I. Founding Fathers Cycle (1789-1825)

Founding Father's Cycle:

[9 Terms]

Major Parties: Federalists, Democratic Republicans

Presidents: (I) George Washington, (F) John Adams, (DR) Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe

Vice Presidents: (F) John Adams, (DR) Thomas Jefferson, (F) Thomas Pickney, (DR) Aaron Burr, George Clinton, Elbridge Gerry, Daniel Thompkins

Dominant Issue: Federalism (States vs. Federal Power)

Events: President Washington's call for and setting of a 2 term

Burr

tradition for the office of President, minting of a Federal Currency and establishment of a Federal Bank, Quasi War with France, War of 1812 with Britain, 1st Barbary War with Libya, 2nd Barbary War with Algeria, Vice President Burr's murder of Alexander Hamilton followed by Burr's treason with Spain and Britain and his subsequent fleeing to Europe, Louisiana Purchase, Jefferson bans the slave trade, the Era of Good Feeling, Monroe Doctrine, Lewis & Clark Expedition, Erie Canal, XYZ Affair

--Federalist Party (founded by Alexander Hamilton) wanted a strong central federal government. They began the 4th of July celebrations in order to hold picnics as political events to solidify the notion of a new

Hamilton

"nation".

Examples of what they got was a national currency (before that each state printed it's own currency). Also they were the pro-British party on foreign policy preferring to make amends with England and keep them our main trading partner.

Factions: Two factions emerged. The Hamiltonians, domninant overall, who supported the Constitutional Framework of our representative government (although Hamilton viewed it as a sort of "mob rule") and the Monarchists, dominant with the urban elite and former loyalists, who preferred a monarchy with an elected king.

--Democratic Republican Party (founded by Thomas Jefferson) wanted strong states and a weak federal government. They viewed the republic as more of a coalition of states that agreed to the Bill of

Jefferson

Rights stressing the 10th amendment--that anything not expressly in the Constitution belongs to the states. They used the 4th of July celebrations to celebrate states independence day to counter the Federalists celebrating it as the nations Independence Day.

Examples of what they got were a small army and scrapped the navy and marines (which were restarted by Adams during the Quasi War). They later were able to turn power of Presidential Elections over to the states to decide how to elect electors (before that each member of Congress hand pocked an elector to pick the President and Vice President). On foreign policy they were the pro-French party that wanted a stronger alliance with France and to male their empire our main trading partner. Although they soured on France during the bloody, atheistic French Revolution of which even Jefferson thought they went too far.

Factions: Two factions emerged. The Jeffersonians , dominant in the agrarian south and wilderness west, which were the purists for their states rights principles and the Clintionians who were willing to compromise, dominant in the north east.

End of Cycle: We ran out of Founding Fathers....

The cycle ended with the Era of Good Feeling during the post-war economic boom and when there was only one political party left, the Democratic-Republicans. President Monroe went on a national tour to unify the post-War of 1812 nation and reach out to the former

Monroe

Federalists. 

(The Federalist Party had collapsed following the election after the War of 1812. They had been accused of treason due to the Hartford Convention being exposed, where they had been plotting to have New England succeed from the union and make peace with England. The Federalists had been the anti-war party during the War of 1812. They were accused of being "Blue Light Federalists" which they publicly denied. --The "Blue Lights" were those who aided the British warships on the east coast by guiding them with blue lanterns at night).

---THINK ABOUT IT--it began in the aftermath of a War for Independence from Britain and ended in the aftermath of a 2nd War for Independence from Britain. The Founding Fathers in their old age finished the unfinished business with Britain before leaving the stage to others.

Tickets for President:

1788:

Congress picked the President (I) former Army General George Washington of Virginia and Vice President (F) member of the Continental Congress John Adams of Massachusetts.

1792:

Adams

Electors, hand picked by Congress elected re-elected President (I) George Washington of Virginia and Vice President (F) John Adams of Massachusetts.

1796:

Electors, hand picked by Congress, elected President (F) Vice President John Adams of Massachusetts and Vice President (DR) governor Thomas Jefferson of Virginia.

1800:

*The Parties decided to field tickets for President for more party discipline. Nobody still got a majority of electoral votes so the election was thrown into Congress. There was a move afoot in the House by Democratic-Republicans to flip the ticket and make Burr President and Jefferson Vice President. But Federalist leader Hamilton wrote to all the Federalists and asked them to vote for Jefferson for President since he was an honorable man and Burr was a "scoundrel."

Democratic-Republican Ticket: Jefferson/Burr

President: Vice President Thomas Jefferson (Virginia)

Vice President: U.S. Congressman Aaron Burr (New York)

* Vice President Burr would flee the country after committing Treason and the office would remain vacant for rest of the term.

Federalist Ticket: Adams/Pickney

President: President John Adams (Massachusetts)

Vice President: Ambassador to England  Thomas Pickney (South Carolina)

1804:

Democratic-Republican Ticket: Jefferson/Clinton

President: President Thomas Jefferson (Virginia)

Lewis & Clark Expedition

Vice President: Governor George Clinton (New York)

Federalist Ticket: Pickney/King

President: Former Ambassador to France Charles Pickney (South Carolina) brother of Thomas Pickney.

Vice President: Former U.S. Senator Rufus King (New York)

1808:

Democratic-Republican Ticket: Madison/Clinton

President: U.S. Secretary of State James Madison (Virginia)

Vice President: Vice President George Clinton (New York)

* Clinton was ticked he wasn't bumped up to President on the ticket

George Clinton

and ran as a third party, Independent Democratic-Republican, in his home state of New York. His goal was to win some districts (New York that election awarded electoral votes by each congressional district won) to thereby deny Madison the Presidency. His strategy was that if no one got a majority that the House picks between the top three...so his reasoning was that his loyal supporters from the Clintonian moderate wing from the north would be joined by all the Federalists in Congress, as the lesser of two evils in their view, thereby winning the Presidency. Despite winning dome districts in New York it didn't peel enough electoral from the Madison/Clinton Ticket.... IMAGINE WHAT THAT ELECTION WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE IF THERE HAD BEEN 24/7 CABLE NEWS....the veep runs third party to try and cost his President the election and yet stays on the ticket.

Also, Clinton would die in office in his sleep as Vice President and the office would remain vacant rest of the term.

Federalist Ticket: Pickney/King

President: Former Ambassador to France Charles Pickney (South Carolina)

Vice President: Former U.S. Senator Rufus King (New York)

1812:

Democratic-Republican Ticket: Madison/Gerry

President: President James Madison (Virginia)

Vice President: Governor Elbridge Gerry (Massachusetts)

* Gerry would die in office of a heart attack and the office would remain vacant rest of the term.

Federalist Ticket: Clinton/Ingersoll

* The Federalists nominated a joint Federalist/Democratic-

War of 1812

Republican Ticket as the anti-war ticket. On the top was a Democratic-Republican anti-war mayor of NYC DeWitt Clinton, nephew of George Clinton, who not only wanted to get revenge for Madison passing over his uncle to the top of the ticket, but also was in the Clintonian faction of the party in the north of who some were also opposed to the War of 1812.

President: NYC Mayor DeWitt Clinton (New York)

Vice President: Attorney and anti-war activist Jared Ingersoll (Pennsylvania)

1816:

Democratic-Republican Ticket: Monroe/Tompkins

Rufus King the "Last Federalist"

President: Secretary of State James Monroe (Virginia)

Vice President: Governor Daniel Tompkins (New York)

Federalist Ticket: King/Howard

President: U.S. Senator Rufus King (New York)

Vice President: Former U.S. Senator John Howard (Maryland)

1820:

Democratic-Republican Ticket: Monroe/Tompkins

President: President James Monroe (Virginia)

Vice President: Vice President Daniel Tompkins (New York)

* No Federalist Ticket was fielded as they collapsed as a Party.

Hotly Contested Election of Cycle:

1800:

Above one can see the electoral votes cast by state from the electors hand picked by the Congressman from each state.

In this election the Federalist Leader Alexander Hamilton plotted to have Adams defeated and Pickney, the V.P. candidate elected President instead. Several Federalist electors opted to vote for others instead. Many Federalists were infuriated at Adams for some his policies such as the Alien and Seduction Act.

That left no one with a majority so the Congress had to pick between the top two at that time. The Democratic Republicans had won big in the House races so the new Congress would be led by them in January to choose between the top two in total electoral votes--the Jefferson/Burr ticket. (Today the Congress instead picks between the top 3 for President if no one receives a majority and the Senate the same for Vice President). Since the Democrat Republicans would be divided between their two candidates that left the Federalists as King Maker. 

Most Federalists initially supported Burr as the lesser of two evils since he was from the east where his party was more willing to compromise with Federalists. But Hamilton wrote hand written letters to all Federalists urging them to back Jefferson over Burr, since they strongly opposed both men anyway, he stated that Jefferson was a man of character while Burr was a "scoundrel". 

Eventually the Jefferson/Burr ticket was elected as fielded. But Hamilton's words would prove true as Burr would kill Hamilton in a duel after taunting Hamilton's son in public to ag Hamilton on and then committing TREASON and fled the country to Europe. What Burr did was meet with agents from Spain and Britain to plot a revolt in the West with their support and Indian allies of theirs and in return Burr would be made king of this new country and help hold American expansion in check. Britain to the North in Canada, Spain to the South in Mexico and Burr's new kingdom in the West. Apparently Spain was all for it but Britain backed out and turned him in. When informed by a snitch in the white house that Jefferson was looking to hang him for Treason he fled the country. Burr truly was a "Scoundrel"....btw, it Congress more than 30 times voting to finally pick the winner.

-Note of Interest--

Federalist John Adams and Democratic Republican Thomas Jefferson,
both Founding Fathers who wrote the Declaration of Independence, who would become bitter political opponents, died on the same day--on the 4th of July 50th anniversary of the Declaration. Adams last words, as he lay dying at home in Massachusetts, were "Thomas Jefferson still survives" unaware that Jefferson had died earlier that day at his home in Virginia.