ExclusiveJefferson vs. Burr_ The Election That Shocked America

When John Adams ran for re-election, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr went against him. John Adams was not as popular by this point, so he came in third. But Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr were tied for first place, each having received 73 votes from the Electoral College. It took 36 separate ballots for a decision to be reached, because the Federalists refused to vote either way, because they were sort of against both of the candidates, since they both were Democratic-Republican. Finally, it would end up being Alexander Hamilton who cast the deciding vote and swayed the other Federalists to vote for Thomas Jefferson. Quite ironic, considering the reason Thomas Jefferson left being Secretary of State was because he opposed Alexander Hamilton. Ultimately, that shows that the Founding Fathers just wanted a successful, vibrant culture and government for everyone. They wanted what the Declaration of Independence had declared. The rights of the individual man.