History Resources

"Jefferson is in every view less dangerous than Burr": Hamilton on the election of 1800

A Spotlight on a Primary Source by Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton to Harrison Gray Otis, December 23, 1800. (Gilder Lehrman Collection)
Alexander Hamilton to Harrison Gray Otis, December 23, 1800. (Gilder Lehrman Collection)
The presidential election of 1800 had resulted in a tie between the two Democratic Republicans, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. The founders had not foreseen the rise of political parties and the effects that development would have on the operations of the Electoral College. As that body was created at the Constitution Convention of 1787, each elector had two votes to cast and had to cast his votes for different individuals. The candidate receiving the highest number would become president; the candidate with the second highest number would become vice president. (Only after the adoption of the Twelfth Amendment in 1804 did electors vote separately and specifically for president and vice president.)

The presidential election of 1800 provided Alexander Hamilton, former secretary of the treasury, with a dilemma: a tie between Thomas Jefferson, a man whose principles were in direct opposition to Hamilton's own, and Aaron Burr, a man Hamilton believed to have no principles at all. As the House of Representatives prepared to vote to break the deadlock, Hamilton conducted a furious letter-writing campaign to urge fellow Federalists to vote for Jefferson. In this letter to Harrison Gray Otis, a Massachusetts Congressman, Hamilton writes that "In a choice of Evils let them take the least – Jefferson is in every view less dangerous than Burr."

A full transcript is available.

Excerpt

Mr. Jefferson, though too revolutionary in his notions, is yet a lover of liberty and will be desirous of something like orderly Government – Mr. Burr loves nothing but himself – thinks of nothing but his own aggrandizement – and will be content with nothing short of permanent power [struck: and] in his own hands – No compact, that he should make with any [struck: other] passion in his [struck: own] breast except [struck: his] Ambition, could be relied upon by himself – How then should we be able to rely upon any agreement with him?  Mr. Jefferson, I suspect will not dare much Mr. Burr will [inserted in margin: dare every thing in the sanguine hope of effecting every thing –]

Questions for Discussion

Read the document introduction and transcript and apply your knowledge of American history in order to answer these questions.

  1. Compile a list of specific objections Alexander Hamilton had to Aaron Burr.
  2. Why does Hamilton believe that Thomas Jefferson as president would be the lesser of two evils?
  3. George Washington expressed his concern with “factions” that would obstruct the orderly operations of government. In what way does the letter from Hamilton to Harrison Gray Otis indicate the emergence of powerful partisan politics in the early Republic?
  4. To what extent was the Twelfth Amendment a direct result of the election of 1800? Students will review Article II, Section 1 of the US Constitution and show the changes made through the Twelfth Amendment. Students will judge the extent to which this election was a crisis and whether or not the Twelfth Amendment was a worthwhile change. An application can be made to the crisis created by the election of 2000.
  5. How revolutionary was the “Revolution of 1800” and the election of Thomas Jefferson? Students can compare Jefferson’s actual policies as president and the three essential points of Federalist policy as enumerated by Hamilton: neutrality, public credit, and the navy. Within this lesson the major conclusion would be that the most revolutionary aspect of Jefferson’s election was its acceptance by Hamilton and the Federalists.
  6. Was the Hamilton-Burr duel inevitable? Using Hamilton’s description of Burr, and noting the language used in that portrayal, students will gain an understanding of the animosity that led to the fatal duel in 1804. Applications can be developed to negative political campaigning during recent elections.

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