After the knockout presidency of John Adams, the Federalist party was quick to prepare for another president. Though their popularity was waning even during John Adams’ second term, there was widespread confidence that they could win another presidency. The obvious candidate was Adams’ vice president John Jay, signatory of the Treaty of Paris.
Jay himself was wary of the presidency, never having seriously considered the position for himself. He was preparing to retire from politics before he was approached with the position. With the opportunity at his foot, however, he couldn’t turn it down. At the very least, as president he could smother out the last embers of slavery in the Union.
The issue of slavery, though minor, was complicated. It had been abolished in most of the states, and almost all former slaves were now free. The last bastions of slavery in the US (besides Orleans) were the states of Virginia and Kentucky. The slave population was shrinking even there, but it was slow and many slave owners were unwilling to give up their property. Another strong Federalist in office, it was thought, could finally stomp out the issue.
This would become the platform upon which the Federalists stood for the 1804 presidential election. The Democratic-Republicans again reran Thomas Jefferson with Sam Adams. By this election, Jefferson was tired of the political world, and like Jay was planning on retiring. John Jay ran with prominent Federalist Oliver Ellsworth.
Like the 1800 election, political fighting was grueling. And like the previous elections, the results were very close. For the final time, the Federalists won the election, and John Jay was inaugurated as the third president. After a third presidential defeat, Jefferson retired from national politics, moving back to Virginia and acting as the Virginian state governor until 1808.
Jay was saddled with a Democratic-Republican house, and this would again stymie Federalist domestic policies. During his term, relations with the Caribbean British soured even further, with a number of American ships from New Orleans being captured by the British. The first Canadian independence party was founded during his term. And worst of all, the issue of slavery couldn’t be resolved during his term as he had wished. All these issues were blamed squarely on John Jay and the Federalist party.
Unlike his predecessor, John Jay left office without much fanfare, and has not been remembered all too fondly. Though his presidency was not quite the disaster it was made out to be, a number of factors unfairly blamed on him would end up souring his legacy. After he left office, the Federalists would finally slide into irrelevance and eventual dissolvement in 1822. His lackluster presidency would give the Democratic-Republicans plenty of ammunition to make certain the Federalists would never win another election.