VOLUME 7, ISSUE 2
Top Stories
Interview with President-elect Thomas Jefferson on the Election of 1800
The election of 1800 was one of the most contentious campaigns in United States history. When the electoral votes were counted, Federalist John Adams received sixty-five votes. Democratic-Republicans Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied with seventy-three votes each. The tie threw the election into the House of Representatives. Thirty-six ballots later, Thomas Jefferson was elected third president of the United States.
Colonial Williamsburg's Bill Barker, speaking as president-elect Thomas Jefferson, responds to a series of questions about the election of 1800.
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Primary Source of the Month: Thomas Jefferson Victory Banner
In election of 1800, both candidates, incumbent President John Adams, and challenger Thomas Jefferson, were characterized as the best and worst choices for president. In pamphlets and speeches, their integrity, character, and private lives were brought up for scrutiny and, at times, ridicule. In short order, political commentary moved from the printed word to the printed image.
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Teaching Strategy: The Election of 1800
Today, we take for granted that there will be a smooth and peaceful transition of power from one presidential administration to the next. In 1800, however, Americans were not confident of such an occurrence. In fact, many people predicted that the election would be disastrous for the nation, with the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans fighting for control of the government.
In this lesson, students examine the election of 1800 and the resulting peaceful transfer of power from one political party to the other. They also chronicle the 1800 election results on an electoral map, and write an essay describing how each party appealed to different segments of society.
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Colonial Williamsburg Teaching Resources for Your Classroom
Colonial Williamsburg offers a variety of quality
instructional materials dealing with 18th-century
life, including:
- Reflections on Liberty (DVD)
- Jefferson & Adams: A Stage Play (DVD)
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Teaching News
Video Podcasts! Video podcasts have joined the Past and Present program lineup on the Colonial Williamsburg Web site. Studio interviews coupled with Colonial Williamsburg footage take you even further behind the scenes, illuminating the stories that compose our common history. Stream from our site, or download the file to play at any time. We welcome ideas and feedback — use the "Comment" button on the podcast page to let us know what you think.
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EFT Trailers on YouTube! Trailers for the Colonial Williamsburg 2008–2009 Electronic Field Trips Series are now available on YouTube (and SchoolTube)! Each program in this Emmy award-winning series immerses viewers in history and makes yesterday's stories relevant to today's world. Feel free to share these trailers with students, teachers, and history buffs.
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Quotation of the Month
"In every free and deliberating society, there must, from the nature of man, be opposite parties, and violent dissensions and discords; and one of these, for the most part, must prevail over the other for a longer or shorter time."
-Thomas Jefferson to John Taylor, 1798
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