7.1 Jefferson and the Rise of the Republicans

  1. Why was the peaceful transfer of power in 1801, from the Federalists to the Republicans, so significant?

By 1800 the furor over war and subversion had subsided and public attention was focused on the presidential contest between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Adams had substantial support. He appealed to conservatives, who respected his prudence and integrity, and to businessmen who worried that states’ rights Republicans would undermine Hamilton’s economic policies. But when the electors’ votes were counted in February 1801, the Republicans were discovered to have won narrowly, seventy-three to sixty-five (see Map 7.1).

Map 7.1

The Wild Election of 1800

When the electors’ votes were counted in February 1801, the Republicans won New York State—and, seemingly, the presidential election. But the seventy-three Republican electors, each of whom cast two votes, each cast one vote for Jefferson and another for Burr, assuming that Jefferson would become president and Burr, vice president. However, the Constitution provided that the candidate with the most electoral votes would become president. Because the electoral vote was tied, the election went to the House of Representatives, where Jefferson ultimately prevailed.