The presidential election of 1796, in which John Adams was elected as president of the United States of America.
Courtesy of the U.S. National Atlas.
The U.S. presidential election of 1796 was the nation's first contested presidential election and the only one to elect a president and vice president from opposing tickets. With George Washington retiring, the election pitted Federalist John Adams against Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson.
Unlike today, candidates did not run together on a ticket; the runner-up became vice president. Adams secured the presidency with 71 electoral votes, while Jefferson, as the runner-up with 68, became vice president. This outcome exposed a critical flaw in the original electoral system, leading to intense political strife between the two rivals and, eventually, the passage of the Twelfth Amendment.
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