Jeffersonian Revolution of 1800 Notes

The Jeffersonian Revolution of 1800

The election of 1800 is controversial due to the Electoral College's exposure to flaws.

Jeffersonian Republicans vs. Hamiltonian Federalists

• Rival Visions: The election highlighted the contrasting ideologies of Jeffersonian Republicans and Hamiltonian Federalists.
• Jefferson served as the public face, while James Madison provided essential intellectual and political foundation for the Jeffersonian Republican movement.

James Madison of Virginia

• Madison's writings reveal inconsistencies and contradictions in his thinking.
• Many Jeffersonians attempt to emphasize certain aspects of Jeffersonianism to provide consistency to his thought.

Jefferson's Contradictions

• Jefferson was a man of contradictions and paradoxes.
• He warned of manufacturing dangers but experimented with it on his plantation, Monticello.
• He cautioned against government debt but left his heirs with insurmountable debt.
• He warned about racial mixing but maintained a secret, mixed-race family with Sally Hemings.
• He presented himself as a champion of democracy but questioned the wisdom of the people's decisions.
• While in France, Jefferson's aversion to aristocracy, superstition, urbanism, industry, and traditions intensified.
• As Minister to France, he favored the early revolutionaries.

Jeffersonian Republican Ideology

• Essence: A rural or agrarian worldview with a mythologizing of a Yeoman Republic of smallholders.
• Hostility towards industry and manufacturing.
• Suspicion of banking, business, and trade.
• Deep suspicion of Britain and fraternal embrace of Revolutionary France.

Presidential Election of 1800

• The election featured Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican) against John Adams (Federalist).

Electoral Vote

• Jefferson: 73
• Adams: 65

House Vote

• Jefferson: 10
• Adams: 4

The 3/5ths Clause and Electoral Votes

• Voters in Jefferson’s states had more electoral votes due to slavery and the 3/5 Clause.
• Jefferson gained 12 extra electoral votes because of this clause.
• Without it, Adams likely would have won 63-61.

Irregularities

• The machinations of Aaron Burr secured 12 New York electoral votes for Jefferson, plus 4 electoral votes from irregular Georgia.

Significance of 1800

• Regime Change: Marked by an electoral college fiasco and a tie vote.
• It was the first peaceful transfer of power.

Election of 1800

• Hamilton's clashes with Adams guaranteed Jefferson’s victory.
• The Constitution failed to distinguish votes for president and vice president.
• Jefferson tied with Aaron Burr.
• Federalists distrusted Burr but supported him due to their hatred of Jefferson.

Constitutional Framework for Elections

• Slavery: The 3/5 Rule endowed slave owners and states with enhanced power (up to 20\% more in the electoral college).
• Jeffersonians resolved the political party problem by creating a highly-sophisticated party system.
• Jefferson was the first president who was an active party leader.
• Washington served above the fray; Adams sought to do so but failed.
• Jefferson pretended he was not a party man but clearly was.
• The Democratic-Republicans provided Jefferson with a vital support network.

Transformative Presidents

• They were partisan leaders, not in a popularity contest or beauty pageant.
• Examples include:
  • Jefferson and his Democratic majorities (28-6), (116-26)
  • Jackson and his Democratic majorities (26-22), (143-63)
  • Lincoln and his Republican majorities (32-10), (108-75)
  • FDR and his Democratic majorities (76-16), (334-88)
  • LBJ and his Democratic majorities (68-32), (295-140)

Thomas Jefferson: Bafflingly Enigmatic

• Celebration of an idyllic, nostalgic vision.
• Jefferson was unsympathetic to merchants, bankers, manufacturers, and cities.
• Suspicious of the Merchant Class.
• Critics like Alexander Hamilton were not persuaded that he understood banking.

American Enlightenment

• Figures like Jefferson struggled to reconcile advocacy of