The Election of 1800
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "The Election of 1800" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Daveed Diggs, Okieriete Onaodowan, Leslie Odom Jr., Lin-Manuel Miranda, and the Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton | |
| from the album Hamilton | |
| Released | September 25, 2015 |
| Length | 3:57 |
| Songwriter | Lin-Manuel Miranda |
| Audio | |
| "The Election on 1800" on YouTube | |
"The Election of 1800" is the nineteenth song in the second act of Hamilton, a 2015 Broadway musical on the life of Alexander Hamilton. In the song, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr's attempts to win the 1800 United States presidential election result in a tie, that Hamilton is portrayed as helping to resolve. However, the song includes several historical inaccuracies—most notably, that Hamilton did not formally break the tie in the actual election.
The song presents Miranda's retelling of the 1800 United States presidential election. After the emotional ending of the previous song, Thomas Jefferson lightens the mood by asking if they can "get back to politics" to which James Madison—still crying—agrees. John Adams, who does not appear in the play, is said to have no chance of winning the presidency, leaving the main contest between Jefferson and Aaron Burr, both actively campaigning. Alexander Hamilton, who dislikes both Jefferson and Burr, is still mourning the death of his son, is repeatedly asked whom he supports but initially refuses to answer. He briefly speaks with Burr, who admits he would do anything to become president. When the race ends in a tie, Hamilton is called upon to break the deadlock. To everyone’s surprise, he throws his support to Jefferson. Although he admits he and Jefferson have never agreed on anything, he argues, "Jefferson has beliefs. Burr has none." Burr remains hopeful about becoming vice president, but Jefferson, distrustful of him, uses his new power to change the law so that the runner-up no longer assumes the role. In the final line, Jefferson smugly tells Burr to thank Hamilton for his endorsement. This leads directly into the next song, "Your Obedient Servant", where Burr, enraged, challenges Hamilton to a duel.
Historical differences
While Burr is portrayed in the song as running for president, it was widely understood at the time that Jefferson was the Democratic-Republican Party's presidential candidate, whereas Burr was intended to be the vice-presidential candidate. However, Burr notably declined to say he would not accept the presidency if elected.[1][2]
The tie between Jefferson and Burr resulted from a flaw in the original rules of the Electoral College—the constitutional process used to elect the president and vice president. Under the original system, each elector cast two votes: the candidate with the most votes became president, and the runner-up became vice president. When political parties began running both presidential and vice-presidential candidates, it became clear that this system could lead to a tie between running mates. Since Jefferson and Burr were from the same party, electors from states they had won voted for both, creating a tie. In such cases, the United States House of Representatives decides the winner, with each state delegation casting one vote. To undermine the Democratic-Republican Party, Federalist Party-controlled delegations cast their votes for Burr, preventing either candidate from reaching the required nine out of sixteen delegations. While Alexander Hamilton lobbied Federalist delegations to support Jefferson—largely for the reasons dramatized in the song—it was Representative James Bayard of Delaware who ultimately cast the deciding vote that secured Jefferson's presidency.[1][2][3]
While Madison tells Jefferson near the end of the song that he won the election in a landslide, the Tampa Bay Times notes this was not the case.[2]
