The Election of 1804 confirmed the political revolution of 1800. President Thomas Jefferson, buoyed by the Louisiana Purchase and strong public approval, sought re-election under the newly amended Constitution. For the first time, voters chose both the president and vice president on a single party ticket, following the ratification of the 12th Amendment.
Background
Jefferson had narrowly triumphed in the bitterly contested Election of 1800, defeating Federalist incumbent John Adams after a constitutional crisis. In his first term, Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans dismantled much of the Federalist program: cutting government spending, reducing the size of the military, and working to pay down the national debt.
Yet Jefferson also oversaw bold uses of federal power. His administration successfully fought the First Barbary War (1801–1805) against North African pirates, proving that a reduced navy could still defend American interests abroad. Most famously, Jefferson approved the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, doubling the size of the United States with land stretching from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. Though the Constitution did not explicitly authorise such an acquisition, Jefferson seized the opportunity from Napoleon, securing one of the greatest land deals in history.
The Louisiana Purchase transformed Jefferson’s presidency and helped fuel his popularity across the nation. With the economy stable, the debt reduced, and America’s territory vastly expanded, his re-nomination was assured.
The Fall of Aaron Burr
Jefferson’s first vice president, Aaron Burr, had been politically damaged since the electoral tie of 1800. Jefferson distrusted him from the start, and Burr’s reputation only worsened after his infamous rivalry with Alexander Hamilton came to a tragic end.
- Hamilton’s standing had already been weakened by the Reynolds Affair scandal and his bitter factional fights with other Federalists.
- In 1801, tragedy struck when his son Philip Hamilton was killed in a duel.
- Finally, on July 11, 1804, Burr fatally shot Hamilton in a duel at Weehawken, New Jersey.
Though never convicted of murder, Burr’s career was effectively over. Jefferson dropped him from the ticket, replacing him with George Clinton, the long-serving governor of New York. Clinton’s inclusion strengthened the Democratic-Republicans in a crucial northern state and symbolised Jefferson’s move to distance himself from Burr.
The Federalist Ticket
The Federalists, already in decline after defeats in 1796 and 1800, struggled to remain a serious national force. With John Adams retired and Hamilton dead, the party lacked strong leadership.
They nominated Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, a Revolutionary War general and diplomat, for president, with Rufus King, senator from New York and ambassador to Britain, as his running mate. Pinckney had run as Adams’ vice-presidential candidate in 1800, but this time he headed the ticket.
Federalists attacked Jefferson by:
- Claiming the Louisiana Purchase was unconstitutional.
- Reviving accusations of a relationship between Jefferson and Sally Hemings, an enslaved woman at Monticello.
- Warning that Jefferson’s cuts to the military left America vulnerable.
But their arguments carried little weight against Jefferson’s popularity.
First Use of the 12th Amendment
The Election of 1804 was the first held under the 12th Amendment, ratified earlier that year. The amendment required electors to cast separate votes for president and vice president, eliminating the confusion that had caused the tie between Jefferson and Burr in 1800.
The new rules formalised the party ticket system, ensuring that president and vice president would run together, rather than leaving the runner-up as vice president. This marked a crucial evolution in the American electoral process.
The Results
The results were a landslide victory for Jefferson:
- Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican) – 162 electoral votes; 72.8% of the popular vote
- Charles C. Pinckney (Federalist) – 14 electoral votes; 27.2% of the popular vote
Jefferson carried every state except Connecticut and Delaware, both Federalist strongholds. Even much of New England, traditionally Federalist, shifted to Jefferson.
His margin of victory — a 45.6% lead in the popular vote — remains one of the most decisive in American history.
Significance
The Election of 1804 demonstrated:
- The overwhelming dominance of the Democratic-Republicans, who now controlled nearly every branch of government.
- The collapse of the Federalists, reduced to two states and viewed increasingly as elitist and out of touch.
- The success of the 12th Amendment, which prevented another electoral crisis and ensured smoother elections in the future.
- The rise of the “Virginia Dynasty” — Jefferson, followed by Madison and Monroe, would hold the presidency for the next 24 years, cementing Democratic-Republican rule.
Jefferson’s landslide gave him immense political capital, which he would use in his second term to pursue more controversial policies, including the deeply unpopular Embargo Act of 1807.
Legacy
The Election of 1804 followed the Election of 1800, when Jefferson’s narrow and controversial victory nearly pushed the republic into crisis. Four years later, his overwhelming re-election confirmed the strength of the new party system and ushered in a long era of Democratic-Republican dominance.
Next came the Election of 1808, where Jefferson stepped aside and his chosen successor, James Madison, would face the challenge of carrying the Democratic-Republican mantle at a time of rising tensions with Britain — tensions that would soon lead to the War of 1812.