The House of Representatives Chooses Thomas Jefferson
The presidential election of 1800 ended in a tie, as the two Democratic-Republican candidates, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, each received 73 electoral votes. Burr had been added to the ticket to carry his home state of New York, but it was assumed that nationally Jefferson would get the most votes and Burr the second most. When that did not happen, the election moved to the United States House of Representatives in accordance with Article 2, Section 1 of the Constitution.
Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, discusses how the House of Representatives played a pivotal role in the election of 1800, and why it still matters today.
Images Courtesy of: Yale University Art Gallery, Library of Congress, National Gallery of Art, National Archives, New York Public Library, National Portrait Gallery - Smithsonian Institution, Wikimedia.
The presidential election of 1800 ended in a tie, as the two Democratic-Republican candidates, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, each received 73 electoral votes under the original guidelines of the Constitution.