The Election of 1800
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"The Election of 1800" is the nineteenth song from the second act of ''
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...
'', a
Broadway musical Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...
that premiered in 2015 focused on the life of Alexander Hamilton. In "The Election of 1800", Jefferson and Burr's attempts to win the
1800 United States presidential election The 1800 United States presidential election was the fourth quadrennial presidential election. It was held from October 31 to December 3, 1800. In what is sometimes called the "Revolution of 1800", Vice President Thomas Jefferson of the Democra ...
result in a tie that must be broken by Hamilton. "The Election of 1800" contains discrepancies between its story and the presidential election it narrates, most notably that Hamilton did not break the tie in the actual election.


Synopsis

The song details Miranda's retelling of the
1800 United States presidential election The 1800 United States presidential election was the fourth quadrennial presidential election. It was held from October 31 to December 3, 1800. In what is sometimes called the "Revolution of 1800", Vice President Thomas Jefferson of the Democra ...
. After the emotional ending of the previous song,
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...
lightens the mood by asking if they can "get back to politics" and
James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...
(still crying) agrees.
John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of t ...
, who is not represented in the play, is said to have no chance of winning the presidency, therefore making the main contest of the race between Jefferson and Aaron Burr, both actively campaigning for the presidency. While Alexander Hamilton, the main character, is repeatedly questioned on who he would rather support, he refuses to answer. Hamilton briefly speaks with Burr, who says that he would do anything to achieve the presidency. When it becomes apparent that the race is tied, Hamilton is called upon to break the deadlock. To the shock of everyone else, he throws the election to Jefferson. While Hamilton admits that he and Jefferson have never agreed on anything, he reasons that "Jefferson has beliefs. Burr has none." Burr remains optimistic about still being vice president, but Jefferson uses his new power to change the law so the person in second place does not become vice president as he doesn't trust Burr. In the last line of the song, Jefferson gloatingly asks Burr to thank Hamilton for his endorsement of Jefferson. In the next number, " Your Obedient Servant", Burr challenges Hamilton to a duel out of anger for this endorsement.


Historical differences

While Burr was portrayed in the song as running for president, it was widely understood at the time that Jefferson was the
Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the earl ...
's presidential candidate, whereas Burr was running for vice president. Burr did, however, noticeably decline to say that he would not accept the presidency if he were elected. The tie between Jefferson and Burr was the result of a flaw in the original rules of the electoral college, the constitutional process that allows for the election of the
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
and
vice president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
. Under the original rules, each elector would cast two ballots—the candidate with the most votes would become president, while the runner-up becomes vice president. However, when political parties began to run both presidential and vice presidential candidates, it became apparent that the election would result in a tie between Jefferson and Burr, since they were from the same political party and would each receive one vote from every elector from a state the two had won. In the case of an electoral tie, the race is decided by the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
, where a candidate needs to win a majority of the delegations, not representatives, to win the presidency. In a plot to undermine the
Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the earl ...
, the delegations controlled by the Federalist Party cast their votes for Burr, preventing both Jefferson and Burr from reaching the nine out of sixteen congressional delegations required to win. While Alexander Hamilton was lobbying Federalist delegations to vote for Jefferson, largely for the reasons laid out in the song, it was Representative James Bayard of
Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
who cast the deciding vote to elect Jefferson to the presidency. While Madison tells Jefferson near the end of the song that Jefferson won the election in a landslide, the ''Tampa Bay Times'' points out that this was not the case.


Reaction and impact

Writing for the ''
Journal of the Early Republic The ''Journal of the Early Republic'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal which focuses on the early culture and history of the United States from 1776–1861. The journal is published by the University of Pennsylvania Press The Uni ...
'',
Nancy Isenberg Nancy G. Isenberg is an American historian, and T. Harry Williams Professor of history at Louisiana State University. Life She graduated from Rutgers University, and University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (o ...
criticized the accuracy of the song, writing that the event had been "distorted beyond recognition" by Miranda. In '' Chiafalo v. Washington'', a case before the Supreme Court of the United States, Justice Elena Kagan alluded to "The Election of 1800" in handing down her decision. While writing about past contested presidential elections, Kagan parenthetically commented that "Alexander Hamilton secured his place on the Broadway stage—but possibly in the cemetery too—by lobbying Federalists in the House to tip the election to Jefferson".


Reprisal

In 2020, cast members from ''Hamilton'' performed modified lyrics for "The Election of 1800", among other songs, to encourage turnout in the 2020 United States elections in partnership with When We All Vote, an initiative started by Michelle Obama. Instead of singing about the contest between Jefferson and Burr, the new lyrics emphasize the importance of the then-upcoming election. For example, while the original lyrics when Hamilton was first approached about Jefferson and Burr were "Dear Mr. Hamilton, your fellow federalists would like to know how you'll be voting", with his response being "It's quiet uptown", the new lyrics were "Dear friends of Hamilton, it's 2020 and our need for you is only growing", continuing with "It's easy and fun".


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Election of 1800, The 2015 songs Songs from Hamilton (musical)