In 1816, the American Republic began to emerge from the turmoil of the War of 1812, a war that the United States effectively lost though because of the Battle of New Orleans, which actually came after the peace treaty had been signed, Americans somehow think they won the war. The British burnt Washington to the ground. James Madison had to flee for his life. The US invasion of Canada ended in a hasty retreat. New England threatened succession. And political disputes between North and South over tariffs and slavery were growing ever more bitter.
The truth is that American elections from 1796 through the Jacksonian Republic were hotly contested. There were no parties in the modern sense. In 1816, the first US political party was still a decade away. But there were factions. Even before the ratification of the US Constitution and the election of George Washington, Americans were divided over the power and role of the Federal government. Two camps arose, the Federalists led by Alexander Hamilton and the Anti-Federalists led by Thomas Jefferson. George Washington largely sided with Hamilton and during the early part of the Republic, the Federalist “party” was ascedant. In 1796, John Adams won the Presidency over Thomas Jefferson and he followed Washington’s policies even if he and Hamilton did not exactly see things the same way.
Politics was a bitter cup of tea during the early Republic far more bitter than they are now. It serves to remind you that Adams and Jefferson would not speak to each other for over a decade such was their feud. And in 1800, Aaron Burr would kill Alexander Hamilton in a duel over a political dispute. Politics was not as genteel as Americans today imagine it. In fact, people would cross the street so as to not speak with their political opponents. It even divided families. In 1806, two cousins both members of the House from Viriginia fought a duel over a salt tax.
