How Was the Transfer of Power History Handled in the past?

Ashley | 12 - 08 - 2020
Presidential Transition

Transfer of power is a process in which the power of controlling a country is transferred from one person to another. The candidate who has won the United States presidential election takes over the administration from the incumbent president. The peaceful transfer of power is considered a hallmark of American democracy. In this article, we will discuss the transfer of power history.

What does a transition team do? They are involved in activities such as conducting lots of host activities. This team is responsible for governing well in advance of Election day. 

John Adams became the second president of the United States in 1797. When he wrote to his wife Abigail, he mentioned that when the ceremony was over, George Washington made a visit and cordially congratulated him and wished his administration might be successful and honorable. This was set to be an example of a peaceful transfer of power for the upcoming years. 

When Did George H.W Bush Die?
  • A. 2017
  • B. 2018
  • C. 2019
  • D. None
  1. Though Andrew Jackson had won the four-person race that included Adams and Henry Clay, he failed to win the number of votes required for election. In the election of 1824, John Quincy Adams defeated Andrew Jackson. Then Clay was appointed Presidential transition history.
  2. When Thomas Jefferson won against John Adams in the election of 1800, he refused to attend Thomas Jefferson’s inauguration ceremony and quietly left Washington in the morning. This event is marked as the first peaceful transfer of power. Since then, those who lost the presidential election have willingly and peacefully surrendered the power to the winners. 
  3. ted as his Secretary of state. After four years, Jackson won a campaign over Adams filled with mudslinging. Later, Jackson’s wife Rachel died because of the stress of the campaign. There are many statements that supporters of Jackson flooded the White House, damaging furniture, and forcing Jackson to run away. 
  4. Harrison won the election against Martin Van Buren in 1840. But, later Harrison died due to illness and vice president John Tyler took over the position after that.
  5. Johnson refused to attend the inauguration of Ulysses S. Grant. Instead of attending the ceremony, he decided to stay in the White House and conduct the final meeting of his cabinet. 
  6. In the 1932 election, Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated Herbert Hoover. Once the election was over, Hoover attempted several times to work with Roosevelt to confront economic problems, but he refused to accept the deal. Roosevelt was the last incoming president with a transition that lasted until March. 
  7. Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower worked together during World War 2 and during the creation of NATO, but in the election of 1952, their relationship collapsed. Eisenhower defeated Adlai Stevenson in the election and Truman was disappointed, when he refused to denounce Joseph McCarthy. Therefore, on the day of the inauguration, Eisenhower refused to enter the White House and waited for Truman in the car. The presidential adviser, Clark Clifford mentioned, “the hatred between the two men that day was like a monsoon.”
  8. During the election of 1968, the country was facing issues such as civil rights and the Vietnam War. Before the election, Johnson discovered that Nixon’s campaign contained illegal activities such as secret negotiations in order to discourage the South Vietnamese government from participating in peace talks favored for Johnson. But Johnson refused to expose his involvement due to lack of evidence and also he did not want to reveal him as the nation would suffer. 
  9. George H.W Bush launched a new tradition for outgoing US presidents. He offered a message of support to his successor. “Your success now is our country’s success. I am rooting hard for you,”. This letter went viral on social media during Bush’s death in 2018.

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