Now that the 2016 election cycle is (finally) coming to a close, it’s probably safe to say that many Americans are getting tired of hearing about both Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton. While this may seem like the most contentious, over-the-top elections ever, our nation’s history has actually seen some pretty crazy presidential shenanigans. Here are some of the most interesting presidential elections from America’s past.
Presidential… dueling?
The 1800 election, in which Americans had to choose between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, was so strange that it led to the 12th Amendment of the Constitution. Before this addition, the federal regulations stated that each Electoral College member had two votes, and each candidate ran alone. Whoever won gained the presidency, and the second became the vice president. However, Burr and Jefferson tied, meaning that Congress had to intervene. Alexander Hamilton, who did not support either candidate, started a campaign to get Federalists to vote for Jefferson as he was seen as the lesser of two evils. In the end Jefferson won, but Burr and Hamilton continued their feud, with Burr killing Hamilton in a duel a few years later.
Three candidates
During the Civil War, the country was so divided that it seemed legal statutes and state rules went out the window. The 1860 election was originally a contest between Abraham Lincoln and John Breckinridge, but the Constitutional Union Party decided its vote would be for a different candidate altogether, John Bell. This pro-slavery party was exceptionally powerful. No one party could agree on a candidate, so all three ran and Lincoln won with 40% of the popular vote. This election remains the only one in statutory history that involved three major candidates with all separate political backgrounds.
Too many candidates
The late 19th Century was an important time in American politics, with both women and African Americans lobbying to gain the right to vote — and to run as candidates. In 1872, suffragette Victoria Woodhull ran for president against Frederick Douglas, a former slave. However, neither candidate’s campaign gained much ground, as they were effectively ignored by the major parties in the face of upheaval with the two parties. After a split in the Republican party, the Democrats eventually backed the Liberal Republican candidate Horace Greeley, hoping to defeat the incumbent Ulysses S. Grant. They failed to do so — in part because Greeley died after the popular vote was calculated but before the electors cast their votes.
So next time you notice recent news considering our upcoming election, consider these wacky elections and the federal regulations that are in place to ensure that, no matter how crazy things get, we can rely on a few things when it comes to naming a leader for our country.