A Magnificent Catastrophe, written by author Edward J. Larson, is focus on the First Presidential Campaign in the 1800s. Prior to 1800, the United States had not presidential election, but electoral politics is re-oriented United States in it is definite direction and solidified the two party system since 1800, so that is reason why this book is worth of notice. He has written about Founding Fathers of America who are Jefferson, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and Aaron Burr during the critical 1800 election. They have participated in the country’s principal documents, primarily the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution that was influenced by philosophers Hobbes and Locke. Although election could be followed in strict adherence to law and principle and not turn into a battle of political ideology, despite the scheming between Adams and Jefferson, they remain as symbols to be admired in the history of America. This book is pointing out very well about their unbridgeable chasms and the differences of their political machines.
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He starts his book with Jefferson and Adams story about two parties such as the Republicans and the Federalists. They are big differences about how to govern the United States. Jefferson, who is representative of Republicans, supports freedom of each state and the government should be populist government that trusted popular rule with his running mate New York’s Aaron Burr. However, John Adams and Alexander Hamilton, who they are representative of Federalists, support a strong army and navy, and insist that strong central government that all authority concentrated in the president. The differences dividing Adams and Jefferson reflected two parties have different ideologies. The political disputes would turn founding fathers from friends to enemies. The two factions had developed into true political parties to this day. First of all, when John Adams became second president in United States, Thomas Jefferson became vice president. In 1797 during his time in office, John Adams sent to diplomatic commission to France for negotiate the commercial treaty about protect U.S Navy. After that time, agents of Foreign Minister Charles Maurice de Talleyrand informed the Americans that negotiations could only begin if the United States loaned France $12 million and bribed officials of the French government. That incident was called to “The XYZ Affair” that was led to an undeclared naval war called the Quasi-war. Adam was succeeded in avoiding war between the French, but he failed the domestic politics such as the enactment of the law and taxation for the military, so in the 1800 elections, he was defeated Thomas Jefferson. According to Larson who is author of A Magnificent Catastrophe (2007), he wrote about Jefferson who stated that “Republicans pounded the Federalists” record of high taxes, rising national debt, a standing army and excessive navy, hostilities with France, and repressive domestic policies. They condemned the Sedition Act as unconstitutional and warned of monarchies afoot (Larson 143).” After election of 1800, Jefferson became America’s third president and in his first inaugural, he warned of entangling alliances. One of troubles about this book that he left out the effect of the three-fifths compromise on the election that is law that during a census, three-fifths of all slaves were to be counted as a compromise for the southern states. Why it is important to U.S history that the tax was changed to be based on population instead of property that is first fair distribution of tax. This book has similarity between 1800 election period and contemporary election. Even though religion should play a central role in everyone’s life, it should not be intertwined with political issue, but that time and now also very important part is religion play. The other similarity parts are civil liberties versus national security and economic regulation. Thomas Jefferson remarked that the biggest danger of government being corrupt lay in a president who is powerful and immune from the checks and balances of congress and senate (Larson 101). He did not mention about difference method of election between past and current. This was due to the oversight stated by the constitution that the elected president and vice president would be timed after the electoral votes were counted. He did
He starts his book with Jefferson and Adams story about two parties such as the Republicans and the Federalists. They are big differences about how to govern the United States. Jefferson, who is representative of Republicans, supports freedom of each state and the government should be populist government that trusted popular rule with his running mate New York’s Aaron Burr. However, John Adams and Alexander Hamilton, who they are representative of Federalists, support a strong army and navy, and insist that strong central government that all authority concentrated in the president. The differences dividing Adams and Jefferson reflected two parties have different ideologies. The political disputes would turn founding fathers from friends to enemies. The two factions had developed into true political parties to this day. First of all, when John Adams became second president in United States, Thomas Jefferson became vice president. In 1797 during his time in office, John Adams sent to diplomatic commission to France for negotiate the commercial treaty about protect U.S Navy. After that time, agents of Foreign Minister Charles Maurice de Talleyrand informed the Americans that negotiations could only begin if the United States loaned France $12 million and bribed officials of the French government. That incident was called to “The XYZ Affair” that was led to an undeclared naval war called the Quasi-war. Adam was succeeded in avoiding war between the French, but he failed the domestic politics such as the enactment of the law and taxation for the military, so in the 1800 elections, he was defeated Thomas Jefferson. According to Larson who is author of A Magnificent Catastrophe (2007), he wrote about Jefferson who stated that “Republicans pounded the Federalists” record of high taxes, rising national debt, a standing army and excessive navy, hostilities with France, and repressive domestic policies. They condemned the Sedition Act as unconstitutional and warned of monarchies afoot (Larson 143).” After election of 1800, Jefferson became America’s third president and in his first inaugural, he warned of entangling alliances. One of troubles about this book that he left out the effect of the three-fifths compromise on the election that is law that during a census, three-fifths of all slaves were to be counted as a compromise for the southern states. Why it is important to U.S history that the tax was changed to be based on population instead of property that is first fair distribution of tax. This book has similarity between 1800 election period and contemporary election. Even though religion should play a central role in everyone’s life, it should not be intertwined with political issue, but that time and now also very important part is religion play. The other similarity parts are civil liberties versus national security and economic regulation. Thomas Jefferson remarked that the biggest danger of government being corrupt lay in a president who is powerful and immune from the checks and balances of congress and senate (Larson 101). He did not mention about difference method of election between past and current. This was due to the oversight stated by the constitution that the elected president and vice president would be timed after the electoral votes were counted. He did