Editing Thomas Jefferson (section)

===Election of 1800===
{{Main|1800 United States presidential election}}
[[File:ElectoralCollege1800.svg|thumb|alt=Electoral College map|The results of the [[1800 United States presidential election|1800 presidential election]] between [[John Adams|Adams]] and Jefferson, which Jefferson won, making him the nation's third [[President of the United States|president]]]]

Jefferson ran for president against [[John Adams]] again in [[1800 United States presidential election|1800]]. Adams' campaign was weakened by unpopular taxes and vicious Federalist infighting over his actions in the Quasi-War.<ref>[[#McCullough|McCullough, 2001]], p. 556; [[#Bernstein03|Bernstein, 2003]], pp. 126–128.</ref> Democratic-Republicans pointed to the Alien and Sedition Acts and accused the Federalists of being secret pro-Britain monarchists. Federalists, in turn, charged that Jefferson was a godless libertine beholden to the French.<ref>[[#McCullough|McCullough, 2001]], pp. 543–544.</ref> [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]] history professor [[Joyce Appleby]] described the 1800 presidential election as "one of the most acrimonious in the annals of American history".<ref>[[#Appleby|Appleby, 2003]], pp. 27–28.</ref>

The Democratic-Republicans ultimately won more electoral college votes, due in part to the electors that resulted from the addition of three-fifths of the South's slaves to the population calculation under the [[Three-Fifths Compromise]].<ref>[https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v42/n10/eric-foner/the-corrupt-bargain The Corrupt Bargain], Eric Foner, The London Review of Books, Vol. 42 No. 10, May 21, 2020, accessed November 3, 2020</ref> Jefferson and his vice presidential candidate [[Aaron Burr]] unexpectedly received an equal total. Because of the tie, the election was decided by the Federalist-dominated [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]].<ref>[[#Tucker37|Tucker, 1837]], v. 2, p. 75; [[#Wood2010|Wood, 2010]], p. 278.</ref>{{efn|This electoral process problem was addressed by the [[Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution]] in 1804, which provided separate votes for presidential and vice-presidential candidates.<ref name=W284/>}} Hamilton lobbied Federalist representatives on Jefferson's behalf, believing him a lesser political evil than Burr. On February 17, 1801, after thirty-six ballots, the House elected Jefferson president and Burr vice president.<ref name=W284/>

The win led to Democratic-Republican celebrations throughout the country.<ref>[[#Meacham|Meacham, 2012]], pp. 340–341.</ref> Some of Jefferson's opponents argued that he owed his victory to the South's inflated number of electors.<ref>[[#Ferling04|Ferling, 2004]], p. 208.</ref> Others alleged that Jefferson secured [[James A. Bayard (elder)|James Asheton Bayard]]'s tie-breaking electoral vote by promising to retain various Federalist posts in the government.<ref name=W284>[[#Wood2010|Wood, 2010]], pp. 284–285.</ref> Jefferson disputed the allegation, and the historical record is inconclusive.<ref>[[#Meacham|Meacham, 2012]], pp. 337–338.</ref>

The transition proceeded smoothly, marking a watershed in American history. Historian [[Gordon S. Wood]] writes that, "it was one of the first popular elections in modern history that resulted in the [[peaceful transition of power|peaceful transfer of power]] from one 'party' to another."<ref name=W284/>