QUOTE from James Madison: "In republics, the great danger is, that the majority may not sufficienty respect the rights of the minority."
ELECTION #6, 1808. Thomas Jefferson's second term was not as smooth as his first term. The main problem was the hostilities between the British and the French. The British were attacking American ships and forcing American seamen to join the British navy. To get even with Britain Jefferson persuaded Congress to pass the Embargo Act which forbade Americans from doing any trade with Britain and France and all the other European countries.
All the Emgargo Act did was cause economic problems for American farmers and New England merchants. They could no longer sell their products to any country in Europe. It ticked people off and Jefferson, instead of being a shining hero, was called "an infernal villain" by one newspaper.
So Jefferson knew when to hang it up and leave the public stage. He said he was going to retire to "my family, my books, and farms."
The CANDIDATES IN 1808.
Jefferson recommended his friend and secretary of state, James Madison, to be the Republican candidate for president. Vice-president George Clinton would remain on the ticket. Madison did not have an impressive appearance. He was only 5'4" and weighed less than 100 pounds and people called him "Little Jemmy." He didn't like to make eye contact and his expression was generally dour - some say he looked like he had just bitten into a sour lemon. However he was extremely bright and had a good grasp of the problems facing the U.S. And he had another ace-in-the-hole that the previous three president never had - that ace was his wife, Dolly. She was seventeen years younger but she was beautiful and vivacious, the Jackie Kennedy of her day.
The Federalists brought back Charles Pinckney and Rufus King, the same two they ran in 1804. They were both unexciting and dull and proved no match for Madison and Clinton. It was time for the Federalists to get some new blood in their party.
The CAMPAIGN
The Embargo Act had put Madison at a disadvantage because so many people were upset by it. But with a possible war against Britain on the horizon the Electoral College went big for Madison.
The WINNER was James Madison.
Madison received 122 electoral votes and Pinckney got 47. And Jefferson gave Madison a nice gift just before he took office on March 4, 1809. On March 1 Jefferson signed a bill repealing the Embargo Act.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
ELECTION #5, 1804 - the NASTY METER goes down to 2.
QUOTE from a Federalist pamphlet blasting Thomas Jefferson in the 1800 campaign: Jefferson is a mean-spirited, low-lived fellow, the son of a half-breed squaw, sired by a Virginia mulatto father."
ELECTION #5, 1804. Thomas Jefferson is re-elected president in a landslide. The NASTY-METER goes down to 2.
The election of 1804 was a snoozer because Jefferson had been a skilled middle-of-the-road president in his first term. Despite Federalist howls, Jefferson did not turn the country into an atheistic society, instigate a bloodbath as had happened in France, or abandon the New England merchants.
He had made some popular decisions in his first term - the most popular was the Louisiana Purchase which doubled the size of the U.S. He bought it for a mere $15 million which amounted to three cents an acre. Now that's what I'd call a bargain.
The CANDIDATES in 1804.
On February 25, 1804, the U.S. saw the first official nominating caucus by a political party. Republican congressmen met and re-nominated Jefferson for a second term. They picked New York Governor George Clinton for his vice-presidential running mate.
The Federalists picked Charles C. Pinckney (Adam's 1800 running mate)as their presidential candidate. Pinckney was a large man, respected by both parties, but he was half-deaf, and not what you would call an exciting human being. The Federalists picked N.Y. Senator Rufus King as his running mate.
The CAMPAIGN
Everyone could see that Jefferson and the Republicans had a lock on winning the election. But the Federalists tried their best to smear Jefferson with the usual slurs - he was an atheist, he had affairs with his slaves, and so on.
The WINNER was Thomas Jefferson
In 1804 there was still no voting by the people so again it was just the electoral votes. It was no contest as Jefferson got 162 votes to only 14 for Pinckney. Jefferson carried all the states except Connecticut and Delaware.
ELECTION #5, 1804. Thomas Jefferson is re-elected president in a landslide. The NASTY-METER goes down to 2.
The election of 1804 was a snoozer because Jefferson had been a skilled middle-of-the-road president in his first term. Despite Federalist howls, Jefferson did not turn the country into an atheistic society, instigate a bloodbath as had happened in France, or abandon the New England merchants.
He had made some popular decisions in his first term - the most popular was the Louisiana Purchase which doubled the size of the U.S. He bought it for a mere $15 million which amounted to three cents an acre. Now that's what I'd call a bargain.
The CANDIDATES in 1804.
On February 25, 1804, the U.S. saw the first official nominating caucus by a political party. Republican congressmen met and re-nominated Jefferson for a second term. They picked New York Governor George Clinton for his vice-presidential running mate.
The Federalists picked Charles C. Pinckney (Adam's 1800 running mate)as their presidential candidate. Pinckney was a large man, respected by both parties, but he was half-deaf, and not what you would call an exciting human being. The Federalists picked N.Y. Senator Rufus King as his running mate.
The CAMPAIGN
Everyone could see that Jefferson and the Republicans had a lock on winning the election. But the Federalists tried their best to smear Jefferson with the usual slurs - he was an atheist, he had affairs with his slaves, and so on.
The WINNER was Thomas Jefferson
In 1804 there was still no voting by the people so again it was just the electoral votes. It was no contest as Jefferson got 162 votes to only 14 for Pinckney. Jefferson carried all the states except Connecticut and Delaware.
Monday, October 24, 2011
ELECTION #4, 1800 - the NASTY-METER skyrockets to 10.
QUOTE from John Dawson, Republican Congressman, Virginia: "The Republic is safe....the Federalist party is in rage and despair."
ELECION #4, 1800. Thomas Jefferson is elected our nation's third president. The NASTY-METER skyrockets to 10.
In 1800 America had its first presidential free-for-all. Forget most of the really nasty elections we've experienced in our lifetime. In 1800. John Adams, the Federalist, vs Thomas Jefferson, the Republican, (or often
called the Democratic-Republican but I'll continue to only use Republican), can be ranked as one of the top five dirtiest and nastiest elections of all time - and all because of two reasons:
One: It is hard to think of two parties who hated each other more than John Adam's Federalists and Thomas Jefferson's Republicans.
Two: For the first and last time in our history, a president was running against his own vice president.
The CANDIDATES in 1800.
FEDERALIST: John Adams. There were two things that Adams did as president from 1797 to 1801 that caused him major headaches in the election of 1800. The first was trying to find a way to keep peace with Britain and France. France and Britain were at war and the U.S. was caught in a no-win situation with both of them. So he upset the Republicans and his own Federalists the way he handled things. He was called a warmonger by the Republicans and an appeasser by his own Federalists. Adams simply could not win.
Even bigger than the issue with France and Britain was Adams signing into law the Alien and Sedition Act of 1798. Under this Sedition Act, anyone who criticized or sought to undermine the U.S. government could be fined or thrown in jail, and many people were. Jefferson's Republicans reviled the law as a violation of the First Amendment guarantee of free speech. People weren't even safe in their neighborhood bar - one drunk in a New Jersey tavern was arrested and fined for saying that President Adams had a "big ass."
Many Federalists were not pleased with their president but they felt he was the only cadidate they had. The Federalists picked General Charles Pinckney, a Southern diplomt to be Adams running mate.
REPUBLICAN: Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson had spent most of his four years as vice-president keeping a safe distance between himself and his boss. The troubles Adams had with France and Britain and the Sedition Act did not stick to Jefferson so he was in a good position to run against his old boss. The Republicans chose Aaron Burr to be Jefferson's running mate.
The CAMPAIGN
In 1796 the campaign lasted about 100 days. In 1800 the campaign started over a year before the election. (something like the present day, only we're worse than a year.) And it was nasty and vicious.
The Republican Jefferson made his first blasts against his boss by hiring a writer named James Callender. He was a real pro at using the english language to verbally assassinate anybody. He wrote that Adams was a "gross hypocrite," "a repulsive pedant," (a pedant is a boring speaker who says nothing of importance) and a "hideous hermaphroditical character which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman." (a hermaphrodite is a person, animal, or plant, having the reproductive organs of both sexes). It was no surprise that Callender spent nine months in jail. The Republicans now had a convenient martyr.
The Federalists fired back. They spread rumors that Jefferson had swindled his legal clients, that he was a godless atheist from whom one had to hide one's Bibles, that he had been a coward during the Revolutionary War, and that he slept with slaves while at home in Monticello.
BOTH PARTIES threw picnics and barbecues, where they plied voters with huge amounts of alcohol. At a Republican dinner in Lancaster, Penn., everyone drank sixteen toasts - one for each state of the Union - before tying into a half ton of beef and pork.
THE WINNER (eventually) THOMAS JEFFERSON
Election Day was December 3, and the electors met in their respective state capitals to cast their votes. The votes weren't officially counted until early February. The official vote was a tie between Jefferson and his running mate Aaron Burr - they each got 73 votes. John Adams got 65.
What happened was all 73 Republican electors voted for Jefferson and Burr which is why they each got 73. All that would have had to happen was for one Republican elector to vote for another candidate and the final tally would have been Jefferson 73 and Burr 72 or vice-versa. Jefferson would be president and Burr would be vice-president, or vice-versa.
But the tie meant that the House of Representatives had to break the tie.
One problem was that the House was controlled by the Federalists and Jefferson and Burr were Republicans. The rules stated that each state got one vote - the winner needed to get 9 of the 16 votes. Over the course of six days there were 36 ballots taken. On the first 35 ballots it was 8 for Jefferson, 6 for Burr, and 2 undecided - NO WINNER.
Then there was some backroom wheeling and dealing. The Federalista wooed Burr, but he wouldn't agree to their demands even if it meant he would be president. On February 17, Federalist Congressmen from Delaware, Maryland, Vermont, and South Carolina abstained from voting which resulted in Jefferson winning 10 states and the presidency - Burr got the second most votes and became vice-president.
Historians believe Jefferson cut a deal with the Federalists but he denied he ever did. However, his actions as president lead many historians to believe a deal did occur because he kept the Bank of the U.S. (which was set up by the Federalist Hamilton), and he kept many Federalists in office.
THE FEDERALISTS AND REPUBLICANS FINALLY FIND SOMETHING THEY AGREE ON.
As a result of the 1800 election the Federalists and Republicans finally found something they could agree on. They agreed that another election like that of 1800 had to be avoided if at all possible. So Congress passed a resolution on December 9, 1803, for a constitutional amendment stating that electors would henceforth vote SEPARATELY for president and vice-president, rather than allowing the top two vote-getters to take all. By September 24, 1804 over three fourths of the 16 state legislatures (14 0f 16) had ratified the resolution. It became the 12th Amendment to our Constitution.
This is good for a laugh!!!! Even though John Adams and Alexander Hamilton were both Federalists they hated each other. John Adams had this to say about Hamilton. Hamilton was born illegitimate and Adams didn't let him forget it. On various occasions, Adams referred to Hamilton as "a Creole bastard," "the bastard brat of a Scotch peddler," and "a man devoid of every Moral principle - a bastard."
ELECION #4, 1800. Thomas Jefferson is elected our nation's third president. The NASTY-METER skyrockets to 10.
In 1800 America had its first presidential free-for-all. Forget most of the really nasty elections we've experienced in our lifetime. In 1800. John Adams, the Federalist, vs Thomas Jefferson, the Republican, (or often
called the Democratic-Republican but I'll continue to only use Republican), can be ranked as one of the top five dirtiest and nastiest elections of all time - and all because of two reasons:
One: It is hard to think of two parties who hated each other more than John Adam's Federalists and Thomas Jefferson's Republicans.
Two: For the first and last time in our history, a president was running against his own vice president.
The CANDIDATES in 1800.
FEDERALIST: John Adams. There were two things that Adams did as president from 1797 to 1801 that caused him major headaches in the election of 1800. The first was trying to find a way to keep peace with Britain and France. France and Britain were at war and the U.S. was caught in a no-win situation with both of them. So he upset the Republicans and his own Federalists the way he handled things. He was called a warmonger by the Republicans and an appeasser by his own Federalists. Adams simply could not win.
Even bigger than the issue with France and Britain was Adams signing into law the Alien and Sedition Act of 1798. Under this Sedition Act, anyone who criticized or sought to undermine the U.S. government could be fined or thrown in jail, and many people were. Jefferson's Republicans reviled the law as a violation of the First Amendment guarantee of free speech. People weren't even safe in their neighborhood bar - one drunk in a New Jersey tavern was arrested and fined for saying that President Adams had a "big ass."
Many Federalists were not pleased with their president but they felt he was the only cadidate they had. The Federalists picked General Charles Pinckney, a Southern diplomt to be Adams running mate.
REPUBLICAN: Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson had spent most of his four years as vice-president keeping a safe distance between himself and his boss. The troubles Adams had with France and Britain and the Sedition Act did not stick to Jefferson so he was in a good position to run against his old boss. The Republicans chose Aaron Burr to be Jefferson's running mate.
The CAMPAIGN
In 1796 the campaign lasted about 100 days. In 1800 the campaign started over a year before the election. (something like the present day, only we're worse than a year.) And it was nasty and vicious.
The Republican Jefferson made his first blasts against his boss by hiring a writer named James Callender. He was a real pro at using the english language to verbally assassinate anybody. He wrote that Adams was a "gross hypocrite," "a repulsive pedant," (a pedant is a boring speaker who says nothing of importance) and a "hideous hermaphroditical character which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman." (a hermaphrodite is a person, animal, or plant, having the reproductive organs of both sexes). It was no surprise that Callender spent nine months in jail. The Republicans now had a convenient martyr.
The Federalists fired back. They spread rumors that Jefferson had swindled his legal clients, that he was a godless atheist from whom one had to hide one's Bibles, that he had been a coward during the Revolutionary War, and that he slept with slaves while at home in Monticello.
BOTH PARTIES threw picnics and barbecues, where they plied voters with huge amounts of alcohol. At a Republican dinner in Lancaster, Penn., everyone drank sixteen toasts - one for each state of the Union - before tying into a half ton of beef and pork.
THE WINNER (eventually) THOMAS JEFFERSON
Election Day was December 3, and the electors met in their respective state capitals to cast their votes. The votes weren't officially counted until early February. The official vote was a tie between Jefferson and his running mate Aaron Burr - they each got 73 votes. John Adams got 65.
What happened was all 73 Republican electors voted for Jefferson and Burr which is why they each got 73. All that would have had to happen was for one Republican elector to vote for another candidate and the final tally would have been Jefferson 73 and Burr 72 or vice-versa. Jefferson would be president and Burr would be vice-president, or vice-versa.
But the tie meant that the House of Representatives had to break the tie.
One problem was that the House was controlled by the Federalists and Jefferson and Burr were Republicans. The rules stated that each state got one vote - the winner needed to get 9 of the 16 votes. Over the course of six days there were 36 ballots taken. On the first 35 ballots it was 8 for Jefferson, 6 for Burr, and 2 undecided - NO WINNER.
Then there was some backroom wheeling and dealing. The Federalista wooed Burr, but he wouldn't agree to their demands even if it meant he would be president. On February 17, Federalist Congressmen from Delaware, Maryland, Vermont, and South Carolina abstained from voting which resulted in Jefferson winning 10 states and the presidency - Burr got the second most votes and became vice-president.
Historians believe Jefferson cut a deal with the Federalists but he denied he ever did. However, his actions as president lead many historians to believe a deal did occur because he kept the Bank of the U.S. (which was set up by the Federalist Hamilton), and he kept many Federalists in office.
THE FEDERALISTS AND REPUBLICANS FINALLY FIND SOMETHING THEY AGREE ON.
As a result of the 1800 election the Federalists and Republicans finally found something they could agree on. They agreed that another election like that of 1800 had to be avoided if at all possible. So Congress passed a resolution on December 9, 1803, for a constitutional amendment stating that electors would henceforth vote SEPARATELY for president and vice-president, rather than allowing the top two vote-getters to take all. By September 24, 1804 over three fourths of the 16 state legislatures (14 0f 16) had ratified the resolution. It became the 12th Amendment to our Constitution.
This is good for a laugh!!!! Even though John Adams and Alexander Hamilton were both Federalists they hated each other. John Adams had this to say about Hamilton. Hamilton was born illegitimate and Adams didn't let him forget it. On various occasions, Adams referred to Hamilton as "a Creole bastard," "the bastard brat of a Scotch peddler," and "a man devoid of every Moral principle - a bastard."
Friday, October 21, 2011
Election #3, 1796 - the NASTY-METER rises to 3.
QUOTE from Thomas Jefferson, in an unsent letter to John Adams: "(I pray), that your administration may be filled with glory and happiness."
ELECTION #3, 1796. John Adams is elected our nation's second president. The NASTY-METER rises to 3.
By 1796 the honeymoon was over for George Washington. He was now receiving some pretty harsh criticism. When he put down the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794 in western Pennsylvanis the Republicans began calling George a tyrant and a dictator. When he signed a treaty with England in 1795 the Republicans howled that it was a cop-out to Federalist "monarchist" tendencies and supposed desire to return America to England. On September 19, 1796 Washington published his "Farewell Address," in which he warned against divisive political parties. This was all to no avail - as soon as the farewell was released, hungry politicians began scheming to fill Washington's shoes. Thomas Jefferson took a shot at his old buddy and Revolutionary comrade: "The president is fortunate to get off just as the bubble is bursting, leaving others to hold the bag."
The CANDIDATES IN 1796.
JOHN ADAMS was the Federalist candidate. Adams really wanted to be president. "Hi! Ho! Oh. Dear!" he gaily started off one letter to his wife, Abigail, when it became apparent that Washington would not seek a third term.
THOMAS JEFFERSON was the Republican candidate. In 1793 Jefferson left his job as secretary of state and went back to Monticello. Even though Jefferson had said "life in politics was a game and a useless waste of time" it was clear to everyone where his ambitions lay.
There were no nominating conventions in 1796. So the reality was that prominent members of each party decided on the candidates and then tried to convince their fellow members to follow suit. The nasty-meter went up substantially in 1796 through the use of handbills, pamphlets, and articles in Federalist and Republican journals and newspapers. In some ways it is interesting to know that character assassination has been part of our political campaigns since the 1790s - it is not something that started in the 20th century. The following will illustrate what I'm talking about.
- The Jefferson Republicans went after John Adams in a big way. They went after his throat - or rather, the tummy - by referring to the chubby Adam's "sesquipedality of belly." (This meant, literally, that his stomach was 18 inches long.) And they said Adams was "champion of kings, ranks, and titles." In addition they called Adams bizarre nicknames such as "Monoman" and "Angloman." They also said that if Adams was elected hereditary succession would be foisted upon America in the form of his son, John Quincy.
The Adams supporters (Federalists) got their shots in also. They cited Jefferson for his "atheistic" tendencies and his love of the French Revolution, especially the bloody, screaming mobs. His Republican followers were referred to as "cut-throats who walk in rags and sleep amidst filth and vermin." Federalists also smeared Jefferson as a "philosopher" and a "visionary " who would be "more fit to be a professor in a college ... but certainly not first magistrate of a great nation." And to make sure people got the message he was called an anarchist and a Francomaniac.
One other aspect of the 1796 election was the first attempt to balance the ticket by the judicious selection of a vice-presidential candidate. The Federalists chose southern diplomat Thomas Pinckney to go with New
Englander John Adams. The Republicans paired Jefferson,a Virginian, with Aaron Burr, the up-and-coming New York lawyer.
THE WINNER: JOHN ADAMS
The electors voted in their respective state capitals on the first Wednesday of December, 1796. The ballots were not supposed to be opened until February, 1797, when both houses of Congress were in session. But by the middle of December, the cat was out of the bag and everyone knew that John Adams had squeaked into the presidency, 71 votes to 68 for Jefferson.
Adams was president but Jefferson, with the second most votes, was his vice-president. Jefferson was of the opposite party plus they didn't like each other. Over the next four years, this would mean nothing but trouble. (It would be like Barack Obama being president and John McCain vice-president.)
Of all the good decisions the Founding Fathers made in writing the Constitution the idea of the #1 and #2 electoral vote getters being president and vice-president was a huge mistake. The biggest error in their judgment was they did not forsee the formation of political parties. Political parties made it impossible for the #1 and #2 electoral vote getters to get along and govern effectively.
ELECTION #3, 1796. John Adams is elected our nation's second president. The NASTY-METER rises to 3.
By 1796 the honeymoon was over for George Washington. He was now receiving some pretty harsh criticism. When he put down the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794 in western Pennsylvanis the Republicans began calling George a tyrant and a dictator. When he signed a treaty with England in 1795 the Republicans howled that it was a cop-out to Federalist "monarchist" tendencies and supposed desire to return America to England. On September 19, 1796 Washington published his "Farewell Address," in which he warned against divisive political parties. This was all to no avail - as soon as the farewell was released, hungry politicians began scheming to fill Washington's shoes. Thomas Jefferson took a shot at his old buddy and Revolutionary comrade: "The president is fortunate to get off just as the bubble is bursting, leaving others to hold the bag."
The CANDIDATES IN 1796.
JOHN ADAMS was the Federalist candidate. Adams really wanted to be president. "Hi! Ho! Oh. Dear!" he gaily started off one letter to his wife, Abigail, when it became apparent that Washington would not seek a third term.
THOMAS JEFFERSON was the Republican candidate. In 1793 Jefferson left his job as secretary of state and went back to Monticello. Even though Jefferson had said "life in politics was a game and a useless waste of time" it was clear to everyone where his ambitions lay.
There were no nominating conventions in 1796. So the reality was that prominent members of each party decided on the candidates and then tried to convince their fellow members to follow suit. The nasty-meter went up substantially in 1796 through the use of handbills, pamphlets, and articles in Federalist and Republican journals and newspapers. In some ways it is interesting to know that character assassination has been part of our political campaigns since the 1790s - it is not something that started in the 20th century. The following will illustrate what I'm talking about.
- The Jefferson Republicans went after John Adams in a big way. They went after his throat - or rather, the tummy - by referring to the chubby Adam's "sesquipedality of belly." (This meant, literally, that his stomach was 18 inches long.) And they said Adams was "champion of kings, ranks, and titles." In addition they called Adams bizarre nicknames such as "Monoman" and "Angloman." They also said that if Adams was elected hereditary succession would be foisted upon America in the form of his son, John Quincy.
The Adams supporters (Federalists) got their shots in also. They cited Jefferson for his "atheistic" tendencies and his love of the French Revolution, especially the bloody, screaming mobs. His Republican followers were referred to as "cut-throats who walk in rags and sleep amidst filth and vermin." Federalists also smeared Jefferson as a "philosopher" and a "visionary " who would be "more fit to be a professor in a college ... but certainly not first magistrate of a great nation." And to make sure people got the message he was called an anarchist and a Francomaniac.
One other aspect of the 1796 election was the first attempt to balance the ticket by the judicious selection of a vice-presidential candidate. The Federalists chose southern diplomat Thomas Pinckney to go with New
Englander John Adams. The Republicans paired Jefferson,a Virginian, with Aaron Burr, the up-and-coming New York lawyer.
THE WINNER: JOHN ADAMS
The electors voted in their respective state capitals on the first Wednesday of December, 1796. The ballots were not supposed to be opened until February, 1797, when both houses of Congress were in session. But by the middle of December, the cat was out of the bag and everyone knew that John Adams had squeaked into the presidency, 71 votes to 68 for Jefferson.
Adams was president but Jefferson, with the second most votes, was his vice-president. Jefferson was of the opposite party plus they didn't like each other. Over the next four years, this would mean nothing but trouble. (It would be like Barack Obama being president and John McCain vice-president.)
Of all the good decisions the Founding Fathers made in writing the Constitution the idea of the #1 and #2 electoral vote getters being president and vice-president was a huge mistake. The biggest error in their judgment was they did not forsee the formation of political parties. Political parties made it impossible for the #1 and #2 electoral vote getters to get along and govern effectively.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Election #2, 1792 - the NASTY-METER is a 2.
QUOTE from eulogy on George Washington, December, 1799, by Colonel Henry Lee, father of Robert E. Lee: "To the memory of the man, first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."
ELECTION #2, 1792. George Washington is reelected President of the U.S. The NASTY-METER is a 2.
In 1792, things got just a little worse. In his first term, Washington, as Father of the Nation, had to deal with quarrelsome kids. The kids is this case were cabinet members Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, and their dispute helped create something the framers of the Constitution hadn't quite bargained for; the first American political parties.
Hamilton had no trust in the common people. He believed in a strong central government. People who shared Hamilton's views came to be called Federalists.
Secretary of State Jefferson believed in the power of the people - the people preferably being farmers in an idealized agrarian society. He thought that Hamilton's form of government meant too much power vested in too few hands. Those who agreed with Jefferson called themselves
Republicans.
Washington did not want to run for a second term. He wanted to go back to Mount Vernon and spend his remaining years on his farm with his wife, Martha.
But with the country starting to split, he decided to run one more time, as a unifying figure.
Fifteen states participated in the 1792 electoral college. In 1789 there were only ten. North Carolina and Vermont had not yet ratified the constitution in 1789 so they couldn't vote. New York had failed to appoint its allotted eight electors in time so they didn't vote either.
Washington was considered a shoo-in to win the 1792 election. So the only question was whether Federalist Vice President John Adams would get the second most electoral votes and become VP again. Adams had said some things that made the Republicans members of Congress pretty mad. He had written that the U.S. would be a better place if it was ruled by "the rich and well born."
Needless to say the Republicans took offense. So Republican congressmen from five states decided to give Adams some competition. They proposed that New York Governor George Clinton be their candidate for VP.
When the electoral college voted all 132 electors made Washington their first choice. VP Adams received 77 and Governor Clinton got 50. Adams considered the vote a sign of disrespect and thus the stage was set for 1796 and the first truly contested presidential election in American history.
P.S. The new political parties begin to attack.
Hamilton and Jefferson did not like each other.In fact they started attacking each other in newspapers. Hamilton and his friend, John Fenno, editor of the "Gazette of the U.S." took swipes at Jefferson calling him "Generalissimo" and saying he was a man of "profound ambition and violent passion."
Jefferson and James Madison fired back in the "National Gazette" saying Hamilton's followers
were "monied men of influence" and if Hamilton''s plan was followed the citizens "should think of nothing but obedience, leaving the care of their liberties to their wiser rulers.
From here on in the political parties play a major role in American campaigns and the NASTY-METER moves to higher numbers.
ELECTION #2, 1792. George Washington is reelected President of the U.S. The NASTY-METER is a 2.
In 1792, things got just a little worse. In his first term, Washington, as Father of the Nation, had to deal with quarrelsome kids. The kids is this case were cabinet members Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, and their dispute helped create something the framers of the Constitution hadn't quite bargained for; the first American political parties.
Hamilton had no trust in the common people. He believed in a strong central government. People who shared Hamilton's views came to be called Federalists.
Secretary of State Jefferson believed in the power of the people - the people preferably being farmers in an idealized agrarian society. He thought that Hamilton's form of government meant too much power vested in too few hands. Those who agreed with Jefferson called themselves
Republicans.
Washington did not want to run for a second term. He wanted to go back to Mount Vernon and spend his remaining years on his farm with his wife, Martha.
But with the country starting to split, he decided to run one more time, as a unifying figure.
Fifteen states participated in the 1792 electoral college. In 1789 there were only ten. North Carolina and Vermont had not yet ratified the constitution in 1789 so they couldn't vote. New York had failed to appoint its allotted eight electors in time so they didn't vote either.
Washington was considered a shoo-in to win the 1792 election. So the only question was whether Federalist Vice President John Adams would get the second most electoral votes and become VP again. Adams had said some things that made the Republicans members of Congress pretty mad. He had written that the U.S. would be a better place if it was ruled by "the rich and well born."
Needless to say the Republicans took offense. So Republican congressmen from five states decided to give Adams some competition. They proposed that New York Governor George Clinton be their candidate for VP.
When the electoral college voted all 132 electors made Washington their first choice. VP Adams received 77 and Governor Clinton got 50. Adams considered the vote a sign of disrespect and thus the stage was set for 1796 and the first truly contested presidential election in American history.
P.S. The new political parties begin to attack.
Hamilton and Jefferson did not like each other.In fact they started attacking each other in newspapers. Hamilton and his friend, John Fenno, editor of the "Gazette of the U.S." took swipes at Jefferson calling him "Generalissimo" and saying he was a man of "profound ambition and violent passion."
Jefferson and James Madison fired back in the "National Gazette" saying Hamilton's followers
were "monied men of influence" and if Hamilton''s plan was followed the citizens "should think of nothing but obedience, leaving the care of their liberties to their wiser rulers.
From here on in the political parties play a major role in American campaigns and the NASTY-METER moves to higher numbers.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
I'm starting a new project on my blog.
QUOTE from Abigail Adams on President Washington, 1789:
"He is polite with dignity, affable without familiarity, distant without haughtiness, grave without austerity, modest, wise, and good."
MY NEW BLOG PROJECT IS:
With a presidential election coming in 2012 I've decided to get myself educated about all the other presidential election campaigns in the history of the U.S. This campaign in 2012 is predicted to be one of the dirtiest, nastiest, and most expensive campaigns in our history. My curiosity got me thinking about what all the previous PRESIDENTIAL campaigns were like. I know in my lifetime there have been some pretty dirty and nasty presidential campaigns. But what about the campaigns in the 1790s, the 1800s, and the first half of the 1900s? How dirty and nasty were they? So with the help of several books I bought at Barnes and Noble and the help of Google I'm going to find out. So this is my new project on my blog for probably the next year. So enjoy the ride through all 44 campaigns and hope you LEARN as much as I plan on LEARNING.
Each campaign will have a NASTY-METER ranking from 1-10. With 1 being the least nasty to 10 being the most nasty.
ELECTION #1, 1789. George Washington became our first president in 1789. The NASTY-METER ranking for our first presidential election is a 1.
George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, in Pope's Creek, Virginia and died on December 14, 1799. He was 67 years and 205 days old. George's father (Augustine) was married twice, producing four kids with wife number one and six kids with wife number two. George was the oldest of the second batch of six.
George's election to the Presidency was the CLEANEST one in our history. In 1789, America was like a newborn babe, and since the birth pains included a bloody and divisive war, a calming fatherly figure was needed. Washington was the only one to fit the bill.
Washington was not happy about being the anointed one. He was a reluctant leader who, at age 56, thought he was too far past his prime to undertake such a challenge. But his friends Alexander Hamilton and James Madison convinced him that America needed his presence to make sure that the gains of the Revolution did not disappear in factional infighting between state's rights advocates and those who favored a strong central government.
The first presidential election was also the quickest. There was NO POPULAR VOTE and there would NOT BE A POPULAR VOTE UNTIL 1824. Instead, following rules set down in the newly ratified Constitution, each state appointed presidential electors in January 1789. Each state got the number of electoral votes based on this formula; the number of representatives that state had in the U.S. House of Resentatives plus the two senators each state was entitled to. The electors in each state were selected by the legislatures in each state. Of course, all the electors appointed were white men. With the first Electoral College thus established, the electors cast two votes for two different people - a point that would soon become very controversial. The man who received the most votes would become president; the man coming in second would be vice president. It was a total landslide for George Washington as all 69 electors made Washington their number one pick and John Adams, with 34 electoral votes, was their number two pick so he became vice-president.
Washington then made his triumphal entry into New York City, the nation's temporary capital, on April 30, 1789. Thousands of spectators thronged the road that led from Mount Vernon, cheering and tossing flowers. The first president was ferried across the Hudson River on an enormous barge manned by 13 sailors (representing the 13 states); the barge was surrounded by a veritable flotilla of ships, filled with celebrants who sang Washington's praises to the spring skies.
In more ways than one, the election of 1789 was the smoothest sailing an American presidential candidate would ever have. (But the sailing wasn't completely smooth as the bitter John Adams did claim that the only reason Washington was chosen for everything was that he was taller than anyone else in the room).
George Washington is known as the FATHER OF OUR COUNTRY. He was the right man at the right time.
I can assure you that things will get more interesting as I journey through each campaign.
"He is polite with dignity, affable without familiarity, distant without haughtiness, grave without austerity, modest, wise, and good."
MY NEW BLOG PROJECT IS:
With a presidential election coming in 2012 I've decided to get myself educated about all the other presidential election campaigns in the history of the U.S. This campaign in 2012 is predicted to be one of the dirtiest, nastiest, and most expensive campaigns in our history. My curiosity got me thinking about what all the previous PRESIDENTIAL campaigns were like. I know in my lifetime there have been some pretty dirty and nasty presidential campaigns. But what about the campaigns in the 1790s, the 1800s, and the first half of the 1900s? How dirty and nasty were they? So with the help of several books I bought at Barnes and Noble and the help of Google I'm going to find out. So this is my new project on my blog for probably the next year. So enjoy the ride through all 44 campaigns and hope you LEARN as much as I plan on LEARNING.
Each campaign will have a NASTY-METER ranking from 1-10. With 1 being the least nasty to 10 being the most nasty.
ELECTION #1, 1789. George Washington became our first president in 1789. The NASTY-METER ranking for our first presidential election is a 1.
George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, in Pope's Creek, Virginia and died on December 14, 1799. He was 67 years and 205 days old. George's father (Augustine) was married twice, producing four kids with wife number one and six kids with wife number two. George was the oldest of the second batch of six.
George's election to the Presidency was the CLEANEST one in our history. In 1789, America was like a newborn babe, and since the birth pains included a bloody and divisive war, a calming fatherly figure was needed. Washington was the only one to fit the bill.
Washington was not happy about being the anointed one. He was a reluctant leader who, at age 56, thought he was too far past his prime to undertake such a challenge. But his friends Alexander Hamilton and James Madison convinced him that America needed his presence to make sure that the gains of the Revolution did not disappear in factional infighting between state's rights advocates and those who favored a strong central government.
The first presidential election was also the quickest. There was NO POPULAR VOTE and there would NOT BE A POPULAR VOTE UNTIL 1824. Instead, following rules set down in the newly ratified Constitution, each state appointed presidential electors in January 1789. Each state got the number of electoral votes based on this formula; the number of representatives that state had in the U.S. House of Resentatives plus the two senators each state was entitled to. The electors in each state were selected by the legislatures in each state. Of course, all the electors appointed were white men. With the first Electoral College thus established, the electors cast two votes for two different people - a point that would soon become very controversial. The man who received the most votes would become president; the man coming in second would be vice president. It was a total landslide for George Washington as all 69 electors made Washington their number one pick and John Adams, with 34 electoral votes, was their number two pick so he became vice-president.
Washington then made his triumphal entry into New York City, the nation's temporary capital, on April 30, 1789. Thousands of spectators thronged the road that led from Mount Vernon, cheering and tossing flowers. The first president was ferried across the Hudson River on an enormous barge manned by 13 sailors (representing the 13 states); the barge was surrounded by a veritable flotilla of ships, filled with celebrants who sang Washington's praises to the spring skies.
In more ways than one, the election of 1789 was the smoothest sailing an American presidential candidate would ever have. (But the sailing wasn't completely smooth as the bitter John Adams did claim that the only reason Washington was chosen for everything was that he was taller than anyone else in the room).
George Washington is known as the FATHER OF OUR COUNTRY. He was the right man at the right time.
I can assure you that things will get more interesting as I journey through each campaign.
Monday, October 17, 2011
My curiosity made me do some research today.
QUOTE from Dorothy: "The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity."
My QUOTE today is one I firmly believe in. There have been few times in my life when I've really been bored. The main reason is I've always been curious about the who, what, when, where, why and how of people and things. So after reading and laughing at the comic strip "Hagar the Horrible" for many years my curiosity made me want to know more about the person who could create something so funny like this everyday. To GOOGLE I went and I found the answer.
The cartoonist is a guy named Chris Browne. He is the son of the very famous cartoonist Dik Browne. In the 1940s Dik was a magazine and advertising illustrator. He broke into the comics field when he teamed up with Mort Walker on his then-new creation, HI AND LOIS. In 1973, he launched his own strip, HAGAR THE HORRIBLE, which skyrocketed in popularity in a few short years and is now one of the top comics in the nation. HAGAR has been continued by Dik's son, Chris, while his other son, Chance, draws HI AND LOIS.
Chris was born in New Jersey in 1952 and grew up in Wilton, Connecticut. Chris assisted his father on the comic strips HI AND LOIS and HAGAR THE HORRIBLE. When his dad started HAGAR THE HORRIBLE in 1872 Chris, as a twenty year-old, was contributing gag writing to it. When his father, Dik, retired in 1988, Chris took over complete control of HAGAR and has continued since that time. In addition to HAGAR Chris Browne has contributed cartoons to National Lampoon, Playboy, Esquire, Heavy Metal, The New Yorker, The Funny Papers and Sarasota Magazine.
I've always been amazed at people who are so creative everyday. I wonder if they sleep well at night or are they thinking about their next cartoon idea when they should be sleeping? When I wrote my GRATITUDE JOURNAL in 2009 I did a lot of thinking while in bed, when I was walking, or driving, or people watching, or watching TV, etc. It was almost a 24/7 deal for me to keep thinking about the people and things I should be grateful to or for. But it was also one of the best years of my life because I had to keep thinking positive every day for 365 days. I imagine cartoonists have a similar mindset, only their's would have to be about thinking of something humorous/funny. I never felt better, physically or mentally, than I did the year of 2009.
If cartoonists feel like I did then they are some happy people.
HUMOR for today. One of my two fvorite comics is Hagar the Horrible. Hagar is this tough beer drinking Viking who travels to different parts of Europe and pillages the castles of the rich Kings and Queens and brings the booty back to Norway He is married to Helga who is a tough hard working Viking woman. But Hagar doesn't appreciate how hard she works as you will see from last Saturday's comic.
Hagar is reclining in his recliner with a mug of beer in his hand.
Helga is screaming at him as she mops the floor: "I WORK MY FINGERS TO THE BONE ALL DAY LONG AND YOU JUST SIT THERE EXPECTING A BIG DINNER IMMEDIATELY."
Hagar responds: "That's not true. I'm willing to just have another beer and wait."
My QUOTE today is one I firmly believe in. There have been few times in my life when I've really been bored. The main reason is I've always been curious about the who, what, when, where, why and how of people and things. So after reading and laughing at the comic strip "Hagar the Horrible" for many years my curiosity made me want to know more about the person who could create something so funny like this everyday. To GOOGLE I went and I found the answer.
The cartoonist is a guy named Chris Browne. He is the son of the very famous cartoonist Dik Browne. In the 1940s Dik was a magazine and advertising illustrator. He broke into the comics field when he teamed up with Mort Walker on his then-new creation, HI AND LOIS. In 1973, he launched his own strip, HAGAR THE HORRIBLE, which skyrocketed in popularity in a few short years and is now one of the top comics in the nation. HAGAR has been continued by Dik's son, Chris, while his other son, Chance, draws HI AND LOIS.
Chris was born in New Jersey in 1952 and grew up in Wilton, Connecticut. Chris assisted his father on the comic strips HI AND LOIS and HAGAR THE HORRIBLE. When his dad started HAGAR THE HORRIBLE in 1872 Chris, as a twenty year-old, was contributing gag writing to it. When his father, Dik, retired in 1988, Chris took over complete control of HAGAR and has continued since that time. In addition to HAGAR Chris Browne has contributed cartoons to National Lampoon, Playboy, Esquire, Heavy Metal, The New Yorker, The Funny Papers and Sarasota Magazine.
I've always been amazed at people who are so creative everyday. I wonder if they sleep well at night or are they thinking about their next cartoon idea when they should be sleeping? When I wrote my GRATITUDE JOURNAL in 2009 I did a lot of thinking while in bed, when I was walking, or driving, or people watching, or watching TV, etc. It was almost a 24/7 deal for me to keep thinking about the people and things I should be grateful to or for. But it was also one of the best years of my life because I had to keep thinking positive every day for 365 days. I imagine cartoonists have a similar mindset, only their's would have to be about thinking of something humorous/funny. I never felt better, physically or mentally, than I did the year of 2009.
If cartoonists feel like I did then they are some happy people.
HUMOR for today. One of my two fvorite comics is Hagar the Horrible. Hagar is this tough beer drinking Viking who travels to different parts of Europe and pillages the castles of the rich Kings and Queens and brings the booty back to Norway He is married to Helga who is a tough hard working Viking woman. But Hagar doesn't appreciate how hard she works as you will see from last Saturday's comic.
Hagar is reclining in his recliner with a mug of beer in his hand.
Helga is screaming at him as she mops the floor: "I WORK MY FINGERS TO THE BONE ALL DAY LONG AND YOU JUST SIT THERE EXPECTING A BIG DINNER IMMEDIATELY."
Hagar responds: "That's not true. I'm willing to just have another beer and wait."
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