The election was different than any election that followed, because it pitted the president and the vice-president against one another, and it was conducted under the burden of a Sedition Act which could put men in jail for criticizing the president. Political life no longer accepted the existence of parties but was dominated by them (Weisberger, 228).

The two principal candidates who faced each other in seeking the Presidency in 1800 were the same men who had stood against each other in 1796, but their situations had changed a great deal in the four years since John Adams had won the office by a margin of three electoral votes over Thomas Jefferson. Adams was now weighed down by the errors of his Administration, giving Jefferson the advanta

By midnight of February 11, the first day of balloting, nineteen ballots had been taken and each result was the same. Balloting continued for nearly a week with no changes except for a few within state delegations that did not alter any state’s vote. With the end of Adams’ term only two weeks away, the deadlock was creating a major crisis (Cunningham, 130).

After the Federalist defeat in New York, Hamilton sent an urgent appeal to the Federalist members of Congress to support Charles Cotesworth Pinckney as a Federalist candidate on an equal basis with John Adams. Hamilton based his proposal on the fact that the Constitution did not provide for separate balloting for President and Vice-President but specified that each elector cast two ballots without distinguishing between the two offices. The candidate with the highest number of votes became President; the second highest candidate became Vice-President. Hamilton had expected that the vote of South Carolina would go to Jefferson and Pinckney, since Pinckney was a native of South Carolina (Roseboom, 25). In which case, Federalist electors in all states except South Carolina would vote for Adams and Pinckney, and the electors in South Carolina would vote for Jefferson and Pinckney, making Pinckney the favorite Federalist candidate, and in all probability, the favorite candidate overall.

On February 17, on the thirty-sixth ballot, Jefferson received the votes of 10 states

Burr predicted in July that if Pennsylvania did not vote Jefferson would have 63

The Federalists never clearly stated their platform but chose to rely on the precedents set by Washington and Adams and lay party claim to the accomplishments of the former. They defended their record, and they hoped that voters would be inclined to support a strong central government (Cunningham, 121).

According to Weisberger, both parties appealed to the emotions and prejudices of voters, to their hopes and fears, and to their personal, class, and sectional interests. Emotional appeals were echoed in handbills, leaflets, and endless columns of newspaper print. Libelous documents were printed in opposition to Adams personally, as well as his Administration. Federalists also contributed to the libelous literature, by attacking Jefferson’s religious affiliation.

Some topics in this essay:
Sedition Acts, Administration Federalists, Republican Party, Aaron Burr, House Representatives, , Vermont Maryland, South Carolina, Jefferson Presidency, Pinckney Federalist, south carolina, presidential electors, electoral votes, national government, house representatives, election 1800, election law, president vice-president, presidential election, aaron burr, charles cotesworth pinckney, alien sedition acts, support adams pinckney, jefferson pinckney pinckney, 65 electoral votes,