A peculiarity existed in the Electoral College provision of the original Constitution—there was no distinction between Presidential and Vice-presidential electors. When the electoral votes were counted in 1801, Jefferson and Aaron Burr, both Republicans, were tied with 73 votes apiece. Next, the election went into the House of Representatives, where it took 36 ballots to elect Jefferson over Burr. (The Twelfth Amendment corrected the problem.) Many Federalists voted for Burr to keep Jefferson from getting the victory, but Alexander Hamilton eventually interceded in favor of Jefferson, which broke the deadlock and swung the balance. Hamilton's action irritated Burr, which eventually helped lead to the duel that killed Hamilton several years later.
As Jefferson's presidency progressed, followed by James Madison's two terms in office, the Federalist Party gradually lost most of its political power. It ceased to exist altogether about 1816. They lost out because they were unwilling to adopt popular campaign techniques, and they opposed territorial expansion and the War of 1812. In the last years, the Federalists were a regional party centered in New England, increasingly jealous of what they came to call the "Virginia dynasty." Although the Federalists disappeared, a summary of the Federalist Contribution to American history is worthwhile. They do not always fare well among historians because some of their ideas seemed to be anti-republican. Nevertheless, their accomplishments are notable.
World History
