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In 1800, the nation again had a choice between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Adams had lost support through his attempt to remain neutral in the French-British conflict and through the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts. His own Federalist Party was split, and Adams came in third. Jefferson and his running mate Aaron Burr each received the same number of electoral votes. Under the Constitution, the election was then thrown into the Federalist-controlled House of Representatives. After six days and thirty-six ballots, the House of...

The election of 1796 was the first in which voters chose between competing political parties. It was also the first test of whether the nation could transfer power through a contested election. The Federalists nominated Vice President John Adams as their presidential candidate, and the Republicans selected Thomas Jefferson. The Republicans condemned Adams as “the champion of rank, titles, and hereditary distinctions.” The Federalists claimed that Jefferson was intent on undermining religion and morality. John Adams won the election despite...

Anti-Federalists, including Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, and George Mason, opposed the Constitution of 1787 primarily based on the fear that it would create an overly powerful central government and elite ruling class. Though Anti-Federalists failed to prevent the adoption of the Constitution, their objections did lead to the inclusion of the Bill of Rights. In 1791, with the ascendancy of the Federalist Party, which favored strong government and a loose interpretation of the Constitution, Anti-Federalists and others who favored small...