o further complicate matters, this was alame-duck Congress, meaning that many of its members had been defeated in the recentelection and were in office only because their terms had not expired. Congress wasdominated by Federalists who had to choose between two Republican candidates. FromFebruary 11, when the voting began, to February 16, neither Jefferson nor Burr couldwin the required nine states. Because Jefferson disliked Burr even more than ThomasJefferson did Jefferson, Hamilton favored Jefferson, but most Federalists abhorredJefferson. The crisis was resolved when a group of Federalists, led by James A. Bayardof Delaware, came to the realization that if an orderly transfer of government power wasto be achieved, the majority party must have its choice as President. Therefore, onFebruary 17 the deadlock was broken. On the 36th ballot, Jefferson won the support often states and was elected President. Burr, who had the support of only four states,became Vice-president.As a result of this election, the 12th Amendment was added to the Constitution.This amendment specified that electors were to name in their ballots the person voted foras President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-president.Jefferson was inaugurated on March 4, 1801, the first President to beinaugurated in Washington, D.C. Jefferson was accompanied by a small crowd ofpeople and a company of artillery. The outgoing president, John Adams, consideredJefferson a dangerous radical and did not attend the inauguration.Jefferson's inaugural address, one of a small number of truly memorable addressesby Presidents of the United States, attempted to dispel the notion held by manyconservatives that democracy would lead to mob rule and anarchy. "The will of themajority in all cases is to prevail," Jefferson said. However, "the minority possess theirequal rights which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression." Jeffersonsought also to unite the ...
