United States Presidential Election of 1800
Jefferson and Burr tied at 73 electoral votes, forcing 36 House ballots to choose the president.
Overview
The Revolution of 1800 matched Jefferson against incumbent Adams amid the Alien and Sedition Acts and quasi-war with France. Jefferson and his running mate Aaron Burr each received 73 electoral votes under the original undifferentiated ballot, throwing the choice to the lame-duck Federalist House, which took 36 ballots and Hamilton's decisive anti-Burr intervention before electing Jefferson on February 17, 1801. The deadlock produced the Twelfth Amendment's separate ballots, and the first capture of the presidency by an opposition party proved power could transfer peacefully.
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