Background Leading up to the Election of 1800, the United States of America had John Adams, a Federalist, as the current President. He preceded George Washington and had Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican, as his Vice President. While the two men were in office, it was not uncommon for them to disagree with one another over their political and ideological views. This fighting would lead to a strong hatred of one another during Adams’ presidency. During Adam’s term, the Quasi-War with France dealt with the friction between Britain and France and was a significant event in history. The French Navy and privateers aggressively attacked U.S. ships when the loan payments to France stopped after the fall of the French Monarchy. The Federalists …show more content…
The diplomats requested for money before they would negotiate. The commissioners were enraged and returned home where they told President Adams of the encounter. When submitting the report to Congress, Adams tried to prevent a war from breaking out by the Federalists by not listing the diplomats names and their request for money. The report was found to be edited and missing information and Adams was forced to release the entire copy, creating war fever throughout the country. Seats in Congress were taken over by Federalists and they used their new power to pass the Alien and Sedition …show more content…
Thomas Jefferson was a very popular man who contributed a lot for America in order to make it a sovereign nation. He was born on April 13, 1743 in western Virginia. He enrolled at the College of William and Mary where he studied science, math, rhetoric, philosophy, and literature. He studied law under the renown lawyer George Wythe and became on of the best in the area. Jefferson was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses from 1769 to 1774. He was also very famous because he helped break the link between religion and government through the Virginia Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom. Thomas Jefferson was the governor of Virginia for two years during the Revolutionary War. Jefferson wrote the Kentucky Resolution in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts. His running mate was Aaron Burr. Thomas Jefferson was the most likely candidate because he was a Democratic-Republican, and the American people favored him over John Adams, who was a