The first presidential contest : 1796 and the founding of American democracy

Pasley, Jeffrey L. 1964- (Author).

Summary: "This is the first study in half a century to focus on the election of 1796. At first glance, the first presidential contest looks unfamiliar--parties were frowned upon, there was no national vote, and the candidates did not even participate (the political mores of the day forbade it). Yet for all that, Jeffrey L. Pasley contends, the election of 1796 was 'absolutely seminal,' setting the stage for all of American politics to follow."--book jacket.

Record details

ISBN: 9780700619078 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN: 0700619070 (cloth : alk. paper)
Physical Description: print
xi, 516 pages ; illustrations ; 24 cm.
Publisher: Lawrence, Kansas : University Press of Kansas, [2013]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

The unintentional campaign -- A new republic and its discontents -- Popular politics in a postcolonial nation -- The Jay Treaty Crisis and the origins of the 1796 campaign -- From measures to "that man" : toward the presidential option for political change -- The long goodbye : finding candidates in the shadow of Washington -- The first culture war : themes and issues of the Federalist campaign against Thomas Jefferson -- His Rotundity : themes and issues of the Democratic-Republican campaign against John Adams -- Taking the Electoral College to school : how presidential electors helped create the national presidential election rather than preventing it -- The party racers : voting for president in 1796 -- Kiss my ass and go to Hell.