Transcript Election of 1796 - Olean City School District / Home Page

The Results
Adams won the
Presidency by 3
Electoral votes (71 to
68)
 Jefferson became the
Vice President
because he finished
2nd in the Electoral
voting

The Importance
Peaceful transfer of political power from
one person to another
 Electoral College process did not anticipate
the formation of political parties

 President
and Vice President were of differing
political parties
 (In 1804 -- Amendment #12 would correct
this by requiring electors to cast separate
ballots for President and Vice President)
Adams’ Presidency

Major Event – the XYZ Affair
 Undeclared
naval war between US & France
 Adams sent US delegation to France to
negotiate a settlement
 French ministers known as “X”, “Y” & “Z”
demanded Americans pay them bribe money
for the privilege of negotiating
 US refused – “Millions for defense, not one
cent in tribute”
Alien and Sedition Acts
Series of 4 laws
 To protect US against French infiltration
 To allow Federalists to limit the role of the
Democratic-Republicans

Naturalization Act

Increased the time for becoming a citizen
from 5 to 14 years
Alien Act

Authorized President to deport Aliens
considered “dangerous to the peace and
safety of the United States”
Alien Enemies Act

Allowed the President during wartime to
arrest, imprison or deport all aliens from
an enemy nation
Sedition Act

Allowed that a person could be fined and
jailed if found guilty of sedition, or
“combining and conspiring to oppose the
execution of the laws, or publishing false,
scandalous, or malicious writings against
the President, Congress, or the
government of the United States.”
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
Written by James Madison and Thomas
Jefferson
 Declared that the states had entered into a
“compact” with the national government and if
any act of the national government broke the
compact, the state could nullify the federal law
 1st expression of States’ Rights – Theory of
Nullification that would eventually lead to Civil
War

Controversy faded
Federalist lost majority in Congress in
1800; Democratic-Republicans allowed
Alien and Sedition acts to expire
 The Supreme Court would claim the right
of the Court to declare federal law
unconstitutional (1803)

Election of 1800

John Adams

Charles Pinckney - VP

Thomas Jefferson

Aaron Burr - VP
The Results
Jefferson defeated
Adams
 Electoral vote was a
tie between Jefferson
and Burr
 House of
Representatives took
36 ballots to break
the tie and voted
Jefferson the 3rd
President of U.S.
