Solo Analysis Document 7.4 The Election of 1800
SOLO ANALYSIS
The Election of 1800
The election of 1800 marked the first transfer of political power in the United States from one party to another. The Democratic-Republican candidate for president, Thomas Jefferson, defeated the Federalist Party incumbent, John Adams. On March 4, 1801, the date of President Jefferson’s inauguration, the Columbian Centinel, a Federalist newspaper in Boston, printed this broadside. The editors feared that Jefferson’s administration would negate all of the gains achieved by the Federalists.
Document 7.4
Interpret the Evidence
Why does the Columbian Centinel use a “Monumental Inscription” and various typefaces to represent the Federalist defeat?
What do the paper’s editors see as the achievements of the Federalists during their twelve years in power and the character of the Democratic-Republican victors?
Put It in Context
What does the tone of this notice suggest about the likelihood of compromise between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans in the new federal administration?
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