<P> John Adams Federalist </P> <P> Thomas Jefferson Democratic - Republican </P> <P> The United States presidential election of 1800 was the fourth United States presidential election . It was held from Friday, October 31 to Wednesday, December 3, 1800 . In what is sometimes referred to as the "Revolution of 1800", Vice President Thomas Jefferson of the Democratic - Republican Party defeated incumbent President John Adams of the Federalist Party . The election was a realigning election that ushered in a generation of Democratic - Republican rule . </P> <P> Adams had narrowly defeated Jefferson in the 1796 election . Under the rules of the electoral system that were in place prior to the 1804 ratification of the 12th Amendment, each member of the Electoral College cast two votes, with no distinction made between electoral votes for president and electoral votes for vice president . As Jefferson received the second-most votes in 1796, he was elected vice president . In 1800, unlike in 1796, both parties formally nominated tickets . The Democratic - Republicans nominated a ticket consisting of Jefferson and Aaron Burr, while the Federalists nominated a ticket consisting of Adams and Charles Pinckney . Each party formed a plan in which one of their respective electors would vote for a third candidate or abstain so that their preferred presidential candidate (Adams for the Federalists and Jefferson for the Democratic - Republicans) would win one more vote than the party's other nominee . </P>

Who became the president of usa in 1800