re: #682 HappyWarrior

I wish I still had it but I wrote years ago about why the election of 1800 was our most important one. Adams may have felt bitter about losing ot Jefferson but what Adams did not do was question Jefferson’s legitimacy as the nwe President and thus allowed the peaceful transfer of power, something that so many Americans take for granted.

Agree, Washington choosing to not run for reelection and Adams conceding were two of the most important events in defining our republic. And, more than anything else, the signature act that would signal the end of our country would be a president not stepping down.