Federalists attacked Jefferson as an un-Christian deist whose sympathy for the French Revolution would bring similar bloodshed and chaos to the United States. On the other side, the Democratic-Republicans denounced the strong centralization of federal power under Adams's presidency. Republicans' specifically objected to the expansion of the U.S. army and navy, the attack on individual rights in the Alien and Sedition Acts, and new taxes and deficit spending used to support broadened federal action.
Overall, the Federalists wanted strong federal
authority to restrain the excesses of popular majorities, while the
Democratic-Republicans wanted to reduce national authority so that the people
could rule more directly through state governments.
The election's outcome brought a dramatic
victory for Democratic-Republicans who swept both houses of Congress, including
a decisive 65 to 39 majority in the House of Representatives. The presidential
decision in the electoral college was somewhat closer, but the most intriguing
aspect of the presidential vote stemmed from an outdated Constitutional
provision whereby the Republican candidates for president and vice president
actually ended up tied with one another.
Votes for President and Vice
President were not listed on separate ballots. Although
During the election of 1800, Federalists cast Thomas Jefferson as an infidel because of his strict advocacy for the separation of Church and State.
Adams ran as Jefferson's main opponent, running
mates Jefferson and AARON BURR received the same number of electoral votes. The
election was decided in the House of Representatives where each state wielded a
single vote.
Interestingly, the old Federalist Congress would
make the decision, since the newly elected Republicans had not yet taken
office. Most Federalists preferred Burr, and, once again, Alexander Hamilton
shaped an unpredictable outcome. After numerous blocked ballots, Hamilton
helped to secure the presidency for Jefferson, the man he felt was the lesser
of two evils. Ten state delegations voted for Jefferson, 4 supported Burr, and
2 made no choice.
One might be tempted to see the opposing sides
in 1800 as a repeat of the Federalist and Anti-Federalist divisions during the
ratification debates of 1788-1789. The core groups supporting each side
paralleled the earlier division. Merchants and manufacturers were still leading
Federalists, while states' rights advocates filled the Republican ranks just as
they had the earlier Anti-Federalists.
Support for Thomas
Jefferson throughout the entire Western frontier assured his victory over John
Adams in the presidential election 1800.
The political cartoon above has the "Eye of God" directing the American Eagle to snatch the Constitution from Thomas Jefferson hands. Jefferson is kneeling at an alter to "Gallic (French) Despotism." The "Mazzei" letter in Jefferson's right hand where he refers to George Washington as "Monarchical." Jefferson was thought to be playing both sides of the fence.
