By a Unanimous Vote, Board 8 supports the
Federalists
in the Era of Washington!
Hey all welcome to
Board 8 Elects!
a topic series in which we discuss each historical election from the perspective of the year it took place in!
The idea here is to re-litigate each election from the perspective of when it took place. I will be providing each candidates platform (where possible) so the merits of the election can be discussed and voted on. If possible lets speak of the issues in the present tense.
I am going to ask you vote via
BOLDING
the name of the candidate rather than providing a poll because I feel the poll encourages gut voting and I would really like to see some discussion.
Topics will be live for 3 or 4 days - basically until I make the next topic voting will be active in this one.
Welcome to the Election of 1796, the first contested election in American History. George Washington has chosen not to run for a third term in a surprising decision. In his farewell address he pleaded with the nation to reject political parties for the better health of the union. But instead the Federalists now have a true competitor in the Democratic-Republican party.
Meet the Candidates
The Federalist Party
has nominated 61 year old John Adams, the sitting Vice President (or as he more often styled himself, President of the Senate) was their choice to succeed Washington seeing him as a better choice for continuity than controversial party leader Alexander Hamilton. Adams served as either legislator or ambassador in every American government from the beginning, to include a notable post as first Ambassador to Great Britain. He was a notable agitator for Independence even within the Continental Congress. He has chosen South Carolina Governor Thomas Pinckney as his running mate to try and win some electors in the Democratic Republican Strongholds in the South.
The D
emocratic Republican
Party formed when Thomas Jefferson dramatically resigned from his post as Secretary of State in protest of how much power the executive was accruing under Hamilton's advice. In particular he felt that the South was getting a raw deal going so far as to claim the government was on fire and that he could not put it out from the inside.
The 53 year old Jefferson has served as Secretary of State and before that as a delegate to the Continental Congress and as Ambassador to France. He has chosen New York Senator Aaron Burr as his running mate in an attempt to win Middle State support.
The Issues
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The French Revolution has consumed our closest ally in chaos and presented the American government with a philosophical choice - do we support the expansion of Democracy by supporting the rebels or do we support our allies in the Monarchical government? Adams thinks the revolutionary government is far too violent and has no reason to ally with the US and that we should at least tacitly support the monarchists just this once. Jefferson thinks violence is the price of freedom and that the US should throw material support to the Revolution to expand the experiment of the Democratic-Republic, thus ensuring their Alliance in the future.
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Two years ago, the Jay Treaty established a pact of non-aggression with Great Britain, laying the groundwork for a hopeful alliance and trading relationship. Adams supports this effort while Jefferson wishes to revoke this treaty.
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The Whiskey Rebellion has raised the issue of internal taxation. It seems clear that while people will abide tariffs on foreign goods there is a much more limited support for taxation on domestic goods (such as Whiskey). Adams and the Federalists support domestic taxes on specific goods while Jefferson and the Democratic Republicans want to repeal all taxes and rely solely on import tariffs to fund the government, even if it means a reduction in our standing military (which currently is a modest navy and the new United States Marine Corps that was founded by Adams)
The Campaign
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There were not many notable scandals or campaign incidents in 1796 as both sides waged a gentlemanly campaign aimed at convincing individual electors to vote certain ways rather than making appeals to the populace.
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That said the French Ambassador to the US made a point of endorsing Jefferson which has caused many to question whether Jefferson can be a neutral arbiter in our complicated web of relationships between the British, the French Monarchs and the French Revolutionaries.
EASY VOTE FORM
Adams vs Jefferson