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The United States presidential election of 1796 was the first contested American presidential election and the only one to elect a President and Vice President from opposing tickets. It was also the first non-incumbent presidential election slated in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 (not counting the first ever presidential election).

With incumbent President George Washington
George Washington

George Washington was the leader of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States of the United States of Americas ....
 having refused a third term in office, incumbent Vice President
Vice President of the United States

The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office in the United States of America created by the Constitution of the United States....
 John Adams
John Adams

John Adams was an Politics of the United States and the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States , after being the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States for two terms....
 of Massachusetts
Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
 was a candidate for the presidency
President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
 on the Federalist Party ticket with former Governor Thomas Pinckney
Thomas Pinckney

Thomas Pinckney was an early American statesman, diplomat and veteran of both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812....
 of South Carolina
South Carolina

South Carolina is a U.S. state in the Southern United States of the United States. It borders Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north....
 as the next most popular Federalist.






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The United States presidential election of 1796 was the first contested American presidential election and the only one to elect a President and Vice President from opposing tickets. It was also the first non-incumbent presidential election slated in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 (not counting the first ever presidential election).

With incumbent President George Washington
George Washington

George Washington was the leader of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States of the United States of Americas ....
 having refused a third term in office, incumbent Vice President
Vice President of the United States

The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office in the United States of America created by the Constitution of the United States....
 John Adams
John Adams

John Adams was an Politics of the United States and the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States , after being the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States for two terms....
 of Massachusetts
Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
 was a candidate for the presidency
President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
 on the Federalist Party ticket with former Governor Thomas Pinckney
Thomas Pinckney

Thomas Pinckney was an early American statesman, diplomat and veteran of both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812....
 of South Carolina
South Carolina

South Carolina is a U.S. state in the Southern United States of the United States. It borders Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north....
 as the next most popular Federalist. Their opponents were former Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States , the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence , and one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States for his promotion of the ideals of republicanism in the United States....
 of Virginia
Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
 along with Senator Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr

Aaron Burr, Jr. was an United States politician, American Revolutionary War hero, and adventurer. He served as the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States , under Thomas Jefferson....
 of New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 on the Democratic-Republican
Democratic-Republican Party (United States)

The Democratic-Republican Party was founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison around 1792. Supporters usually identified themselves as Republicans, but sometimes as Democrats....
 ticket. At this point, each man from any party ran alone, as the formal position of "running mate
Running mate

A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint Ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position but can also properly be used when referring to both candidates, such as "Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen were running mates in 1988"....
" had not yet been established.

Unlike the previous election where the outcome had been a foregone conclusion, Democratic-Republicans campaigned heavily for Jefferson, and Federalists campaigned heavily for Adams. The debate was an acrimonious one, with Federalists tying the Democratic-Republicans to the violent revolutions
French Revolution

The French Revolution was a period of political and social upheaval and radical change in the history of France, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudalism for the aristocracy and Roman Catholic Church clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on Age of Enlightenment principles of cit...
 in France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 and the Democratic-Republicans accusing the Federalists of favoring monarchism and aristocracy. In foreign policy, the Democratic-Republicans denounced the Federalists over Jay's Treaty, perceived as too favorable to Britain
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, while the French ambassador embarrassed the Democratic-Republicans by publicly backing them and attacking the Federalists right before the election.

Although Adams won, Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States , the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence , and one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States for his promotion of the ideals of republicanism in the United States....
 received more electoral votes than Pinckney and was elected Vice-President.

General election


The Candidates

  • John Adams
    John Adams

    John Adams was an Politics of the United States and the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States , after being the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States for two terms....
    , Vice President of the United States
    Vice President of the United States

    The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office in the United States of America created by the Constitution of the United States....
     from Massachusetts
    Massachusetts

    The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
  • Samuel Adams
    Samuel Adams

    Samuel Adams was a statesman, Political philosophy, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. As a politician in Province of Massachusetts Bay, Adams was a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, and was one of the architects of the principles of Republicanism in the United States that shaped the political cul...
    , Governor of Massachusetts
    Governor of Massachusetts

    The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the U.S. state of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democratic Party Deval Patrick....
  • Aaron Burr
    Aaron Burr

    Aaron Burr, Jr. was an United States politician, American Revolutionary War hero, and adventurer. He served as the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States , under Thomas Jefferson....
    , U.S. senator from New York
    New York

    The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
  • George Clinton
    George Clinton (vice president)

    George Clinton was an United States soldier and politician. He was the first Governor of New York, and then the Vice President of the United States under Thomas Jefferson and James Madison....
    , former Governor of New York
  • Oliver Ellsworth
    Oliver Ellsworth

    Oliver Ellsworth , an United States lawyer and politician, was a revolutionary against Kingdom of Great Britain rule, a drafter of the United States Constitution, and third Chief Justice of the United States....
    , Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court from Connecticut
    Connecticut

    Connecticut is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The state borders New York to the west and south , Massachusetts to the north, and Rhode Island to the east....
  • John Henry, U.S. senator from Maryland
    Maryland

    Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic States of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the Washington, D.C. to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east....
  • James Iredell
    James Iredell

    James Iredell was one of the original Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was appointed by U.S....
    , Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from North Carolina
    North Carolina

    North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north....
  • John Jay
    John Jay

    John Jay was an United States politician, statesman, Patriot , diplomat, a Founding Fathers of the United States, President of the Continental Congress from 1778 to 1779 and, from 1789 to 1795, the first Chief Justice of the United States....
    , Governor of New York
  • Thomas Jefferson
    Thomas Jefferson

    Thomas Jefferson was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States , the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence , and one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States for his promotion of the ideals of republicanism in the United States....
    , former Secretary of State of the United States from Virginia
    Virginia

    The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
  • Samuel Johnston
    Samuel Johnston

    Samuel Johnston was an United States planter, lawyer, and statesman from Chowan County, North Carolina, North Carolina. He represented North Carolina in both the Continental Congress and the United States Senate, and was List of Governors of North Carolina....
    , U.S. senator from North Carolina
    North Carolina

    North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north....
  • Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
    Charles Cotesworth Pinckney

    Charles Cotesworth Pinckney , was an early American statesman of South Carolina, Revolutionary War veteran, and delegate to the Constitutional Convention....
    , former major general from South Carolina
    South Carolina

    South Carolina is a U.S. state in the Southern United States of the United States. It borders Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north....
  • Thomas Pinckney
    Thomas Pinckney

    Thomas Pinckney was an early American statesman, diplomat and veteran of both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812....
    , U.S. Minister to Great Britain from South Carolina
    South Carolina

    South Carolina is a U.S. state in the Southern United States of the United States. It borders Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north....


Results

Under the system then in place, electors had two votes, but both were for President; the runner-up in the presidential race was elected Vice President (this was prior to the passage of the Twelfth Amendment
Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution

The Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides the procedure by which the President of the United States and Vice President of the United States are elected....
, which changed the electoral process to a system based on running mates). Each party intended to manipulate the results by having some of their electors cast one vote for the intended presidential candidate and one vote for somebody besides the intended vice presidential candidate, leaving their vice presidential candidate a few votes shy of their presidential candidate. Unfortunately, these schemes were complicated by several factors:
  • All electoral votes were cast on the same day, and communications between states were extremely slow at that time, making it very difficult to coordinate which electors were to tank their Vice Presidential votes.
  • There were rumors that southern electors pledged to Jefferson were coerced by Alexander Hamilton
    Alexander Hamilton

    Alexander Hamilton was the first Secretary of the Treasury, a Founding Fathers of the United States, economist, and political philosopher. He led calls for the Philadelphia Convention, was one of America's first Constitutional lawyers, and cowrote the Federalist Papers, a primary source for Constitutional interpretation....
     to give their second vote to Pinckney in hope of electing him President instead of Adams. Indeed, as it turned out, all eight electors in Pinckney's home state of South Carolina
    South Carolina

    South Carolina is a U.S. state in the Southern United States of the United States. It borders Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north....
     as well as at least one elector in Pennsylvania
    Pennsylvania

    The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
     cast ballots for both Jefferson and Pinckney.


The result was that too many Adams electors failed to cast their second vote for Pinckney, and so Adams was elected President while his opponent, Jefferson, was elected Vice President. This was due in part to the support the Democratic-Republican Party had for the French Revolution, but Democratic-Republican support was still significant enough to elect Jefferson Vice-President.

Source (Popular Vote): . . (February 11, 2006).
Source (Electoral Vote):

(a) Votes for Federalist electors have been assigned to John Adams and votes for Democratic-Republican electors have been assigned to Thomas Jefferson.
(b) Only 9 of the 16 states used any form of popular vote.
(c) Those states that did choose electors by popular vote had widely varying restrictions on suffrage via property requirements.

Breakdown by ticket

(a) Wikipedia's research has not yet been sufficient to determine the pairings of 15 electoral votes in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia; therefore, the possible tickets are listed with the minimum and maximum possible number of electoral votes each.

There were quite a few split tickets, with an elector casting one vote for the head of the Democratic-Republicans, Jefferson, and the other for a Federalist:
  • All eight South Carolina electors (along with at least one Pennsylvania elector) voted for native son Thomas Pinckney.
  • Three North Carolina electors voted for native son James Iredell.
  • There was even at least one elector in Maryland voting for an Adams-Jefferson ticket.


Consequences


For the only time in United States history, the President and Vice President were from different parties (John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams

John Quincy Adams was an Foreign relations of the United States and Politics of the United States who served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from March 4, 1825 to March 4, 1829....
 and John C. Calhoun
John C. Calhoun

John Caldwell Calhoun was the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States. He was a leading United States Southern politician from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century....
 would later be elected President and Vice President while being political opponents, but they were technically both Democratic-Republicans). Jefferson would leverage his position as Vice President to attack President Adams' policies, and this would help him reach the White House in the following election.

This election would provide the first impetus for the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution

The Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides the procedure by which the President of the United States and Vice President of the United States are elected....
. On January 6, 1797, Representative William L. Smith
William L. Smith

William Loughton Smith was an United States lawyer from Charleston, South Carolina. He represented South Carolina in the United States House of Representatives from 1789 until 1797 and served as the United States Ambassador to Portugal 1797?1801....
 of South Carolina presented a resolution on the floor of the House of Representatives for an amendment to the Constitution by which the presidential electors would designate which candidate would be President and which would be Vice President. However, no action was taken on his proposal, setting the stage for the deadlocked election of 1800.

Electoral college selection


See also

  • History of the United States (1789-1849)
  • United States House election, 1796
    United States House election, 1796

    The U.S. House election, 1796 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1796 which coincided with the election of President of the United States John Adams....


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