1796 presidential election
Published on Nov 18, 2015
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
VOTER ELIGIBILITY
-White men with property had the right to vote but Catholics, Jews, Quakers, and others were barred from voting
-Starting in 1776, free blacks could vote in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut
&
New Jersey women, aged 21 and over, could vote if they fulfilled residency and property requirements
- Voting was restricted to specifically men in all other states, but eventually these 3 states (NJ, PA, CT) fell back into line with this practice (voting open only to men)
-Before the ratification of the 12th Amendment in 1804, the candidate who received the majority of electoral votes became president, and the runner-up was named vice president.
-John Adams = 71 electoral votes
-Thomas Jefferson = 68 electoral votes
-This was the 1st election with 2 different political parties elected into office
-Electors would choose the president, picked by the states, through methods like state legislatures, popular votes, etc.
- There was no mention of a Vice President included in the voting ballots
-This was the 1st election where political parties affected the votes of the people, whereas the election before was based on the popularity of the candidate (Washington)
Rivarly
The 'Jeffersonians' accused John Adams of wanting to go back to monarchy and Adams accused Jefferson of "preying on the fears of the people for votes"
- The Federalists in congress met together in caucus and agreed to support Washington's vice president John Adams for President and Thomas Pinckney (SC), for Vice President
- In the end, it was probably G.W.'s endorsement of Adams that decided this close election
- The Democratic-Republican members met and decided to support former Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson for President and Aaron Burr (NY), for Vice President.
POLITICAL PARTIES
Federalists- John Adams
Party Platforms
- John Adams was a part of the Federalist Party
- He called for a national bank, tariffs, and good relations with Britain
- He supported a strong national government
- He laid the foundation for a national economy, creating a national judicial system and formulating principles of foreign policy
How was John Adams elected?
- In 1776 the town meeting of Braintree, Massachusetts elected John Adams as a representative of Massachusetts
- From there, he became enrolled in the election of 1796
Funding for John Adams?
- At the same time of the first bid for presidency, they were paying cash for the Louisiana Purchase and funding the War of 1812
Democratic Republican- Thomas Jefferson
Party Platform
- It became the basis of his party's philosophy and is the basis of the platform of the Jefferson Republican Party today
-simple and wanted equal govt.
-I am for free commerce with all nations, political connection with none, and little or no diplomatic establishment
-encouraged the process of science
(party platforms con.)
- liked constitution
-he opposed a strong centralized Government and championed the rights of states
How was Thomas Jefferson elected?
- The party made its first bid for the presidency with Jefferson as its presidential candidate
Funding for Thomas Jefferson?
- There was no funding
Campaign tactics
- In 1796, it was unsuitable for a candidate to actually campaign directly, so it was mostly up to their supporters to use campaign tactics against their opponent
- They spent most of their time at their homes during the election, but the campaign battles were waged between the political parties
-Newspapers were a propaganda device rooted in the anti-British pamphlets of the American Revolution
John Adams
- John Adams did not campaign for office
- He thought it should be left to others, so his supporters campaigned for him
- John Adam's supporters said that Jefferson was atheist and they questioned his courage during the war of independence
- John Adams promised to respect the rights, interest, honor, and happiness of all the states in the Union
- He also promised a system of neutrality and impartiality among the powers of Europe
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