Selecting the President

What a presidential contest: Thomas Jefferson pitted against John Adams, two giants of the American Revolution—the former the author of the Declaration of Independence, the latter the draftsman of the widely admired Massachusetts state constitution. The incumbent Adams was the choice of the Federalist Party, the challenger Jefferson the choice of the Republican Party. The election was a cliffhanger. Only after the South Carolina legislature decided on December 2, 1800, to cast its eight electoral votes for the Republican ticket was Jefferson's victory assured. Jefferson received 73 electoral votes to Adams's 65, giving him 3 more than the 70 needed to win the presidency. The framers’ scheme for electing the president seemed to work splendidly: two distinguished characters with national reputations vying for the presidency and an electoral system that produced a clear winner in a competitive contest.