It is important to understand the past as it informs how we think about the present.

The election of 1800 was quite contested. Prior to the election of 1800, the presidential power remained in the hands of the Federalists. During the election of 1800, was the first time that there was a transfer of power out of the Federalist “political party” to the Democratic-Republicans. This election started with polarized thinking between multiple people within and across party lines. Both political parties believed that the other party was going to “…subvert the government and overthrow the Constitution” (Horn 2000, p. 3). For the 1800 presidential election the Federalist candidates included John Adams (incumbent) and Charles C. Pinckney (minister to France) and the Democratic-Republican candidates included Thomas Jefferson (then current Vice President of the US) and Aaron Burr (Senator from New York).

Within every election there are behind the scenes conversations that impact the election itself. Alexander Hamilton (Federalist) wrote a series of letters to Theodore Sedgwick (Federalist and then current Speaker of the House of Representatives) detailing his thoughts on the election and how to keep the government out of the hands of the Democratic-Republicans (Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr). Hamilton states that “To support Adams & Pinckney, equally, is the only thing that can possibly save us from the fangs of Jefferson” (Hamilton to Sedgewick 4 May 1800). This polarization between candidates is still reflected today with the 2024 election. During the Presidential debate on September 10, 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris stated that “[Trump’s] former National Security Advisor has said he is dangerous and unfit. His former Secretary of Defense has said the nation, the Republic, would never survive another Trump term” (Kamala Harris during the 2024 US Presidential Debate). Her statement and the statement of Alexander Hamilton reflect the same sentiment—the other candidate is dangerous. Similarly former President Donald Trump forcefully attacked Vice President Kamala Harris stating that “[she’s] a radical Left-liberal” (Donald Trump during the 2024 US Presidential Debate). The difference between the debate on September 10, 2024, and the letter between Hamilton and Sedgewick was that one was on a public forum and the other was on a private forum.

However, that doesn’t mean that things happen behind the scenes that influence the public outcome. Alexander Hamilton is writing to the Speaker of the House of Representatives who plays great sway in how an election was to be handled if a tie occurred in the Electoral College. Similarly, with a bipartisan immigration bill during President Joe Biden’s administration, former President Donald Trump called some congressmen, including current speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson to kill the bill as Vice President Kamala Harris noted during Tuesday’s debate. Once again, this demonstrates the behind-the-scenes partisan purpose for getting their political agenda through.