Election of 1796

1
Election of 1796

• John Adams v. Thomas Jefferson
• (Federalist) (Democratic-Republican)

2
The Election of 1796

• John Adams
• Thomas Pinckney - VP
• Federalist
• Vice President for Washington

• Thomas Jefferson
• Aaron Burr -VP
• Democratic-Republican
• Secretary of State

3
The Results

• Adams won the Presidency by 3 Electoral votes (71
  to 68)
• Jefferson became the Vice President because he
  finished 2nd in the Electoral voting

4
The Importance

• Peaceful transfer of political power from one
  person to another
• Electoral College process did not anticipate the
  formation of political parties
• President and Vice President were of differing
  political parties
• (In 1804 -- Amendment 12 would correct this by
  requiring electors to cast separate ballots for
  President and Vice President)

5
Adams Presidency

• Major Event the XYZ Affair
• Undeclared naval war between US France
• Adams sent US delegation to France to negotiate a
  settlement
• French ministers known as X, Y Z demanded
  Americans pay them bribe money for the privilege
  of negotiating
• US refused Millions for defense, not one cent
  in tribute

6
Alien and Sedition Acts

• Series of 4 laws
• To protect US against French infiltration
• To allow Federalists to limit the role of the
  Democratic-Republicans

7
Naturalization Act

• Increased the time for becoming a citizen from 5
  to 14 years

8
Alien Act

• Authorized President to deport Aliens considered
  dangerous to the peace and safety of the United
  States

9
Alien Enemies Act

• Allowed the President during wartime to arrest,
  imprison or deport all aliens from an enemy nation

10
Sedition Act

• Allowed that a person could be fined and jailed
  if found guilty of sedition, or combining and
  conspiring to oppose the execution of the laws,
  or publishing false, scandalous, or malicious
  writings against the President, Congress, or the
  government of the United States.

11
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

• Written by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson
• Declared that the states had entered into a
  compact with the national government and if any
  act of the national government broke the compact,
  the state could nullify the federal law
• 1st expression of States Rights Theory of
  Nullification that would eventually lead to Civil
  War

12
Controversy faded

• Federalist lost majority in Congress in 1800
  Democratic-Republicans allowed Alien and Sedition
  acts to expire
• The Supreme Court would claim the right of the
  Court to declare federal law unconstitutional
  (1803)

13
Election of 1800

• John Adams
• Charles Pinckney - VP

• Thomas Jefferson
• Aaron Burr - VP

14
The Results

• Jefferson defeated Adams
• Electoral vote was a tie between Jefferson and
  Burr
• House of Representatives took 36 ballots to break
  the tie and voted Jefferson the 3rd President of
  U.S.