亞當斯的朋友(與敵人)

亞當斯和傑佛遜是獨立宣言的簽署人中，唯一兩位當選總統的人。

亞當斯在1796年選舉中戰勝傑佛遜，但因為傑佛遜是第二名，他成為亞當斯的副總統。當亞當斯要參與1800年的連任選舉時，已有兩大政黨︰聯邦黨和民主共和黨（聯邦黨支持強健的中央政府，以及美國東北部地區的商業利益；而民主共和黨提倡減少聯邦政權，並支持南方地主、全國工匠及小農場主的利益）。亞當斯在1799年決定不與法國開戰，因而讓他在聯邦黨中被孤立，導致他在大選中輸給了由傑佛遜領導的民主共和黨。

選舉的過程非常惡劣，更牽涉了個人攻擊︰亞當斯被譴責成一個暴君，致力於奴役全美國的人民，而傑佛遜被塑造成不妥協的平等擁護者，與不信仰上帝的人。

在經過1800年的激烈選舉後，你覺得亞當斯和傑佛遜還能成為朋友嗎？

Adams and Jefferson were the only signers of the Declaration of Independence who were also elected president.

Adams beat Jefferson in the election of 1796, but since Jefferson was the runner-up, he became Adams's vice president. When Adams ran for a second term in 1800, two major political parties had emerged: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans. (Federalists endorsed a strong central government and tended to support Northeastern commercial interests; Democratic-Republicans favored less federal power and tended to support the interests of Southern landholders and the nation's artisans and small farmers.) Adams's decision not to go to war with France in 1799 isolated him within his Federalist Party and he subsequently lost to the more organized Democratic-Republicans, led by Jefferson.

It was a nasty election and the insults were very personal at times: Adams was accused of being a tyrant determined to enslave the people of the United States and Jefferson was cast as an uncompromising believer in equality for all and as a man who didn't believe in God.

After the bitter election of 1800, do you think Adams and Jefferson were able to be friends again?

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