Think this presidential election is tough? How about the one in 1800?
An editorial from the Republican & Herald newspaper in Pottsville:
Anyone who thinks this election campaign sets a mark in volatility should consider the campaign of 1800.
The American Revolution established the republic, but bloodless transition following the election of Thomas Jefferson as the third president made it stick. This is important now because of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s refusal to acknowledge that, should he lose, he would recognize the legitimacy of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s victory. Instead, he keeps insisting that the election is “rigged” against him. If Trump persists, he would violate a basic tenet of the American democracy, one that separated it from the dictatorial monarchies in Europe. The tenet holds simply that the losers of presidential elections acknowledge the legitimacy of the winners, and that the winners do not use their newly acquired government power to crush the opposition.
The 1800 election was one of the most volatile in history. The candidates were incumbent Federalist John Adams and his fellow Federalists Charles C. Pinckney and John Jay, and Democratic-Republicans Jefferson and Aaron Burr. Candidates actually founded newspapers for the sole purpose of attacking their opponents; the attacks were vicious, making today’s negative advertising seem tame.
Back then, there was no standard election day, so votes were recorded in different states over the course of several months. By the end of January 1801, Jefferson and Burr were tied at 73 electoral votes each, with Adams third with 65. The House of Representatives broke the tie and elected Jefferson, who led a bloodless transition into office.
“… Every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle. We have called by different names brethren of the same principle. We are all republicans. We are all federalists,” Jefferson said in his March 4, 1801, inaugural address.
Trump has said he will accept the election results if he wins. But he should also be prepared to accept them if he doesn’t.