1781Continuing his campaign through Virginia, British General Charles Cornwallis dispatches Brigadier General Banastre Tarleton and 250 of his men to capture Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and then Governor of Virginia. Though a Virginian militiaman by the name of Jack Jouett attempts to warn Jefferson, he arrives at the governor’s home at Monticello several minutes too late. Jefferson is captured by Tarleton and transported to Britain, where he is tried for treason and hanged.
Fifteen Years LaterWith President Washington’s declaration that he would not stand for reelection to a third term in 1796, the stage was set for the most bitterly partisan election so far in American History. During the last years of the Washington administration, two political factions have emerged. One, generally supportive of the president’s policies and claiming Alexander Hamilton as its chief ideologue, is known as the Federalist Party; the other, desiring a more limited government than the one envisioned by Hamilton, is known as the Republican, or Democratic-Republican, Party.
The front-runner for the presidency is Vice President John Adams, diplomatic hero of the Revolutionary War who, with Jefferson dead, is regarded as the primary force behind the Declaration of Independence. Though distrustful of Hamilton, Adams agrees more or less with his assertion that a strong federal government is necessary to protect the commercial interests of the fledgling nation and to prevent a French-style Revolution. As presidential electors are required to cast two votes, the Federalists are backing former Governor Thomas Pinckney as well, with the understanding that a few of their electors will throw away their second votes to ensure Adams has a majority. Though the Democratic-Republicans agree on most of the issues—the federal government should be limited to preserve the rights of the states and the power of the small farmer—their lack of representation in the cabinet means that they have no clear leader. The party’s Congressional caucus is backing Governor George Clinton as the candidate most likely to defeat Adams, but Congressman James Madison, former Governor Patrick Henry, Governor Samuel Adams, and Senator Aaron Burr are also competing for the top job. It remains to be seen whether the party will be able to overcome this division, or whether the Federalists will cruise to power virtually unopposed.
The Washington Administration
President: George Washington (I-VA) 1789-present
Vice President: John Adams (F-MA) 1789-present
Secretary of State: John Jay (F-NY) 1789-present
Secretary of the Treasury: Alexander Hamilton (F-NY) 1789-1795; Oliver Wolcott, Jr. (F-CT) 1795-present
Secretary of War: Henry Knox (F-MA) 1789-1794; Timothy Pickering (F-MA) 1794-present
Attorney General: Edmund Randolph (F-VA) 1789-present
2 days.
Poll
