A first clash between parties in the 1800 election: john adams versus thomas jefferson

The election of 1800 is arguably the most critical election that has occurred in American history. While in the previous elections, political parties did not play a huge role they certainly played a role in this one. The Federalists, represented by John Adams, and the Democratic-Republicans, represented by Thomas Jefferson, had completely different views on basic issues and fundamental rights. Each party had their own set of ideas that they believed were right and they fought behind what they believed in which is one reason why this election was very critical. There were also many events leading up to the election that may have affected the outcome overall. The election of 1800 between John Adams and Thomas jefferson was an emotional hard-fought campaign.

Thomas Jefferson and his Democratic-Republican party stepped up to the election in a stable, organized manner and they were ready for victory. After public discontent had risen due to the Alien and Sedition Acts, Jefferson was ready to step in and make a change in the country. As a representative of the Democratic-Republican party, Jefferson believed that we did not need a strong military but that we just needed a militia, that we should have an alliance with the French and not the British, that we needed a strict interpretation of the constitution, that we do not need a strong federal government, and that the common people should rule because they make up a majority of the population. Another important part of Jefferson’s campaign is that he believed the Alien and Sedition Acts violated the 1st amendment.

On the other hand, John Adams and his Federalist followers were not as organized as their competitors. At the beginning of this election, John Adams led a split party. Many of his party’s members opposed his candidacy because he refused to declare war on France during his previous presidency. Instead, Adams used diplomacy to end the war when his party wanted it to continue. Although his party was split, John Adams believed that he still had a chance to win the presidential election and he was not going to give up. As a representative of the Federalist party, John Adams had a completely different campaign then Jefferson did. John adams believed that we should have a strong military that was ready for action at a ny moment, that we should have an alliance with the British, that we needed to have a loose interpretation of the constitution because it was just created and had room for error, that we needed the federal government to be stronger than state governments, and that the rich and education should rule the country because they have vested interest in knowledge and government. John adams also believed that the Alien and Sedition Acts protect our country by removing dangerous people and putting them in jail.

While both candidates seemed like they were experienced and could run our country with the help of our other branches of government, I personally would have voted for Thomas Jefferson after considering the backround, views, issues, and events from 1789 to 1800. When it comes to the issues dividing the Federalist party and the Democratic-Republic party, I completely disagree with all of the ideals of the Federalist party. I do not believe that it was fair for the government to pass the Alien and Sedition Acts. The Alien and Sedition Acts were a series of laws passed during John Adams presidency that sought to restrict the activities of political radicals. These acts stated that no person could say or put into print any type of comment that was against the government. If you violated this act, than you would be fined and arrested. Personally, I do not believe that this is something the government should be able to do. The government does not have the power to issue an act like this and this act directly violates out first amendment right of freedom of speech and press. Thomas Jefferson, with the help of Thomas Madison, stood up for the people and wrote the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, which asserted states rights as a reaction to the Alien and Sedition Acts. I would have voted for Thomas Jefferson because it makes sense to support the person who is trying their best to protect your fundamental rights and freedoms.

Going along with this, I also agree with Thomas Jefferson in the fact that he believed we did not need to have a federal government that had too much power. After all of the events that occurred with the British exercising too much power over our country in our early stages of creation, it only makes sense that we do not want a strong federal government. One of the main reasons why we broke away from the British was because we did not want one person to hold so much control or power over us. If we had a federal government that was given too much power, the people would fear what may happen because of the decisions of a few men who were given too much power. Our government is based off of a system of checks and balances so that one person does not have too much power specifically because we fear a monarch. The federalists want a strong federal government ruled by the rich and educated but that could escalate quickly in a bad way because they will not be taking the will of the majority, or the common people, into consideration. Thomas Jefferson realized that we do not want a federal government with too much power, especially after the Alien and Sedition Acts were passed, so he took actions to prevent a strong federal government from being created and taking too much control.

Another event that we should take into account when deciding who to vote for is the XYZ affair. The XYZ affair was a political and diplomatic issue that involved a confrontation between the United States and Republic France that led to an undeclared war. The XYZ affair was just another issue that was split between the federalists and the Democratic-Republicans. The Federalists liked the British and believed that we should have an alliance with ehm even after all of the events that occurred. They believed that even though we did break apart from them, we could set aside our differences for the good of the country. Federalists said that the XYZ affair showed that the French could not be trusted. The Democratic-Republicans had the opposite opinion. Jefferson believed that the French were good and that we should have an alliance with them. Since the French helped us out during the revolution against Britain, we had several reasons why we should be able to trust them. Also, Jay’s treaty with Britain gave the French no choice in the XYZ affair. The XYZ affair was important because it led to the Alien and Sedition Acts. It also was important because it allowed both political parties to choose who they wanted an alliance with. I personally believe that Thomas Jefferson was right in wanting an alliance with the French. Afterall, why would we return to our old ways and create an alliance with the people we just broke apart from? The XYZ affair did deal with controversial issues, but for me it only proved the point that Thomas Jefferson would be the best president for our country.

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson would have both been successful presidents even though they both had completely different ideas. John Adams was a Federalist and believed in a strong federal government, a loose interpretation of the constitution, and that we needed a strong military. On the other hand, Thomas Jefferson was a Democratic-Republican and he believed in a strong federal government was not necessary, that we needed a strong interpretation of the constitution, and that we did not need a strong military. If I was able to vote in this election, I would have voted for Thomas Jefferson because he wanted to preserve American traditions and looked out for the best interest of the common people.