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TheElecfionsoftheFirstThreeAmericanPresidents:HowDidAmericansElect…
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Jay)srecentlynegotiatedtreatywithGreatBritain.Teyfavoredadecentral-
izedagrarianrepublic,whileFederalistscalledforthedevelopmentofcom-
merceandindustry.
Teelectionof1796wastheonlypresidentialelectioninwhichapresi-
dentandvicepresidentwereelectedfromopposingtickets.Withincumbent
PresidentGeorgeWashingtonhavingrefusedathirdterminofce,incum-
bentVicePresidentJohnAdamsbecameacandidateforthepresidencyon
theFederalPartyticket.TenextmostpopularFederalistTomasPinckney
ofSouthCarolina,wasanothercandidatefortheU.S.president.Teiroppo-
nentsweretheformersecretaryofstateTomasJeńerson,andwithSenator
AaronBurrontheDemocratic-Republicanticket.AlthoughAdamswonthe
presidency,TomasJeńersonreceivedmoreelectoralvotesthanPinckney
andwaselectedvice-president.
Teresultsoftheelectionwereasfollows:Adamsreceived71electoralvotes
toJeńerson)s68,Pinckney)s59,andBurr)s30.JohnAdamswonbyathree-vote
margin.HehadthesubstantialsupportofVirginiaandNorthCarolina,but
receivednovotesintheWestorinthesouthofMaryland.Tereweregreat
dińerencesinvotingindińerentpartsoftheUnion.Jeńersonhadnosupport
inNorthernorEasternPennsylvania.Sevenstatespermittedpopularvot-
inginthiselection.Intheremainingninestates,thestatelegislatureselected
themembersoftheelectoralcollege.TevocalsupportforJeńersonbythe
FrenchministertotheUnitedStatesmostlikelyswungsomevotestoAdams.
TeFederalist,JohnAdamswaselectedpresident,whileJeńerson,
aRepublican,waschosenasvice-president.Jeńersonusedhispositionto
strengthenhisparty,andwonthepresidencyin1800.Tisyearendedthe
FederalistperiodinAmericanhistory.Afertheelectionsof1796,theFed-
eralistsgainedasmallmajorityintheHouse.Itwasseenveryclearly,that
theoriginalelectoralsystemwithapartygovernmentwasincompatible
tothepoliticalsituationoftheUnion.Tiselectionwasthefirstcontested
Americanpresidentialelectionandtheonlyoneinwhichapresidentand
vice-presidentwereelectedfromopposingtickets.TepresidentwasaFed-
eralist,whilethevice-presidentrepresentedtheDemocratic-Republicans.At
atimewhenpartieswerestillfluidandtheofceofpresidentwasnotidenti-
fiedwithpartyleadership,Jeńersonwishedhisoldcomradeandrecentrival
well,butcorrectlyforesawthatuhonestJohnAdamswouldfallintoaseaof
troubles”(Malone,Rauch1960:62).
TesecondpresidentoftheUnitedStateswassworninonSaturday,March
4th,1797.TeoathofofcewasadministeredintheHouseofRepresentatives
ChamberofCongressHallinPhiladelphia.Tiswasthefirstinauguraloath
administeredbyaChiefJusticeoftheU.S.SupremeCourt-OliverEllsworth.
BothGeorgeWashingtonandTomasJeńerson,whohadbeeninaugurated