Episode 1 of 3
Transition from the Washington Administration
- When
- 1796 – March 4, 1797
- Where
- United States executive transition
- Part of
- Inauguration of John Adams
Power passed from Washington's administration to Adams following the 1796 election, the first contested American presidential contest.
George Washington had twice been elected unanimously, but philosophical differences between Hamilton and Jefferson during his presidency caused a rift and the founding of the Federalist and Republican parties. The 1796 election that followed was the first contested American presidential election, and Adams's victory in it marked the transfer of executive power from Washington's administration to his successor.
Sources
- John Adams Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-27
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.