Essay On Jefferson Vs Burr

Jefferson refers to the election of 1800, Jefferson v.s. Burr, as the “revolution of 1800,” because the government completely turned, instead of possessing branches with nearly all Federalists in power, the government possessed nearly all Democratic-Republicans. In 1800, there was a revolution, not one with violence, or “by the sword,” but one by the “suffrage of the people,” like Jefferson states. There was no brutality or bloodshed in this shift, only the people’s voices and opinions. Their votes are what completely altered the government. This adjustment in power by the people is why the election is also notorious for being a “revolution.” The election of 1800 marked the first transition of sovereignty from one power to another. The Federalists had dominance in the government for the last twelve years because of the fact that Washington and Adams
This shift in dominance, and the election as a whole, led to the creation of the twelfth amendment. The twelfth amendment changes the way the election process operates. The obsolete election method gave government officials two votes and they granted one vote to their top two candidates, and the one with the most votes became president and the one with the second most votes became the vice president. However, this method caused multiple complications, like disagreeing on certain topics and decisions, because the President could be apart of one party, while his vice was a part of the opposing party. This was a reoccurring dilemma, therefore, the twelfth amendment was created, which gave the politicians a vote to cast for a president and a vote for the vice. The “revolution of 1800” was a turning point in the American government because it contributed to the formation of the twelfth amendment, which advanced their government and assisted their journey to reach where our government is