The Presidential Election 1804

With a strong economy and flourishing trade, Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson’s first term in office had been successful. In Europe, the French Revolutionary Wars had ended and, closer to home, the United States had doubled in size following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. This land acquisition from the French was one of Jefferson’s greatest achievements. Despite constitutional questions and divisions over slavery, Jefferson was expected to win the election of 1804. New electoral rules had come into play following the adoption of the Twelfth Amendment of the Constitution, meaning that separate votes were cast for president and vice president, rather than the outcome being decided by the highest and second highest number of votes. Jefferson won a landslide victory over Federalist candidate Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, electing him to a second term as president. Jefferson’s running mate, George Clinton, became vice president.