Party Wars: Jefferson vs. Adams, Hamilton vs. Burr, & the 12th Amendment | Dr. Joanne Freeman, Yale

After the Election of 1796, President #johnadams served in the #whitehouse while Vice President #thomasjefferson retired to #monticello. Why? Then, during the Election of 1800, #congress had to break a tie between Jefferson and his own running-mate, Aaron Burr. Again, why? During our webinar, the U.S. Capitol Historical Society continued our series on the #constitution by exploring the #history—and necessity—of the 12th Amendment. Before its ratification, the presidential candidate who finished first, became president, while the candidate who finished second, became vice president. This not only led to divided cabinets, but a divided #usa. More importantly, while the #foundingfathers agreed on independence, they didn't agree on what independence meant.

Our featured guest to share this history was distinguished #yaleuniversity professor, Dr. Joanne Freeman, whose book, Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New Republic, won the Best Book award from the Society of Historians of the Early American Republic.

During this event, we discussed the Party Wars of the 1790s, the precedent set when Jefferson and Adams chose politics over friendship, and why #alexanderhamilton lobbied Congress in support of Jefferson, his rival, instead of Burr, whom he thought “wicked enough to scruple nothing.” Finally, we discussed how the politics of the late-18th century mirror our politics of today.

Dr. Freeman is the co-host of the history podcast, "Now & Then," the host of the webcast, "History Matters (...and so does coffee!)," and the author of The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War. Dr. Freeman has won fellowships from the Society of American Historians, the American Council of Learned Societies, the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, the Dirksen Congressional Research Center, the American Historical Association, and the Library of Congress. She is a Distinguished Lecturer for the Organization of American Historians.

The U.S. Capitol Historical Society is proud that she sits on our Council of Scholars.