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United States presidential election of 1808
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The election results of 1808 Portrait of President James Madison, painted by Asher B. Durand in 1833, showing Madison in formal attire with a white cravat against a dark background. Charles Cotesworth Pinckney Charles Cotesworth Pinckney Map of the eastern United States showing the results of the 1808 presidential election by state. States are color-coded: blue for Madison (Democratic-Republican), yellow for Pinckney (Federalist), and orange for Clinton (Independent-Republican). Numbers within each state indicate the number of electoral votes awarded, with some states split between candidates. A faded American flag forms the background.
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Washington Monument. Washington Monument and fireworks, Washington DC. The Monument was built as an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall to commemorate the first U.S. president, General George Washington.
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The White House in Washington, D.C., USA. The north portico which faces Pennsylvania Avenue.
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United States presidential election of 1808

United States government
Written by
John M. Cunningham
John M. Cunningham graduated from Kalamazoo College in 2000 with a B.A. in English. He worked at Britannica from 2004 to 2018. A student of pop culture and the arts, he wrote about popular (and semipopular)...
John M. Cunningham
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

United States presidential election of 1808, American presidential election held in 1808, in which Democratic-Republican candidate James Madison defeated Federalist Charles Cotesworth Pinckney . Deciding not to run for reelection, Pres. Thomas Jefferson unofficially anointed James Madison, his secretary of state and fellow Virginian, as his successor. As an architect of the U.S. Constitution and Jefferson’s principal adviser, Madison appeared to be an ideal presidential candidate. However, widespread dissatisfaction with the Embargo Act of 1807—a...

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