging, personal insults, campaign attacks, and horrid rumors. Adams was accused of using public funds to buy gambling devices, accused of adultery, and murder. (7) Andrew Jackson's wife, Rachel Jackson, was wildly accused throughout the campaign of adultery. This happened because Jackson, by mistake, married his wife before her divorce was finalized. She was published and humiliated in the Newspaper. Rachel Jackson had been experiencing chest pains throughout the entire campaign, eventually leading to her death on December 22, 1828. Andrew Jackson blamed the Adams campaign and Henry Clay for her death. In the end, Andrew Jackson won with 178 electoral votes and John Quincy Adams lost with only 83 electoral votes. (2)

The significance of the elections of 1800 and 1828 in US history

Both elections were significant landmarks in US history, which shaped future elections in the United States. The 1800 presidential election is very important in because it led to significant changes in the electoral process and eventually to the 12th Amendment of the Constitution. The presidential election of 1828 is often described as the 'rise of the common man', because after the corrupt elections of 1824 when Andrew Jackson was defeated, the nominating of candidates became more democratic. It is also important to note that Andrew Jackson was the first president not born of privilege. (2) But perhaps the most important aspect of these elections was the peaceful exchange of power in accordance with the election results which proves that Americans were able to resolve political disputes peacefully. (5)

Sources

1. "The Campaign and Election of 1800." MillerCenter. Miller Center. 13 Mar 2008 .

2. "The Campaign and Election of 1800." MillerCenter. Miller Center. 13 Mar 2008 .

3. "History Central." History Central. The Multimedia History Company. 13 Mar 2008 .

4. "Elections of 1800." U-S-History. U-S-History. 13 Mar 2008 .

5. "The Election of 1800." 13 Mar 2008 http://www.kidsource.com/education/election.html>.

6. "U.S. presidential election, 1824". 13 Mar 2008 http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/U.S.-presidential-election,-1824>

7. "U.S. presidential election, 1828". 13 Mar 2008