A Magnificent Catastrophe: The Tumultuous Election of 1800, America's First Presidential Campaign

“[Adams] devoted himself to study far beyond the requirements of his profession. Indeed, few colonists of his day could boast of as deep or as broad a legal education as Adams’s—except perhaps Thomas Jefferson.” 

Although educated at Harvard, Adams was also a lifelong autodidact. In pursuit of his lofty career goals, he studied law and social sciences—to an extent unmatched in his contemporaries, with the exception of Jefferson himself. Larson emphasizes the role that education played in shaping the futures of these two men. 

“Thinking back in later life about their prospects as ambitious young men, both Adams and Jefferson recalled that initially they could conceive of no higher positions for themselves than appointment to the King’s Council (or senate) for their respective colonies. Perhaps that fed their disillusionment with the imperial regime. They wanted so much more than the King would allow his colonists.” 

Larson suggests that the two men’s political decisions—and even, perhaps, their political views and philosophies—were shaped by the strength of their ambitions. In his framing, their desire to succeed coexisted with their views on liberty, in motivating their arguments for American Independence. 

“Jefferson opposed all [of Hamilton’s] policies as destructive of individual liberty and equality of opportunity. Even more, he feared that they would undermine popular rule by creating an aristocracy of wealth in America, a homegrown elite. He did not want the United States simply to become a better Britain, with its concentrated wealth and power. He dreamed of something new under the sun in America—a land of free prosperous farmers and workers. His support for their rights was staunch and heartfelt.” 

This articulation of Jefferson’s views highlights the essential split between the Republicans and the Federalists, by positioning the Republican candidate’s position against the key policies of Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, as the leader of the High Federalists, held views anathema to Jefferson’s egalitarian principles. Jefferson stood by his vision of equality throughout the campaign.