The Presidency ofThe Presidency of

First election with political parties

Federalists: John Adams

Democratic-Republicans: Thomas Jefferson

Adams wins presidency, Jefferson becomes V.P.

Presidential Candidate Party

Popular VoteElectoral

VoteCount PercentageJohn Adams Federalist 35,726 53.4% 71

Thomas Jefferson Democratic-Republican 31,115 46.6% 68Thomas Pinckney Federalist — — 59

Aaron Burr Democratic-Republican — — 30Samuel Adams Democratic-Republican — — 15

Relations with France are still tense

France began seizing U.S. ships to prevent trade with Britain

Many Federalists called for war with France

Adams hoped talks would restore peace

Adams sent 3 agents to meet with the French foreign minister

3 agents agreed to talks to U.S. for a $10 million loan to France & $250,000 to the minister as a bribe

Agents known as X, Y, & Z

Congress & the public were outraged

Cancelled all treaties with France & allowed for seizure of French ships

The French conflict made Adams & the Federalists popular with the people

Many Republicans were sympathetic to France

Adams was blasted in periodicals, calling him the “tyrant of America”

To silence critics he passed laws aimed at aliens

One act increased the wait time to become a citizen to 14 years

Other acts gave him power to arrest disloyal aliens & deport them

Another outlawed publishing false statements about the gov’t

Jefferson & Madison led the fight against the laws

Many used the theory of states’ rights

They had rights the federal govt. could not violate

Virginia & Kentucky proposed resolutions to nullify the laws in their states

Nullification was not widely supported

The laws were repealed when the Republicans controlled Congress between 1800 & 1802

War fever in America was high

Adams reopened talks with France

Both sides signed the Convention of 1800 to stop all naval attacks

Reopen the oceans for shipping and trading

Adams became enemies with many Federalists

Federalists: John Adams

Democratic-Republicans: Thomas Jefferson

No majority wonElection was decided by the House of Representatives

Jefferson won the election & Aaron Burr became his V.P.