Notes

Shawnee leader Tecumseh grows up in what the Americans call the Northwest Territory. He fights to slow the advance of white settlers across the Appalachian Mountains. Tecumseh scoffs at the demands that his people give up their ancient homelands. "Sell a country!" he says. "Why not sell the air, the clouds and the great sea, as well as the earth?"

Tecumseh knows it will take the strength of many to stop the Americans. He hopes to build a great alliance of all the Native American groups in the region. Will he succeed in his plan?

In the election of 1800, Federalists supported President Adams for a second term and Charles Pinckney for vice president. Republicans nominated Thomas Jefferson for president and Aaron Burr as his running mate.

The election campaign of 1800 was very different from the political campaigns we see today. Neither Adams nor Jefferson traveled around the country to gather support. Many thought direct campaigning improper for a person who would be president. Instead, hundreds of letters were sent to leading citizens and newspapers to make candidates' views public.

The campaign was bitterly fought. Each side made personal attacks against the other. For example, Federalists accused Jefferson, who believed in freedom of religion, of being "godless." Republicans warned that the Federalists favored the wealthy and would bring back monarchy.

The Vote Is Tied

Under the Constitution, voters in a presidential election are really electing groups of people called electors. These electors meet in what is known as the Electoral College. There they cast the ballots that actually elect the president and vice president. Each state has as many electoral votes as it has members of Congress.

At that time, the Constitution said that electors were to cast two ballots—without indicating which was for president and which was for vice president. The candidate with the majority of votes became president, and the candidate with the next-largest number of votes became vice president. In 1800, 73 electors cast their ballots for Jefferson and Burr. Each candidate, therefore, got the same number of votes. The Democratic-Republicans had won, but, because of the tie vote, the House of Representatives had to decide which candidate would become president.

In the House, Federalists tried to keep Jefferson from becoming president by supporting Burr. For 35 ballots, the election remained tied. Finally, one Federalist decided not to vote for Burr.

Because no one wanted to see another tie between a presidential and vice-presidential candidate, Congress passed the Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution in 1803. From then on, electors cast one of their votes for president and the other for vice president.


A | A | A Vocabulary | Reading Strategies
LESSON 1
A New Party in Power
ESSENTIAL QUESTION How do governments change?

Jefferson's Inauguration

On the day he became president, Jefferson dressed in his everyday clothes. He walked to the Senate to take the oath of office. President Adams did not attend.

In his Inaugural Address, Jefferson outlined some of his goals, including "a wise and frugal government" and "the support of the state governments in all their rights." Jefferson believed a large federal government threatened liberty and that individual states could better protect freedom. He wanted to limit the power and size of the federal government.

Contrasting How did political campaigns and presidential inaugurations in Jefferson's day differ from those of today?
Jefferson as President

What did Jefferson want to accomplish during his presidency?

Thomas Jefferson had strong ideas about government and he surrounded himself with people who shared similar views. Jefferson and Albert Gallatin, secretary of the treasury, reduced the national debt and cut down on military expenses. Jefferson also limited the number of federal government workers to a few hundred people. At the same time, his government got rid of most federal taxes. They only collected customs duties, or taxes on imported goods. Under Jefferson, the government's income would come from customs duties and from the sale of western lands. He believed that these changes were needed to make the United States a great nation.