The 2016 election was high-stakes and controversial, ending in Donald Trump’s victory solely because of the Electoral College. This election was embarrassing and horrifying and, honestly, signaled the decline of modern America. The level of awfulness that we saw in the 2016 election seemed unprecedented and wholly unique. But, as fans of the uber-popular musical Hamilton know, the 2016 election was seen two hundred and sixteen years ago as well, in the 1800 election.
The 1800 election was a bitter brawl between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, and was so intense that it was called the Revolution of 1800. It ended, of course, in the victory of Thomas Jefferson. This race makes the 2016 election look tame. Here are some of the key similarities:
Incumbent v. Underdog
Okay, in the 2016 race, there wasn’t really an “incumbent” or an “underdog,” per se. The race this year was between an experienced politician and a real estate mogul, the latter of which was considered the underdog. In 1800, we had the actual incumbent, John Adams. He was running for re-election against the author of the Declaration of Independence, George Washington’s cabinet member, former ambassador, and his former vice president, Thomas Jefferson. Yep, just like Trump used to be cozy with Clinton, Adams and Jefferson were close.
Two Big Names, Two Little Names
This year, we had four main candidates: Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Gary Johnson, and Jill Stein. In the election of 1800, we had the same thing. The race was between Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Aaron Burr, and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney. There were rumors that the “little name” libertarian Gary Johnson would give bigger name Donald Trump a run for his money… Shockingly reminiscent of how Aaron Burr almost stole the election from Thomas Jefferson. The two tied THIRTY-FIVE TIMES.
Other People Were Encouraged To Run
In 2016, there were calls of people like Mitt Romney and Joe Biden to run for President. This is the same thing that happened in the race of 1800. On the short list? Former President George Washington and the man himself, Alexander Hamilton.
Ad Hominem Attacks
This is the most common form of political attack. It literally means “to the man.” While Trump attacked Clinton over Benghazi and her emails, and Clinton attacked Trump over his remarks about women, Jefferson and Adams got a little more creative. Since open campaigning wasn’t the fashion, candidates hired or befriended newspapers, other politicians, or notable men to campaign for them. Jefferson’s supporters called John Adams a moral hermaphrodite and the Federalist Party tried to spread rumors that Jefferson died and Adams was the only viable candidate. So, really, attacking Clinton’s health and Trump’s political flip-flopping is nothing new.
Lots Of Outside Voices
We were practically drowning in commentary this election season from politicians and pundits, and your way too conservative aunt. In 1800, the same thing happened. Because the candidates bought out newspaper, propaganda was everywhere. In addition to that, prominent men like Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, and James Madison gave their two cents. It was Hamilton who was essential for getting Jefferson elected by the House.
One Party Almost Disowned Their Candidate
It’s no secret that most of the Republican party didn’t look on Donald Trump favorably. The same thing happened by Federalist Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton argued that Democratic-Republicans were amoral, anarchist atheists, and then lambasted John Adams as just as bad. Hamilton was a well-known political hot head, and basically did the same thing to another member of his party. This led to Adams’ downfall, and the Federalist Party crumbled soon after the election of 1800.
Basically, the election of 1800, described in Hamilton, was a lot like the election we just saw on Tuesday night. Personally, something else about the election of 1800 reminds me of this election. In the song “Election of 1800,” Hamilton endorses Thomas Jefferson. In doing so, he says that he had never agreed with Jefferson once. That they had fought on “like 75 different fronts.” But Hamilton says that Jefferson has beliefs and Burr doesn’t. Initially, I thought this way about Hillary Clinton as a disenchanted Bernie voter. Then I realized: Trump has beliefs, which are absolutely disgusting, but Hillary notably changed her stances based on political necessity.
