1796 British general election
The 1796 British general election returned members to serve in the 18th and last House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain. They were summoned before the Union of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801. The members in office in Great Britain at the end of 1800 continued to serve in the first Parliament of the United Kingdom (1801–02).


1796 British general election, Political situation
Great Britain had been at war with France since 1792. The Prime Minister since 1783, William Pitt the Younger, led a broad wartime coalition of Whig and Tory politicians.


1796 British general election, Political situation
The principal opposition to Pitt was a relatively weak faction of Whigs, led by Charles James Fox. For four years after 1797 opposition attendance at Westminster was sporadic as Fox pursued a strategy of secession from Parliament. Only a small group, led by George Tierney, had attended frequently to oppose the ministers. As Foord observes "only once did the minority reach seventy-five, and it was often less than ten".


1796 British general election, Political situation, Dates of election
The period between the first and last returns was 25 May to 29 June 1796.


1796 British general election, Summary of the constituencies
Monmouthshire (One County constituency with two members and one single member Borough constituency) is included in Wales in these tables. Sources for this period may include the county in England.


1796 British general election, Summary of the constituencies
Table 2: Number of seats per constituency, by type and country


1796 English cricket season
The 1796 English cricket season was the 25th in which matches have been awarded retrospective first-class cricket status and the tenth after the foundation of the Marylebone Cricket Club. The season saw seven top-class matches played in the country.


1796 English cricket season, Matches
A total of seven top-class matches were played during the season, all bar one of which included a team playing under the name of Kent, Middlesex or Surrey.


1796 English cricket season, Matches
The season saw the last match between two sides named for counties until 1825. It also saw the completion of the first-class match which had been begun the following year - a match between teams organised by the Earl of Winchilsea and Richard Leigh which had been begun in July 1795 and was completed on 28 June 1796 before a match between an England side and a Surrey and Kent XI began on the same day, a number of players appearing in both matches.


1796 English cricket season, First mentions
Players who made their first-class cricket debuts in 1796 included:


1796 Heavy Cavalry Sword
The pattern 1796 Heavy Cavalry Sword was the sword used by the British heavy cavalry (Lifeguards, Royal Horse Guards, Dragoon Guards and Dragoons), and King's German Legion Dragoons, through most of the period of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. It played an especially notable role, in the hands of British cavalrymen, at the battles of Salamanca and Waterloo. The pattern was adopted by Sweden and was used by some Portuguese cavalry.


1796 Heavy Cavalry Sword, Background
The British 1796 Heavy Cavalry Trooper's Sword was a direct copy of the Austrian pallasch sword pattern of 1769 for heavy cavalry (it later received an iron scabbard (1775), in which form it was adopted by the British). John Le Marchant, a cavalry officer who designed the curved 1796 pattern light cavalry sabre, undoubtedly saw the Austrian weapon in use during the Low Countries Campaign of 1793-95, when he also made many drawings of Austrian cavalry equipment.


1796 Heavy Cavalry Sword, Background
His initial intention was that his own sword design should be adopted by all the cavalry; however, this was denied by the decision of the board of general officers to arm the heavy cavalry with a straight sword. It is probable, once a straight sword had been decided upon, that he then suggested the Austrian sword as a model.


1796 Heavy Cavalry Sword, Design, Trooper's pattern
Technically the 1796 heavy cavalry sword is a backsword, that is a sword with a straight blade with one cutting edge and the opposite edge of the blade (the "back") thickened for most of its length to give added strength. The blade is 35 inches (890 mm) in length, with a single broad fuller each side. The grip is of ribbed wood, or wood bound with cord to resemble the same, and covered in leather.


1796 Heavy Cavalry Sword, Design, Trooper's pattern
The iron backpiece of the grip has ears which are riveted through the tang of the blade to give the hilt and blade a very secure connection. The hilt combines a disc guard pierced with 2 semicircular and 6 oval (never circular) holes, with single knucklebow and two slim 2-inch-long (51 mm) langets (projections from the guard, which grip the throat of the scabbard) extending from the front of the guard. The langets were often removed and the left side of the guard ground away so as to reduce wear to uniforms. The latter modification would also have made it more comfortable to wear, especially on horseback.


1796 Heavy Cavalry Sword, Design, Trooper's pattern
The sword was often modified by its users. The point was originally a 'hatchet point', a curved diagonal front edge similar to that of the Japanese katana, but most were altered to a symmetrical 'spear point', more common at the time, or alternatively made more acute whilst retaining the asymmetry of the tip. This was done in order to improve the sword's ability to thrust. Quite large numbers of spear-pointed examples exist with 33-inch (840 mm) blades, along with an appropriately shortened scabbard. These may be conversions of the original standard 35-inch (890 mm) blade, although many appear to have been manufactured to this shorter length. The sword was carried in an iron scabbard with wooden liners,  and hung from the waist via sword-belt slings attached to two loose suspension rings.


1796 Heavy Cavalry Sword, Design, Household cavalry other ranks
Variant sword types with the standard trooper's blade, but a bowl hilt similar to that of the officers' pattern, in brass with a brass scabbard (for the Life Guards) or iron with an iron scabbard (for the Horse Guards), exist and are believed to have been issued to the other ranks of the Household regiments for use when on home (ceremonial) service. The scabbards of these swords did not usually have suspension rings, but were fitted with a button or slide for use with a 'frog' - a type of baldric or belt attachment. It is known that the Household regiments employed the standard trooper's pattern swords on active service.


1796 Heavy Cavalry Sword, Design, Officer's patterns
Officers carried a service sword, also termed an "undress sword", with a blade of identical general form to that of the trooper's pattern detailed above. However, many officers' blades bore etched, or blued and gilt, decoration. The guard, in contrast, was entirely different from the trooper's pattern, being of bowl form, and incorporating an elaborate pierced honeysuckle design with a prominent rear quillon. This hilt form is often referred to as a 'ladder hilt' (due to the pierced knucklebow resembling a ladder).


1796 Heavy Cavalry Sword, Design, Officer's patterns
The dress sword for Heavy Cavalry officers was a much smaller and lighter weapon, having a knucklebow, ovoid pommel and boat-shell guard in gilt brass or gunmetal. The blade was much shorter and narrower than the service sword's, and usually double edged with a short narrow central fuller each side. The dress sword usually had a leather scabbard with gilt brass mounts, however, a number of examples exist of swords with iron service scabbards, suggesting that some officers may have employed the dress sword in the field.


1796 Heavy Cavalry Sword, Use
The trooper's sword, and the officer's undress sword, was a dedicated cutting weapon with a broad heavy blade and was renowned as being completely unfit for delicate swordsmanship. This was also the foundation for respect it gained from those who appreciated it; most cavalry troopers used the blades like bludgeons and the guards as knuckle dusters (as Le Marchant observed) and the 1796 was significantly more suited for this than most other swords.


1796 Heavy Cavalry Sword, Use
A well-known description of the brutal power of the weapon was made by Sgt. Charles Ewart, 2nd Dragoons (Scots Greys) concerning how he captured an Imperial Eagle at Waterloo:


1796 Heavy Cavalry Sword, Use
"It was in the charge I took the eagle off the enemy; he and I had a hard contest for it; he made a thrust at my groin I parried it off and cut him down through the head. After this a lancer came at me; I threw the lance off my right side, and cut him through the chin upwards through the teeth. Next, a foot soldier fired at me, then charged me with his bayonet, which I also had the good luck to parry, and I cut him down through the head; thus ended the contest."


1796 Heavy Cavalry Sword, In fiction
The fictional character most often associated with the 1796 Heavy Cavalry Sword is Richard Sharpe, Bernard Cornwell's Napoleonic Rifle officer.


1796 Maryland's 2nd congressional district special election
A special election was held in Maryland's 2nd congressional district on April 18, 1796 to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of Gabriel Duvall (DR) on March 28, 1796.


1796 Massachusetts's 10th congressional district special election
A special election was held in Massachusetts's 10th congressional district on August 1, 1796 and September 12, 1796 to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of Benjamin Goodhue (F) in June, 1796. Goodhue had resigned upon being elected to the Senate.


1796 Massachusetts's 10th congressional district special election, Election results
Two elections were held due to a majority not being achieved on the first vote.


1796 Massachusetts's 1st congressional district special election
A special election was held in Massachusetts's 1st congressional district on September 5, 1796 and November 21, 1796 to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of Theodore Sedgwick (F) upon his election to the Senate


1796 Massachusetts's 1st congressional district special election, Election results
Two elections were held due to a majority not being achieved on the first ballot.


1796 North Carolina's 4th congressional district special election
A special election was held in North Carolina's 4th congressional district on November 23, 1796 to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of Absalom Tatom (DR) on June 1, 1796. Tatom had, himself, been elected in a special election the previous year.


1796 Pattern British Infantry Officer's Sword
The 1796 Pattern British Infantry Officers Sword was carried by officers of the line infantry in the British Army between 1796 and the time of its official replacement with the gothic hilted sword in 1822. This period encompassed the whole of the Napoleonic Wars.


1796 Pattern British Infantry Officer's Sword, Design
The sword was introduced by General Order in 1796, replacing the previous 1786 Pattern. It was similar to its predecessor in having a spadroon blade, i.e. one straight, flat backed and single edged with a single fuller on each side. The hilt was of gilt brass or gunmetal, with a knucklebow, vestigial quillon and a twin-shell guard somewhat similar in appearance to that of the smallswords which had been common civilian wear until shortly before this period. The pommel was urn shaped and, in many later examples, the inner guard was hinged to allow the sword to sit against the body more comfortably and reduce wear to the officer's uniform. Blades were commonly quite extensively decorated, often blued and gilt.


1796 Pattern British Infantry Officer's Sword, Criticism
The 1796 Pattern Sword was not renowned as a great fighting sword. The blade was weak and the hilt gave very little protection to the hand. General Cavalie Mercer of the Royal Artillery, who wore the same sword stated that:


1796 Pattern British Infantry Officer's Sword, Criticism
"Nothing could be more useless or ridiculous than the old infantry regulation [sword]; it was good for neither cut nor thrust and was a perfect encumberance. In the Foot Artillery, when away from headquarters, we generally wore dirks instead of it".


1796 Pattern British Infantry Officer's Sword, Influence on United States Army swords
Regardless of its weaknesses as a fighting weapon, according to Robson, a nearly identical sword was carried by the Army Corps of Engineers in the early nineteenth century and in turn similar swords were adopted by the United States Army in 1840 for foot officers and (with a simpler, unhinged guard) for NCOs.


1796 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election
The 1796 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election occurred on November 8, 1796. Incumbent Democratic-Republican governor Thomas Mifflin successfully sought re-election to a third term. For the second consecutive election, he was victorious over U.S. Representative Frederick Muhlenberg, the Federalist candidate, by a wide margin.


1796 Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district special election
A special election was held in Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district on October 11, 1796 to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of Daniel Hiester (DR) on July 1, 1796


1796 Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district special election, Election results
George Ege also won the 5th district in the general election.


1796 Rhode Island's at-large congressional district special election
A special election was held in Rhode Island's at-large congressional district on November 15, 1796 to fill a vacancy left in both the 4th and 5th Congresses by the resignation of Benjamin Bourne (F).


1796 Rhode Island's at-large congressional district special election, Election results
Potter took his seat December 19, 1796 but the subsequently resigned after the 1st Session of the 5th Congress, resulting in a second special election


1796 Riga
1796 Riga, provisional designation 1966 KB, is a dark asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 70 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 16 May 1966, by Russian astronomer Nikolai Chernykh at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnyj, on the Crimean peninsula. It is named after the Latvian capital Riga.


1796 Riga, Orbit and classification
The asteroid orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 3.2–3.5 AU once every 6 years and 2 months (2,247 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.06 and an inclination of 23° with respect to the ecliptic. The body was first identified as "1907 TG" at the U.S Taunton Observatory (803) in 1907, and its first used precovery was taken at the Goethe Link Observatory in 1953, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 13 years prior to its official discovery observation. It is a member of the Cybele group of asteroids.


1796 Riga, Spectral type
The carbonaceous C-type asteroid is also classified as a very dark and featureless reddish P-type body by the NEOWISE survey of the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). In the Tholen and SMASS taxonomy, it has a XFCU and Cb subtype, respectively.


1796 Riga, Diameter and albedo
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite and NASA's WISE/NEOWISE mission, the asteroid measures between 66.2 and 85.7 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.028 and 0.05. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) agrees with the results obtained by IRAS, adopting a diameter of 73.83 kilometers with an albedo of 0.0376, based on an absolute magnitude of 9.84.


1796 Riga, Rotation period
Several rotational lightcurve for this asteroid were obtained from photometric observations since 1997. They gave a variety of rotation periods from 10.608 to 22.226 hours with inconsistent brightness variations in the range of 0.05 to 0.40 magnitude (U=2/2-/n.a./2). CALL adopts the results of the most observations made by astronomer Julian Oey at the Australian Blue Mountains Observatory (Q68) in March 2014, which gave a period of 22.226±0.001 hours and an amplitude of 0.40±0.05 magnitude (U=2).


1796 Riga, Naming
The minor planet was named after Riga, the capital of Latvia and location of the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Latvia. The name was proposed by Matiss A. Dirikis, who was a member of the observatory at the Latvian State University, and after whom the asteroid 1805 Dirikis is named. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 25 September 1971 (M.P.C. 3185).


1796 State of the Union Address
The 1796 State of the Union Address was given by George Washington, the first president of the United States, on Wednesday, December 7, 1796. It was given in Congress Hall, Philadelphia. He gave it directly to Congress. He began with, "In recurring to the internal situation of our country since I had last the pleasure to address you, I find ample reason for a renewed expression of that gratitude to the Ruler of the Universe which a continued series of prosperity has so often and so justly called forth." He ended with, "God's providential care may still be extended to the United States, that the virtue and happiness of the people may be preserved, and that the Government which they have instituted for the protection of their liberties may be perpetual."


1796 United States House of Representatives election in Connecticut
Connecticut elected its seven representatives at-large on a general ticket.


1796 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware
The 1796 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware was held October 4, 1796. James A. Bayard Sr. won the election.


1796 United States House of Representatives election in New Hampshire, New Hampshire
In 1796, New Hampshire had a single at-large district with 4 seats. Each voter cast 4 votes and a majority of voters (12.5% of votes) was required to be elected. Since only three candidates received a majority, a run-off was held between the candidates in fourth and fifth place to fill the remaining seat.


1796 United States House of Representatives election in Tennessee
Tennessee was admitted June 1, 1796. The first member of the U.S. House of Representatives was elected October 15, 1796 and seated December 5, 1796.


1796 United States House of Representatives election in Tennessee
He was future U.S. President Andrew Jackson, a Democratic-Republican, who swamped James Rody 98.9% to 1.1%


1796 United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland
Two of the four Democratic-Republicans were replaced by Federalists, bringing the Federalists from a 4–4 split to a 6-2 majority.


1796 United States House of Representatives elections in New York
The 1796 United States House of Representatives elections in New York were held on December 15, 1796 to elect ten U.S. Representatives to represent the State of New York in the United States House of Representatives of the 5th United States Congress.


1796 United States House of Representatives elections in New York, Background
Ten U.S. Representatives had been elected in December 1794 to a term in the 4th United States Congress beginning on March 4, 1795. Their term would end on March 3, 1797.


1796 United States House of Representatives elections in New York, Congressional districts
On January 27, 1789, the New York State Legislature had divided the State of New York into six congressional districts which were not numbered. On December 18, 1792, the Legislature divided the State into ten districts, which were still not numbered, taking into account the new counties created in 1791. The geographical area of the congressional districts remained at this election the same as at the previous election in December 1794. A new county was created, Schoharie Co. Most of the new Schoharie County was taken from Albany County, and remained in the 8th District, a part was taken from Otsego County, and remained in the 10th District. Besides, inside the 10th District a new county had been created: Steuben Co.


1796 United States House of Representatives elections in New York, Congressional districts
Note: There are now 62 counties in the State of New York. The counties which are not mentioned in this list had not yet been established, or sufficiently organized, the area being included in one or more of the abovementioned counties.


1796 United States House of Representatives elections in New York, Result
6 Federalists and 4 Democratic-Republicans were elected. The incumbents Havens, Livingston, Van Cortlandt, Van Alen, Glen and Williams were re-elected; the incumbents Bailey and Cooper were defeated; and John Hathorn and Ezekiel Gilbert did not run for re-election.


1796 United States House of Representatives elections in New York, Result
Note: The Anti- Federalists called themselves "Republicans." However, at the same time, the Federalists called them "Democrats" which was meant to be pejorative. After some time both terms got more and more confused, and sometimes used together as "Democratic Republicans" which later historians have adopted (with a hyphen) to describe the party from the beginning, to avoid confusion with both the later established and still existing Democratic and Republican parties.


1796 United States House of Representatives elections in New York, Aftermath
The House of Representatives of the 5th United States Congress met for the first time at Congress Hall in Philadelphia on May 15, 1797, and all ten representatives took their seats on this day.


1796 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania
Elections to the United States House of Representatives in Pennsylvania were held on October 11, 1796 for the 5th Congress


1796 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, Background
Thirteen Representatives (9 Democratic-Republicans and 4 Federalists) had been elected in 1794. One Representative, Daniel Hiester (DR) of the 5th district resigned on July 1, 1796. His seat was vacant at the time of the 1796 election, and was filled in a special election held at the same time.


1796 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, Congressional districts
Pennsylvania was divided into 12 districts, one of which (the 4th) was a plural district, with 2 Representatives. These districts remained in use until redistricting after the Census of 1800.


1796 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, Congressional districts
The counties that made up the 5th district did not border each other. That district was therefore made up of two separate pieces rather than being a single contiguous entity


1796 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, Congressional districts
Note: Many of these counties covered much larger areas than they do today, having since been divided into numerous counties


1796 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, Election results
11 incumbents (7 Democratic-Republicans and 4 Federalists) ran for re-election. Frederick Muhlenberg (DR) of the 2nd district did not run for re-election. Of the incumbents who ran for re-election, 9 (5 Democratic-Republicans and 4 Federalists) were re-elected. Overall, 7 Democratic-Republicans and 6 Federalists were elected, a net gain of 2 seats for the Federalists.


1796 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, Special Elections
George Ege (F) of the 5th district resigned in October, 1797 and was replaced in a special election held October 10, 1797


1796 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, Special Elections
With Hiester's election, the Democratic-Republicans gained 1 seat, increasing their majority to 8-5


1796 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, Special Elections
John Swanwick (DR) of the 1st district died on August 1, 1798 and Samuel Sitgreaves (F) of the 4th district resigned on August 29, 1798. Special elections were held in those districts on October 9, 1798, the same day as the elections to the 6th Congress.


1796 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, Special Elections
Both also won election to the 6th Congress. The 1st district changed from Democratic-Republican to Federalist while the 4th district changed from Federalist to Democratic-Republican, leaving no net change in seats for the remainder of the 5th Congress.


1796 United States House of Representatives elections in Rhode Island
Rhode Island had an at-large district with two seats, each of which were elected separately.


1796 United States Senate special election in New York
The 1796 United States Senate special election in New York was held on November 9, 1796, by the New York State Legislature to elect a U.S. Senator (Class 3) to represent the State of New York in the United States Senate.


1796 United States Senate special election in New York, Background
Rufus King had been re-elected in 1795 to a second term in the U.S. Senate (1795–1801). On May 23, 1796, he resigned after having been appointed U.S. Minister to Great Britain, leaving the State Legislature to fill the vacancy.


1796 United States Senate special election in New York, Background
At the State election in April 1796, Federalist majorities were elected to both houses of the 20th New York State Legislature which met from November 1 to 11, 1796, at New York City, and from January 3 to April 3, 1797, at Albany, New York.


1796 United States Senate special election in New York, Candidates
United States District Judge for the District of New York John Laurance was the candidate of the Federalist Party.


1796 United States Senate special election in New York, Result
Laurance was the choice of both the State Senate and the State Assembly, and was declared elected.


1796 United States Senate special election in New York, Aftermath
Laurance took his seat on December 8, 1796, and resigned in August 1800. A special election to fill the vacancy was held in November 1800.


1796 United States elections
The 1796 United States elections elected the members of the 5th United States Congress. The election took place during the beginning stages of the First Party System, as the Federalist Party and the Democratic-Republican Party clashed over the states' rights, the financial policies of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, and the recently ratified Jay Treaty. The Federalists maintained control of the Senate, and won control of the House and the presidency.


1796 United States elections
In the first contested Presidential election and the first presidential election in which parties played a major role, Federalist Vice President John Adams narrowly defeated Democratic-Republican former Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. Adams won New England while Jefferson won the South, leaving the mid-Atlantic states to decide the election. As the election took place prior to the ratification of the 12th Amendment, Jefferson, who finished with the second most electoral votes, succeeded Adams as vice president.


1796 United States elections
Federalist former Governor Thomas Pinckney of South Carolina finished with the third most electoral votes, while Democratic-Republican Senator Aaron Burr of New York finished in fourth place. This election marked the only time in American history that members of two different political parties were elected as president and vice president. Adams's election made him the first member of a political party to be elected president, as George Washington had remained unaffiliated with any political faction or party throughout his presidency.


1796 United States elections
In the House, Federalists won moderate gains, taking majority control of the chamber.


1796 United States elections
In the Senate, Federalists picked up one seat, maintaining a commanding majority in the chamber.


1796 United States presidential election
The 1796 United States presidential election was the third quadrennial presidential election. It was held from Friday, November 4 to Wednesday, December 7, 1796. It was the first contested American presidential election, the first presidential election in which political parties played a dominant role, and the only presidential election in which a president and vice president were elected from opposing tickets. Incumbent Vice President John Adams of the Federalist Party defeated former Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson of the Democratic-Republican Party.


1796 United States presidential election
With incumbent President George Washington having refused a third term in office, the 1796 election became the first U.S. presidential election in which political parties competed for the presidency. The Federalists coalesced behind Adams and the Democratic-Republicans supported Jefferson, but each party ran multiple candidates. Under the electoral rules in place prior to the 1804 ratification of the Twelfth Amendment, the members of the Electoral College each cast two votes, with no distinction made between electoral votes for president and electoral votes for vice president.


1796 United States presidential election
The individual with the majority of the total votes cast became president, and the runner-up became vice president. In case of a first place tie between candidates who received votes from a majority of electors, or should no individual win a majority, the House of Representatives would hold a contingent election. Also, if there were a tie for second place, the vice presidency, the Senate would hold a contingent election to break the tie.


1796 United States presidential election
The campaign was a bitter one, with Federalists attempting to identify the Democratic-Republicans with the violence of the French Revolution and the Democratic-Republicans accusing the Federalists of favoring monarchism and aristocracy. Republicans sought to associate Adams with the policies developed by fellow Federalist Alexander Hamilton during the Washington administration, which they declaimed were too much in favor of Great Britain and a centralized national government. In foreign policy, Republicans denounced the Federalists over the Jay Treaty, which had established a temporary peace with Great Britain.


1796 United States presidential election
Federalists attacked Jefferson's moral character, alleging he was an atheist and that he had been a coward during the American Revolutionary War. Adams supporters also accused Jefferson of being too pro-France; the accusation was underscored when the French ambassador embarrassed the Republicans by publicly backing Jefferson and attacking the Federalists right before the election. Despite the hostility between their respective camps, neither Adams nor Jefferson actively campaigned for the presidency.


1796 United States presidential election
Adams was elected president with 71 electoral votes, one more than was needed for a majority. He became the first incumbent vice president to be elected president. He won by sweeping the electoral votes of New England and winning votes from several other swing states, especially the states of the Mid-Atlantic region. Jefferson received 68 electoral votes and was elected vice president. Former Governor Thomas Pinckney of South Carolina, a Federalist, finished with 59 electoral votes, while Senator Aaron Burr, a Democratic-Republican from New York, won 30 electoral votes. The remaining 48 electoral votes were dispersed among nine other candidates.


1796 United States presidential election
Reflecting the evolving nature of both parties, several electors cast one vote for a Federalist candidate and one for a Democratic-Republican. The election marked the formation of the First Party System, and established a rivalry between Federalist New England and the Democratic-Republican South, with the middle states holding the balance of power (New York and Maryland were the crucial swing states, and between them only voted for a loser once between 1789 and 1820).


1796 United States presidential election, Candidates
With Washington retiring after two terms, both parties sought the presidency for the first time. Before the ratification of the 12th Amendment in 1804, each elector was to vote for two persons, but was not able to indicate which vote was for president and which was for vice president. Instead, the recipient of the most electoral votes would become president and the runner-up vice president. As a result, both parties ran multiple candidates for president, in hopes of keeping one of their opponents from being the runner-up.


1796 United States presidential election, Candidates
These candidates were the equivalent of modern-day running mates, but under the law they were all candidates for president. Thus, both Adams and Jefferson were technically opposed by several members of their own parties. The plan was for one of the electors to cast a vote for the main party nominee (Adams or Jefferson) and a candidate besides the primary running mate, thus ensuring that the main nominee would have one more vote than his running mate.


1796 United States presidential election, Candidates, Federalist candidates
The Federalists' nominee was John Adams of Massachusetts, the incumbent vice president and a leading voice during the Revolutionary period. Most Federalist leaders viewed Adams, who had twice been elected vice president, as Washington's natural heir. Adams's main running mate was Thomas Pinckney, a former governor of South Carolina who had negotiated the Treaty of San Lorenzo with Spain. Pinckney agreed to run after the first choice of many party leaders, former Governor Patrick Henry of Virginia, declined.


1796 United States presidential election, Candidates, Federalist candidates
Alexander Hamilton, who competed with Adams for leadership of the party, worked behind the scenes to elect Pinckney over Adams by convincing Jefferson electors from South Carolina to cast their second votes for Pinckney. Hamilton did prefer Adams to Jefferson, and urged Federalist electors to cast their votes for Adams and Pinckney.


1796 United States presidential election, Candidates, Federalist candidates
James Iredell,Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court,from North Carolina


1796 United States presidential election, Candidates, Democratic-Republican candidates
The Democratic-Republicans united behind former Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, who had co-founded the party with James Madison and others in opposition to Hamilton's policies. Congressional Democratic-Republicans sought to also unite behind one vice-presidential nominee. With Jefferson's popularity strongest in the South, many party leaders wanted a Northern candidate as Jefferson's running mate. Popular choices included Senator Pierce Butler of South Carolina and three New Yorkers: Senator Aaron Burr, Chancellor Robert R. Livingston, and former Governor George Clinton. A group of Democratic-Republican leaders met in June 1796 and agreed to support Jefferson for president and Burr for vice president.


1796 United States presidential election, Results
Tennessee was admitted into the United States after the 1792 election, increasing the Electoral College to 138 electors.


1796 United States presidential election, Results
Under the system in place before the 1804 ratification of the Twelfth Amendment, electors were to cast votes for two persons for president; the runner-up in the presidential race was elected vice president. If no candidate won votes from a majority of the Electoral College, the House of Representatives would hold a contingent election to select the winner.


1796 United States presidential election, Results
Each party intended to manipulate the results by having some of their electors cast one vote for the intended presidential candidate and one vote for someone besides the intended vice-presidential candidate, leaving their vice-presidential candidate a few votes shy of their presidential candidate. But all electoral votes were cast on the same day, and communications between states were extremely slow at that time, making it very difficult to coordinate which electors were to manipulate their vote for vice president. Additionally, there were rumors that Hamilton had coerced southern electors pledged to Jefferson to give their second vote to Pinckney in hope of electing him president instead of Adams.


1796 United States presidential election, Results
Campaigning centered in the swing states of New York and Pennsylvania. Adams and Jefferson won a combined 139 electoral votes from the 138 members of the Electoral College. The Federalists swept every state north of the Mason-Dixon line except Pennsylvania, though one Pennsylvania elector voted for Adams. The Democratic-Republicans won the votes of most Southern electors, but the electors of Maryland and Delaware gave a majority of their votes to Federalist candidates, while North Carolina and Virginia each gave Adams one electoral vote.


1796 United States presidential election, Results
Nationwide, most electors voted for Adams and a second Federalist or for Jefferson and a second Democratic-Republican, but there were several exceptions to this. One elector in Maryland voted for both Adams and Jefferson, and two electors cast votes for Washington, who had not campaigned and was not formally affiliated with either party. Pinckney won the second votes from most of the electors who voted for Adams, but 21 electors from New England and Maryland cast their second votes for other candidates, including Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth.


1796 United States presidential election, Results
Those who voted for Jefferson were significantly less united in their second choice, though Burr won a plurality of the Jefferson electors. All eight electors in Pinckney's home state of South Carolina, as well as at least one Pennsylvania elector, cast their ballots for Jefferson and Pinckney. In North Carolina, Jefferson won 11 votes, but the remaining 13 were spread among six different candidates from both parties. In Virginia, most electors voted for Jefferson and Governor Samuel Adams of Massachusetts.


1796 United States presidential election, Results
The result was that Adams received 71 electoral votes, one more than required to be elected president. If any two of the three Adams electors in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina had voted with the rest of their states, it would have flipped the election. Jefferson received 68 votes, nine more than Pinckney, and was elected vice president. Burr finished in a distant fourth place with 30 votes. Nine other candidates received the remaining 48 electoral votes. If Pinckney had won the second votes of all of the New England electors who voted for Adams, he would have been elected president over Adams and Jefferson.


1796 United States presidential election, Results
Source (Popular Vote): . . (February 11, 2006).Source (Popular Vote): A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787-1825Source (Electoral Vote):


1796 United States presidential election, Results
(a) Votes for Federalist electors have been assigned to John Adams and votes for Democratic-Republican electors have been assigned to Thomas Jefferson. (b) Only 9 of the 16 states used any form of popular vote. (c) Those states that did choose electors by popular vote had widely varying restrictions on suffrage via property requirements.


1796 United States presidential election, Results, Popular vote by state
While popular vote data is available for some states, presidential elections were vastly different in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Instead of the name of the presidential candidates, voters would see the name of an elector. Confusion over who the elector would vote for was common. Several states also elected a statewide slate of electors (for example, since Jefferson won the popular vote in Georgia, the slate of four Jefferson electors was chosen) but because of the archaic voting system, votes were tallied by elector, not candidate. The popular vote totals used are the elector from each party with the highest total of votes. The vote totals of Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee appear to be lost.


1796 United States presidential election, Results, Close states
States where the margin of victory was under 1% (15 electoral votes):


1796 United States presidential election, Results, Close states
States where the margin of victory was under 5% (11 electoral votes):


1796 United States presidential election, Consequences
The following four years were the only time (as of 2021) that the president and vice president were from different parties. John Quincy Adams and John C. Calhoun were later elected president and vice-president as political opponents, but they were both Democratic-Republicans, and while Andrew Johnson, Abraham Lincoln's second vice-president, was a Democrat, Lincoln ran on a combined National Union Party ticket in 1864, not as a strict Republican.


1796 United States presidential election, Consequences
Jefferson leveraged his position as vice president to attack Adams's policies, and this helped him reach the White House in the 1800 election.


1796 United States presidential election, Consequences
This election provided part of the impetus for the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1804.


1796 United States presidential election, Consequences
On January 6, 1797, Representative William L. Smith of South Carolina presented a resolution on the floor of the House of Representatives for an amendment to the Constitution by which the presidential electors would designate which candidate would be president and which vice president. No action was taken on his proposal, setting the stage for the deadlocked election of 1800.


1796 United States presidential election, Electoral college selection
The Constitution, in Article II, Section 1, provided that the state legislatures should decide the manner in which their Electors were chosen. Different state legislatures chose different methods:


1796 United States presidential election in New Jersey
The 1796 United States presidential election in New Jersey took place between November 4 and December 7, 1796, as part of the 1796 United States presidential election. The state legislature chose seven representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for President and Vice President.


1796 United States presidential election in New Jersey
During this election, New Jersey cast seven electoral votes for incumbent Vice President John Adams.


1796 United States presidential election in New York
The 1796 United States presidential election in New York took place between November 4 and December 7, 1796, as part of the 1796 United States presidential election. The state legislature chose 12 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for President and Vice President.


1796 United States presidential election in New York
During this election, New York cast 12 electoral votes for Vice President John Adams.


1796 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania
The 1796 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania took place as part of the 1796 United States presidential election. Voters chose 15 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for President and Vice President.


1796 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania voted for the Democratic-Republican candidate, Thomas Jefferson, over the Federalist candidate, John Adams. Jefferson won Pennsylvania by a margin of 1.16%. Greene County's returns, which favored Jefferson, were not submitted in time to be included in the official vote totals. As a result, the 2 highest vote-getting Adams electors received more votes than the 2 lowest vote-getting Jefferson electors and the electoral vote was split, with 14 of 15 electors casting their ballots for Jefferson.


1796 United States presidential election in Vermont
The 1796 United States presidential election in Vermont took place between November 4 and December 7, 1796, as part of the 1796 United States presidential election. The state legislature chose four representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for President and Vice President.


1796 United States presidential election in Vermont
During this election, Vermont cast four electoral votes for Vice President and New England native John Adams.


1796 United States presidential election in Virginia
The 1796 United States presidential election in Virginia took place as part of the 1796 United States presidential election. Voters chose 21 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for President and Vice President.


1796 United States presidential election in Virginia
Virginia voted for the Democratic-Republican candidate, Thomas Jefferson, over the Federalist candidate, John Adams. Jefferson won Virginia by a margin of 36.72%. Virginia chose electors by popular vote per electoral district and as such granted 1 electoral vote to John Adams.


1796 United States presidential election in Virginia
Prior to the 12th Amendment, electors cast two votes, making no distinction if they were voting for Vice President or President, as such: Thomas Pinckney received 1 electoral vote, Aaron Burr received 1 electoral vote, Samuel Adams received 15 electoral votes, George Clinton received 3 electoral votes and George Washington received 1 electoral vote. It was well-known in 1796 that Jefferson and Adams were intended to be elected as president and Burr and Pinckney for Vice President.


1796 Vermont gubernatorial election
The 1796 Vermont gubernatorial election for Governor of Vermont took place throughout September, and resulted in the re-election of Governor Thomas Chittenden to a one-year term.


1796 Vermont gubernatorial election
The Vermont General Assembly met in Rutland on October 13. The Vermont House of Representatives appointed a committee to examine the votes of the freemen of Vermont for governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, and members of the governor's council.


1796 Vermont gubernatorial election
In the race for governor, Thomas Chittenden, who had been governor from 1778 to 1789, and again starting in 1790, was re-elected for a one-year term. The freemen also re-elected Samuel Mattocks as treasurer, his tenth one-year term.


1796 Vermont gubernatorial election
In the election for lieutenant governor, no candidate received a majority of the popular vote. As required by the Vermont Constitution, the General Assembly was required to choose. On October 14, the Assembly selected Paul Brigham for a one-year term. The names of candidates and balloting totals for statewide offices were not recorded.


1796 and 1797 United States House of Representatives elections
Elections to the United States House of Representatives for the 5th Congress took place in the various states took place between August 12, 1796 (in North Carolina), and October 15, 1797 (in Tennessee). The first session was convened on May 15, 1797, at the proclamation of the new President of the United States, John Adams. Since Kentucky and Tennessee had not yet voted, they were unrepresented until the second session.


1796 and 1797 United States House of Representatives elections
Gains for the Federalist Party provided the president with a reliable majority in support of his policies. Many of the Federalist pick-ups in Congress came from the former Middle Colonies (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware). New England remained heavily Federalist, whereas the South and West favored Democratic-Republican candidates. Federalist trade and infrastructure policies found widespread approval in the Mid-Atlantic states during this era. With the growth of cities in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York, government intervention in the interest of industrialization and mercantilism became more attractive to voting citizens in these areas.


1796 and 1797 United States House of Representatives elections
During this period, each state fixed its own date for a congressional general election. Elections to a Congress took place both in the even-numbered year before and in the odd-numbered year when the Congress convened. In some states the congressional delegation was not elected until after the legal start of the Congress (on the 4th day of March in the odd-numbered year).


1796 and 1797 United States House of Representatives elections, Election summaries
During this period, each state fixed its own date for a congressional general election. Elections took place both in the even-numbered year before and in the odd-numbered year when a Congress convened. In some states, the congressional delegation was not elected until after the legal start of the Congress (on the 4th day of March in the odd-numbered year). The 1st session of the 5th Congress ran May 15 – July 10, 1797, before the states of Kentucky and Tennessee had their elections, causing those states to be unrepresented in the 1st session.


1796 and 1797 United States House of Representatives elections, Special elections, Fourth Congress
There were special and late elections to the 4th Congress in 1796.


1796 and 1797 United States House of Representatives elections, Special elections, Fifth Congress
There were special and late elections to the 5th Congress in 1797.


1796 and 1797 United States House of Representatives elections, Connecticut
Connecticut elected its seven representatives at-large on a general ticket.


1796 and 1797 United States House of Representatives elections, Maryland
Two of the four Democratic-Republicans were replaced by Federalists, bringing the Federalists from a 4-4 split to a 6-2 majority.


1796 and 1797 United States House of Representatives elections, Massachusetts
Massachusetts's electoral law required a majority for election, necessitating additional trials in three districts.


1796 and 1797 United States House of Representatives elections, New Hampshire
In 1796, New Hampshire had a single at-large district with 4 seats. Each voter cast 4 votes and a majority of voters (12.5% of votes) was required to be elected. Since only three candidates received a majority, a run-off was held between the candidates in fourth and fifth place to fill the remaining seat.


1796 and 1797 United States House of Representatives elections, Rhode Island
Rhode Island had an at-large district with two seats, each of which were elected separately.


1796 and 1797 United States House of Representatives elections, Vermont
Due to Vermont's law requiring a majority to secure a congressional seat, the 1st district required three ballots to choose a winner.


1796 and 1797 United States Senate elections
The United States Senate elections of 1796 and 1797 were elections for the United States Senate which, coinciding with John Adams's election as President, had the ruling Federalist Party gain one seat.


1796 and 1797 United States Senate elections
As these elections were prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by state legislatures.


1796 and 1797 United States Senate elections, Race summaries
Except if/when noted, the number following candidates is the whole number vote(s), not a percentage.


1796 and 1797 United States Senate elections, Race summaries, Special elections during the 4th Congress
In these special elections, the winners were seated before March 4, 1797; ordered by election date.


1796 and 1797 United States Senate elections, Race summaries, Races leading to the 5th Congress
In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1797; ordered by state.


1796 and 1797 United States Senate elections, Race summaries, Special elections during the 5th Congress
In these special elections, the winners were elected after the March 4, 1797 beginning of the next Congress.


1796 and 1797 United States Senate elections, Tennessee, Tennessee (Initial)
Tennessee became a state June 1, 1796 and elected its new senators August 2, 1796.


1796 and 1797 United States Senate elections, Tennessee, Tennessee (Special, Class 1)
The term of the initially-elected senator, Democratic-Republican William Cocke, ended March 3, 1797 and the Tennessee legislature failed to elect a senator for the new term. The Governor of Tennessee, therefore, appointed Cocke to begin the term, pending a special election. Cocke, however, lost that October 6, 1798 special election to Democratic-Republican Daniel Smith.


1796 and 1797 United States Senate elections, Tennessee, Tennessee (Special, Class 2)
Democratic-Republican William Blount was expelled July 8, 1797 for conspiracy with the Kingdom of Great Britain. Democratic-Republican Joseph Anderson was elected September 26, 1797 to finish Blount's term.


1796 and 1797 United States Senate elections, Vermont
Federalist Isaac Tichenor was elected October 18, 1796 both to finish Robinson's term and to the new term that would begin March 4, 1797. However, Tichenor resigned just one year later, October 17, 1797, to become Governor of Vermont. Federalist Nathaniel Chipman was then elected October 17, 1797 to finish the term.


1796 in Australia
The following lists events that happened during 1796 in Australia.


1796 in Wales
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1796 to Wales and its people.


1796 in literature
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1796.


1796 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature (for instance, Irish or France).


1796 in poetry, Works published in English, United Kingdom
Quoth little Peterkin. "Why that I cannot tell," said he,


1796 in poetry, Births
Death years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:


1796 in poetry, Deaths
Birth years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:


1796 in science
The year 1796 in science and technology involved some significant events.


1796 in sports
1796 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.


1796–1797 United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts, Massachusetts
Massachusetts law required a majority for election, necessitating additional trials in three districts.


1796–1797 United States House of Representatives elections in Vermont
Due to Vermont's election law requiring a majority to secure a congressional seat, the 1st district required three ballots to choose a winner.


1797
1797 (MDCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar and a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar, the 1797th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 797th  year of the 2nd millennium, the 97th  year of the 18th century, and the  8th   year of the 1790s decade. As of the start of 1797, the Gregorian calendar was 11 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which remained in localized use until 1923.


1797 Batavian Republic constitutional referendum
A referendum on the constitution of the Batavian Republic was held on August 8, 1797. The draft constitution was rejected, eventually culminating in a coup d'état.


1797 Batavian Republic constitutional referendum, Background
The country we now know as the Netherlands had declared independence as the Republic of the Seven United Provinces (Dutch: Republiek der Zeeven Vereenigde Provinciën) in 1581. This independence was officially recognized in the Peace of Westphalia of 1648. As the name indicates, the country was a federation of seven autonomous provinces: the duchy of Gelre, the counties of Holland and Zeeland, the former bishopric of Utrecht, the lordship of Overijssel and the free provinces of Friesland and Groningen. Each province was governed by the Provincial States; the main executive official was a stadtholder (stadhouder in Dutch). Over the years, these stadtholderships were concentrated among the descendants of William the Silent.


1797 Batavian Republic constitutional referendum, Background
This led to a friction with the regenten, the wealthy merchant class, who were mainly based in Amsterdam. They saw the central position of the House of Orange-Nassau in Dutch politics as a threat to their own power. The infighting between the regents and the Orangists was one of the causes of the downturn of the Netherlands as a global economic and military power throughout the 18th century.


1797 Batavian Republic constitutional referendum, Background
In the 1780s, the tensions came to a head in the Batavian Revolution, a struggle between republican Patriots and royalist Orangists. The Patriots, aided by French troops, eventually managed to drive stadtholder William V out of the country in late 1794. A few weeks later, on January 19, 1795, the Batavian Republic was proclaimed.


1797 Batavian Republic constitutional referendum, Background
The Nationale Vergadering (National Assembly) subsequently went through two years of discussions. On May 10, 1797, a final draft constitution was formed. The constitution was a compromise between two groups: those who felt that the gewesten (regions) in the Republic should maintain their historic autonomy, and those who felt that the Republic should become a unitary state.


1797 Batavian Republic constitutional referendum, Aftermath
The draft constitution had been rejected by almost eighty percent, which meant that a new Constitution would have to be drafted. In the elections for the National Assembly a few months later, the supporters of a unitary state won the majority, but the supporters of a federal state retained the majority in the constitutional commission. Meanwhile, in France, the radicals led by Pierre Augereau had seized power. With French help, the radical unitarists staged a coup d'état in January 1798. A new constitution, establishing a unitary republic, was quickly adopted in the National Assembly. This draft constitution was approved in a referendum on April 23, 1798.


1797 Connecticut's at-large congressional district special election
William Edmond (Federalist) was elected to represent one of the four seats in Connecticut's at-large congressional district in late 1797. He replaced James Davenport (Federalist) who had died August 3, 1797.


1797 English cricket season
The 1797 English cricket season was the 26th in which matches have been awarded retrospective first-class cricket status and the 11th after the foundation of the Marylebone Cricket Club. The season saw 13 top-class matches played in the country.


1797 English cricket season
Richard Nyren, who was a pioneer of the game with the Hambledon Club died in April.


1797 English cricket season, Matches
A total of 13 top-class matches were played during the season, including matches featuring MCC as well as Hampshire and Surrey sides.


1797 English cricket season, Matches
Four matches saw the George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea's XI play a side organised by Charles Lennox. In one of these Winchelsea is reported to have attempted to introduce a fourth stump and to increase the height of the stumps by two inches. The following year saw a new version of the Laws of Cricket introduced which raised the height of the stumps but did not introduce a fourth stump.


1797 English cricket season, First mentions
Players who made their first-class cricket debuts in 1797 included:


1797 French Directory election
The French Directory election of 1797 was held between 21 March and 2 April 1797 to elect a third of the Legislative Body of the  Directory, that is to say 2/3rds of the lower house, the Council of Five Hundred and the upper house, the Council of Ancients. The 1797 election marks the beginning of the 1/3rds vote of its type. An election occurs each year with a 1/3 of the deputies up for election.


1797 French Directory election, Context
Following the events of the Conjuration of Equals, the Jacobins and Montagnards loose their majority in the house simply by supporting François-Noël Babeuf. These leads to a massive pro-Royalist push in the country and even more so following the end of the impending end to the War of the First Coalition in site.


1797 French Directory election, Context
Though the Royalists disagreed on who they would want to see as the proper pretender to the throne, they did in-fact agree that legally being elected would be the only means which they would re-establish the monarchy. Then, they would call for the dissolution of the Directory, but see the recreation of the Constitution of 1791 with a new National Assembly.


1797 French Directory election, Context
The Royalists were also divided on the future however, with the Absolutists (later known as the Ultra Royalists) preferring a return to the absolute Ancien Régime under Louis, Count of Provence (future Louis XVIII)  and supported the now two-year old Quiberon Expedition. The 'Constitutionalists' (later known as the Liberals or Doctrinaires) favoured a constitutional monarchy in addition to supporting individual rights and property in addition to freedoms and fair elections. The constitutionalists later began meeting at the 'Clichy Club', hence the new name, in addition to their nickname, the 'Clichyens'.


1797 French Directory election, Results
Following the election, the Royalists gained a supermajority, and an even larger one than what was expected. The Directory now comprised 182 new deputies of pro-constitutional monarchy, 44 ultra-royalists, and 34 republicans. Among the later included two new Jacobins, Joseph Bonaparte and Jean-Baptiste Jourdan. In addition to the nearly 200 new seats taken by the Royalists, there were around 100 other royalist deputies already present and more than 130 other deputies likely to accept a constitutional monarchy.


1797 French Directory election, Results
Less than six months after the election, fearing a return to the monarchy, the Coup of 18 Fructidor is carried out. The coup removes all those accused of being "pro-Monarchist" or those who had supported those deputies. According to most historians, the coup marks the beginning of the 'Second Directory period' which is described as the 'Authoritarian Directory'.


1797 Irish general election
The 1797 Irish general election was the last general election to the Irish House of Commons, with the Act of Union three years later uniting the Kingdom of Ireland with the Kingdom of Great Britain. The election followed the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1791, meaning it was the first general election in Ireland in which Catholics could vote, provided they met the property requirements. The election also coincided with simmering rebellion in Ireland, coming not long after an attempted French expedition to Ireland, and the following year witnessing the Irish Rebellion of 1798.


1797 Irish general election
Despite the changes to the electorate, and the heavily political backdrop, the election was marked most by the apathy shown to it by Ireland's electorate.


1797 Irish general election
Thomas Pelham, as Chief Secretary for Ireland, was responsible for representing Dublin Castle in the Irish House of Commons.


1797 Irish general election, Background
The election took place at a time of increasing unrest in Ireland. The preceding years had seen both the growth of the Society of United Irishmen within Ireland, as well as the beginning of the French Revolutionary Wars in Europe. Ulster in particular saw increasing unrest, with low level conflict between the Catholic Defenders and the Protestant Peep o' Day Boys.


1797 Irish general election, Background
Both Irish and British Whigs were united in their opposition to the Irish security policies of the Pitt Government, and the Whigs also held the ear of the heir to the British throne, the Prince of Wales, through his close friend Lord Moira. The Irish Whigs therefore appeared to enter the election in a strong position.


1797 Irish general election, Background
The Lord Lieutenant closed parliament on 3 July 1797, and dissolved it on 11 July, thereby calling a general election.


1797 Irish general election, Campaign, United Irishmen
The United Irishmen considered running Lord Edward FitzGerald and Arthur O’Connor as candidates for the constituencies of Antrim and Down respectively, and in preparation organised meetings of freeholders in Armagh, Antrim and Down calling for the removal of the Castle junto. Father James Coigly played an active role in this campaign, distributing printed notices throughout Armagh and encouraging freeholders ‘to attend to their duty’. He also likely authored the anonymous pamphlet, "A view of the present state of Ireland with an account of the origin and progress of the disturbances in that country," which was heavily praised by James Hope.


1797 Irish general election, Campaign, Irish Whig Party
Henry Grattan, the prominent statesman, former leader of the Patriot Party, and Member of Parliament for Dublin, chose not to contest the election, suffering from ill-health and immense disappointment at both the increasing political polarization in Ireland and the failure of his attempts at Catholic Emancipation.


1797 Irish general election, Campaign, Irish Whig Party
Grattan and Ponsonby had introduced a proposal for parliamentary reform in the previous parliament, with Grattan threatening that if it was rejected that he and the Whigs would withdraw from parliament. The bill, which would have allowed Catholics to become MPs, was defeated by 143 votes to 19. As a result Grattan and a number of Whigs, including his fellow MP for Dublin Lord Henry FitzGerald withdrew. A number of Whigs did however remain in parliament.


1797 Irish general election, Results
Despite the revolutionary backdrop to the elections, the House was broadly similar. In the example of the 64 county seats, only 18 saw changes.


1797 Massachusetts's 11th congressional district special election
A special election was held in Massachusetts's 11th congressional district on August 4, 1797 to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of Theophilus Bradbury (F) upon his appointment to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on July 24, 1797.


1797 New Hampshire gubernatorial election
The 1797 New Hampshire gubernatorial election took place on March 14, 1797. Incumbent Federalist Governor John Taylor Gilman won re-election to a fourth term.


1797 New Hampshire's at-large congressional district special election
A special election was held in New Hampshire's at-large congressional district on August 28, 1797 to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Jeremiah Smith (F) on July 26 of the same year. Smith had been appointed United States Attorney for the District of New Hampshire.


1797 New Hampshire's at-large congressional district special election, Election results
New Hampshire electoral law required a majority for election. As no candidate won a majority on the first ballot, a run-off election was held October 30, 1797


1797 Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district special election
A special election was held in Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district on October 10, 1797 to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of George Ege (F).


1797 Rhode Island's at-large congressional district special election
A special election was held in Rhode Island's at-large congressional district on August 29, 1797 to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of Elisha R. Potter (F) shortly after the end of the 1st session of the 5th Congress.


1797 Riobamba earthquake
The 1797 Riobamba earthquake occurred at 12:30 UTC on 4 February. It devastated the city of Riobamba and many other cities in the Interandean valley, causing between 6,000–40,000 casualties. It is estimated that seismic intensities in the epicentral area reached at least XI (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale, and that the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.6–8.3, the most powerful historical event known in Ecuador. The earthquake was studied by Prussian geographer Alexander von Humboldt, when he visited the area in 1801–1802.


1797 Riobamba earthquake, Tectonic setting
The active tectonics of Ecuador is dominated by the effects of the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate. The main NNE-SSW trending fault systems show a mixture of dextral (right lateral) strike-slip faulting and reverse faulting. In addition to these faults that run parallel to the Andes in Ecuador, there are two important SW-NE trending-dextral-fault systems:  the Pallatanga fault and the Chingual fault. The Pallatanga fault runs close to the epicenter and movement on this fault has been suggested as the cause of the earthquake, although there is no clear surface break supporting such recent movement.


1797 Riobamba earthquake, Damage
The area of significant damage (Intensity ≥VII) extended from Quito in the north to more than 60 km south of Riobamba, including the cities of Guaranda, Ambato, Latacunga and the towns of Saquisilí and Baños. Riobamba and the town of Quero were both destroyed by landslides. At the foot of the Tungurahua volcano, the Pastaza River was dammed by landslides for up to eighty days.


1797 Riobamba earthquake, Damage
Humboldt's analysis of this earthquake relied on anecdotal accounts that he gathered during his visit. Some of the observations such as "the bodies of many of the inhabitants were found to have been hurled to Cullca, a hill several hundred feet in height and on the opposite side of the river Lican", are not credible. He gave a figure of thirty to forty thousand for the number of casualties, while some more recent estimates give figures ranging from six to twelve thousand.


1797 Riobamba earthquake, Characteristics
The shaking lasted for three to four minutes. The estimated rupture length for the earthquake is 70.3 km, with a fault azimuth of 067°. A moment magnitude of 7.6 was estimated based on data about the intensity distribution of the earthquake. An earthquake of this size would imply a rupture length of about 110 km, which can only be achieved along the Pallatanga Fault System.


1797 Riobamba earthquake, Aftermath
The city of Riobamba was rebuilt nearly 20 km northeast of its original site, now occupied by the small town of Cajabamba.


1797 Rugby School rebellion
The 1797 Rugby School Rebellion was a mutiny of the boys at Rugby School after the headmaster, Dr Henry Ingles, demanded that boys from the fifth and sixth forms should pay for the repair of a local tradesman's windows after they had been smashed by the school's pupils. The rebellion saw many of the school windows broken and its furniture burnt before the boys withdrew to an island on the school grounds. A local justice of the peace read the Riot Act, while soldiers crossed the island's moat from the rear and took the boys prisoner.


1797 Rugby School rebellion
The rebellion was only one of several that took place at Rugby. The school was not alone in seeing disruption: several other public schools also saw trouble between 1710 and 1832.


1797 Rugby School rebellion, Rugby School and discipline in 18th century public schools
Rugby School—founded in 1567—was one of the original seven public schools, along with Winchester, founded in 1382; Eton College, founded in 1440; Shrewsbury, founded in 1552; Westminster, founded in 1560; Harrow, founded in 1571; Charterhouse, founded in 1611.


1797 Rugby School rebellion, Rugby School and discipline in 18th century public schools
Discipline at public schools in the 18th and 19th centuries was poor. According to the sociologists Kenneth Sheard and Eric Dunning, the reason lay in the balance of power between pupils and masters. Because the children of the upper class had previously been educated at home by tutors, these took the position of paid staff, and were therefore seen as socially inferior by their pupils. Sheard and Dunning consider that the tutors, "confronted with pupils who were aristocrats and gentlemen, ... became hesitant and uncertain in the execution of their role".


1797 Rugby School rebellion, Rugby School and discipline in 18th century public schools
At its worst, the breakdown in discipline led pupil rebellions at several institutions. In 1710 the pupils of Winchester rebelled over their beer ration. The school further rebelled in 1770, 1774, 1788 and 1793; Eton revolted in 1728, 1768 and 1783; Harrow had their protest in 1771; and Rugby's first revolt came in 1786. Some were peaceful—the first Eton rebellion had been a walk out by pupils with no violence—others were accompanied by threats, violence and damage to the school.


1797 Rugby School rebellion, Rugby School and discipline in 18th century public schools
At the time of the rebellion, Rugby's headmaster was Dr Henry Ingles. He was appointed to the position in 1794 after having been the headmaster at Macclesfield School. A gloomy man and a strict disciplinarian, the pupils nicknamed him the Black Tiger.


1797 Rugby School rebellion, November 1797
In November 1797 Ingles found Astley, a pupil from Gascoigne's boarding house, firing cork bullets at the study windows of Mr Gascoigne, the housemaster. Ingles asked the boy where he had purchased the gunpowder, and was informed it was from Rowell's, a local outlet that combined a grocers, booksellers and ironmongers. When Ingles confronted Rowell, the shopkeeper denied selling the powder and showed Ingles his sales book, in which the sale had been recorded as tea. Ingles took the shopkeeper's word over that of Astley, and the boy was flogged for lying. Astley told his friends about the flogging and the reason for it. Angered, Astley's friends smashed the windows of Rowell's.


1797 Rugby School rebellion, November 1797
When Ingles heard of the vandalism, he said that all the members of the fifth and sixth forms would pay for the damage. The boys drew up a round robin response—hiding the identity of the ringleaders—in which they refused to pay. The headmaster threatened punishment as a result. That Friday, after fourth lesson, the boys placed a home-made petard—a small bomb used to blow open doors—against a school door, which was blown off its hinges.


1797 Rugby School rebellion, November 1797
The following day the school bell was rung by the boys to signal the next part of the rebellion; at the same time fags were sent to the boarding houses to rally boys to the main school building. The windows of the main building were all broken and the school's furniture—including its wainscot panelling—were thrown into the Close, the large main field in front of the school, where it was set alight. Also added to the pile were Ingles's books; Billy Plus, the school butler rescued some of the more expensive copies from the fire. The passage between School House, one of the boarding houses, and the main school building was nailed shut by the boys to stop Ingles—who lived in at the boarding house—gaining access into the school.


1797 Rugby School rebellion, November 1797
As Saturday afternoons were free of lessons, many of the masters had already left the school grounds. Ingles sent messages for them to return, but most were too far away to be found (two were fishing in the River Avon, another was out shooting rabbits). Ingles sent a message to Mr Butlin, a local banker and the town's justice of the peace. It was market day in Rugby, so Butlin asked the horse-dealers, with their long droving whips to assist. He also asked an army recruitment party, headed by a sergeant, for their assistance. An armed guard, with fixed bayonet, was placed at School House, and the remainder of the soldiers, together with the horse-dealers and special constables, approached the Close.


1797 Rugby School rebellion, November 1797
The rebellious schoolboys left the bonfire of furniture, and retreated to "the Island", a Bronze Age burial mound on the side of the Close, surrounded by a water moat, up to 6 feet (1.8 m) deep and 20 to 30 feet (6.1 to 9.1 m) wide; after crossing the ditch, the boys drew up the wooden drawbridge. While Butlin distracted the boys, by reading them the Riot Act, the soldiers circled round behind them and crossed the moat on the opposite side and took them prisoner.


1797 Rugby School rebellion, Aftermath
Ingles had locked himself into School House while the events unfolded, but he emerged at the conclusion of the event. He immediately expelled the ringleaders and had many others flogged. One of the ringleaders was subsequently identified as Willoughby Cotton who entered the army shortly afterwards and led troops in Jamaica to put down a slave rebellion in 1831; of those expelled, one later became a bishop, another a marquess.


1797 Rugby School rebellion, Aftermath
The rebellion was not the last to occur in public schools, nor even at Rugby: the school was the location of further revolts by the boys in 1820 and 1822. Between 1797 and 1832 there were ten further rebellions in schools, four at Eton, three at Winchester and one each at Charterhouse, Harrow and Shrewsbury.


1797 State of the Union Address
John Adams' First State of the Union Address was delivered on Wednesday, November 22, 1797, in the Congress Hall of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the time of the address, sickness was spreading through Philadelphia and Adams notes in his introduction that he was tempted to relocate the assembly of the national legislature but avoided this due to inevitable expense and general inconvenience.


1797 State of the Union Address, French aggression
Adams began his State of the Union Address by expressing concern over European, most notably French, aggression towards American merchant vessels. He emphasizes the importance of America's growing role in international commerce, citing accomplishments in agriculture and commercial fishing. In July and August 1797 delegates traveled to the Batavian Republic and then to France. They arrived in Paris on September 19 and began negotiations in the hope of pacifying Franco-American relations.


1797 State of the Union Address, French aggression
At the time the speech was delivered, the status of the meetings in France were unknown, but Adams knew and stated in the speech that war, with France or possibly other European countries, for example Great Britain, was becoming an increasingly likely turn of events. The Federalist Party advocated going to war, but Adams ignored Francophobia and avoided going to war with France until 1798 in the Quasi-War. The U.S. later went to war with Britain in the War of 1812, partly due to Jefferson's refusal to pay tribute to a foreign nation.


1797 State of the Union Address, Colonial competition and intimidation of the U.S.
Piracy of American ships in international waters by the French was a microcosm of French and British colonial competition; specifically, French aggression was a reaction to the Jay Treaty, which they perceived was an Anglo-American alliance, and the belief that tribute could be collected from the infantile republic by exerting sufficient military pressure.


1797 State of the Union Address, Colonial competition and intimidation of the U.S.
Adams' assertion that "respect to treaties has been so diminished" is a reference to the violation of the Treaty of Alliance by the French through piracy and the violation of Pinckney's Treaty by the Spanish through illegal garrisons in the western U.S. frontiers.


1797 State of the Union Address, Colonial competition and intimidation of the U.S.
The Jay Treaty, Pinckney's Treaty, the Treaty of Tripoli, also negotiated by Thomas Pinckney, the Treaty with Tunis, and France's attempt at forming a similar treaty with the U.S. in March 1797, the infamous XYZ Affair, were attempts by foreign powers to extort money and power from the U.S. government while limiting the influence other world powers had on the emerging nation. Although these treaties were highly unfavorable to the U.S., the policy of appeasement carried out during the Washington and Adams administrations was necessary to provide time for the U.S. to build up its navy and militia.


1797 State of the Union Address, Colonial competition and intimidation of the U.S.
Foreign intervention in domestic affairs of the U.S. was not limited to abuses in the water. Adams condemned ventures by foreign agents, such as those of Spain, who tried to incite an insurgency among Native Americans.


1797 State of the Union Address, Colonial competition and intimidation of the U.S.
Adams expresses hope that the as yet unfulfilled obligations of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce (1797), surveying the St. Croix River between Maine and New Brunswick and paying debts American citizens owed to British subjects prior to the American Revolutionary War, due to various unstated causes, and the unfulfilled obligations of the Spanish regarding compensation for American ships stolen or destroyed in recent Franco-Spanish hostilities, will continue without offending citizens of any country.


1797 State of the Union Address, Colonial competition and intimidation of the U.S.
He deplores the impressing of American soldiers by French and Spanish forces and criticizes the legal framework concerning the proper reaction to such action; how to guarantee the safe return of captured seamen from foreign territories, and the inability of consuls to "demand an inspection of the registers and sea letters."


1797 State of the Union Address, National debt
Adams directly addresses the House of Representatives in regard to the national debt and taxes which had to be raised in order to fund a larger, more mobile Army. He warns against loans as he believed that they had contributed to the vast debt and economic collapse of historical empires. He ends his address by reiterating his general theme of the necessity to militarize to adequately defend against foreign imperialism.


1797 Sumatra earthquake
The 1797 Sumatra earthquake occurred at 22:00 local time on February 10. It was the first in a series of great earthquakes that ruptured part of the Sumatran segment of the Sunda megathrust. It caused a damaging tsunami that was particularly severe near Padang, where a 150–200 ton English ship was driven 1 km inland up the Arau River.


1797 Sumatra earthquake, Background
The island of Sumatra lies on the convergent plate boundary between the Indo-Australian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. The convergence between these plates is highly oblique near Sumatra, with the displacement being accommodated by near pure dip-slip faulting along the subduction zone, known as the Sunda megathrust, and near pure strike-slip faulting along the Great Sumatran fault. The major slip events on the subduction zone interface are typically of the megathrust type.


1797 Sumatra earthquake, Background
Historically, great or giant megathrust earthquakes have been recorded in 1797, 1833, 1861, 2004, 2005 and 2007, most of them being associated with devastating tsunamis. Smaller (but still large) megathrust events have also occurred in the small gaps between the areas that slip during these larger events, in 1935, 1984, 2000 and 2002.


1797 Sumatra earthquake, Damage
The earthquake caused the collapse or damage of many houses. The tsunami surge drove an English sailing ship of 150–200 tons, moored in the Arau River, about 1 km inland, destroying several houses as it went. Smaller boats were driven up to 1.8 km upstream. In Air Manis, the whole town was flooded and the bodies of several people who had climbed trees to escape the surge were found the next day in the branches. Only two fatalities were reported from Padang itself but many more from Air Manis. The Batu Islands were also reported to be affected.


1797 Sumatra earthquake, Characteristics, Earthquake
The shaking at Padang lasted one minute. Reports in 1845 and 1847 said either that this was the strongest earthquake in the memory of the residents of Padang or the strongest for forty years.


1797 Sumatra earthquake, Characteristics, Tsunami
The run-up of the tsunami at Padang and the village of Air Manis is estimated to be in the range of 5–10 m. Modelling of tsunami effects using source parameters estimated from the uplift of coral microatolls, provide a reasonable match to the sparse historical records.


1797 Sumatra earthquake, Characteristics, Tsunami
The tsunami reports for this event are localised around Padang and it has been suggested that the tsunami may have been caused by an underwater landslide triggered by the earthquake.


1797 United States Senate election in Delaware
The Delaware United States Senate election for 1797 was held on January 6, 1797. Henry Latimer defeated the future governor of Delaware David Hall by 10 votes.


1797 United States Senate election in New York
The 1797 United States Senate election in New York was held on January 24, 1797, by the New York State Legislature to elect a U.S. Senator (Class 1) to represent the State of New York in the United States Senate. Incumbent Senator Aaron Burr's name was not placed into nomination for a second term. Former Senator Philip Schuyler was elected.


1797 United States Senate election in New York, Background
Democratic-Republican Aaron Burr had been elected in 1791 after the Assembly rejected incumbent Philip Schuyler.


1797 United States Senate election in New York, Background
At the State election in April 1796, Federalist majorities were elected to both houses of the 20th New York State Legislature which met from November 1 to 11, 1796, at New York City, and from January 3 to April 3, 1797, at Albany, New York.


1797 United States Senate election in New York, Candidates
Ex-U.S. Senator (in office 1789-1791) Philip Schuyler, now a State Senator, ran again as the candidate of the Federalist Party.


1797 United States Senate election in New York, Result
Schuyler was the choice of both the State Senate and the State Assembly, and was declared elected.


1797 United States Senate election in New York, Aftermath
Schuyler resigned on January 3, 1798 because of ill health, and a special election to fill the vacancy was held on January 11, 1798.


1797 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania
The 1797 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on February 16, 1797. Incumbent James Ross was re-elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.


1797 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Background
After Sen. Albert Gallatin was removed from office after his eligibility was successfully challenged, James Ross was elected by the General Assembly, consisting of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Pennsylvania State Senate, in 1794 to fill the remainder of the unexpired term, which was to expire on March 4, 1797.


1797 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Results
The Pennsylvania General Assembly convened on February 16, 1797, to elect a Senator to fill the term beginning on March 4, 1797. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:


1797 Vermont gubernatorial election
The 1797 Vermont gubernatorial election for Governor of Vermont took place throughout September, and resulted in the election of Isaac Tichenor to a one-year term.


1797 Vermont gubernatorial election
The Vermont General Assembly met in Windsor on October 12. The Vermont House of Representatives appointed a committee to examine the votes of the freemen of Vermont for governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, and members of the governor's council.


1797 Vermont gubernatorial election
Thomas Chittenden, who had been governor from 1778 to 1789, and again starting in 1790, died in August 1797. Paul Brigham, the incumbent lieutenant governor, served as governor from Chittenden's death until the election of a successor.


1797 Vermont gubernatorial election
In the popular election, no candidate received a majority. In keeping with the Vermont Constitution, the Vermont General Assembly was required to make a selection. On October 13, the Assembly chose Isaac Tichenor and a committee was appointed to notify him. Tichenor indicated that he would notify the General Assembly the following day as to whether he would accept the position. On October 14, Tichenor indicated his acceptance. He appeared before the Assembly on October 15 and took his oath of office.


1797 Vermont gubernatorial election
In the election for lieutenant governor, the voters selected Paul Brigham for a second one-year term. The freemen also re-elected Samuel Mattocks as treasurer, his eleventh one-year term. The names of candidates and balloting totals for statewide offices were not recorded.


1797 Vermont's 2nd congressional district special election
A special election was held in Vermont's 2nd congressional district on May 23, 1797 to fill a vacancy left by Daniel Buck (F) declining to serve the term to which he'd been re-elected in the previous election.


1797 in Australia
The following lists events that happened during 1797 in Australia.


1797 in Belgium
Events in the year 1797 in the Belgian Departments of France. The French First Republic had annexed the Austrian Netherlands and Prince-bishopric of Liège (predecessor states of modern Belgium) in 1795 and had reorganised the territory as the nine departments Dyle, Escaut, Forêts, Jemmape, Lys, Meuse-Inférieure, Deux-Nèthes, Ourthe, and Sambre-et-Meuse.


1797 in Belgium
The year 1797 corresponds to the period from 12 Nivôse of Year V to 11 Nivôse of Year VI in the French Republican Calendar.


1797 in Canada, Historical documents
Report of the settlement of Maroons in Nova Scotia, April 21, 1797


1797 in Canada, Historical documents
Chief Joseph Brant complains that inability to sell or rent out Grand River lands granted his people makes their future insecure


1797 in Iran
The following lists events that have happened in 1797 in the Qajar dynasty, Iran.


1797 in Wales
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1797 to Wales and its people.


1797 in literature
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1797.


1797 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature (for instance, Irish or France).


1797 in poetry, Births
Death years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:


1797 in poetry, Deaths
Birth years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:


1797 in science
The year 1797 in science and technology involved some significant events.


1797 in sports
1797 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.


1798
1798 (MDCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar, the 1798th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 798th  year of the 2nd millennium, the 98th  year of the 18th century, and the  9th   year of the 1790s decade. As of the start of 1798, the Gregorian calendar was 11 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which remained in localized use until 1923.


1798 Batavian Republic constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in the Batavian Republic in 1798. After a previous referendum in 1797 resulted in a coup d'état, a new constitution was written. On 23 April 1798, a referendum was held about the new constitution. Only opponents of the federalists were allowed to vote.


1798 Batavian Republic constitutional referendum
After the referendum, a new coup d'état was done by the Unitarians, and the constitution became effective in July 1798. The French, who had a big influence in the Batavian Republic, were not satisfied with the 1798 constitution, so a new constitution was written, for which a referendum in 1801 was organized.


1798 Delaware gubernatorial election
The 1798 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on October 2, 1798.


1798 Delaware gubernatorial election
Acting Governor Daniel Rogers was not eligible for re-election under the Delaware Constitution of 1792.


1798 Delaware gubernatorial election
Federalist nominee Richard Bassett defeated Democratic-Republican nominee David Hall and Federalist nominee Barclay Townsend with 52.50% of the vote.


1798 Delaware gubernatorial election, Bibliography
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1798 English cricket season
The 1798 English cricket season was the 27th in which matches have been awarded retrospective first-class cricket status and the 12th after the foundation of the Marylebone Cricket Club. The season saw eight top-class matches played in the country.


1798 English cricket season
The Laws of Cricket were revised by MCC during the year. Significant changes saw the height of the stumps raised by two inches to 24 inches and the width increased by an inch to 7 inches and the bowling side able to ask for a new ball at the start of every innings. The revision introduced the idea of a "dead ball" and fielders were also to be penalised five runs for stopping the ball with their hat - an element of the Laws which survives today in Law 28.


1798 English cricket season, Matches
A total of eight top-class matches were played during the season, including matches featuring MCC as well as Hampshire, Surrey and Middlesex sides.


1798 English cricket season, First mentions
Players who made their first-class cricket debuts in 1798 included:


1798 French Directory election
The French Directory election of 1798 was held between 9 and 18 April 1798 and marked the beginning of the end of the French far-left and rise of the anti-mountain and anti-jacobin parties in France. The 1798 elections were partially invalidated by the passage of the Law of 22 Floréal Year VI which saw 106 members of the mountain loose their seats by decree of the Council of Five Hundred.


1798 French Directory election, Political context
After the Coup of 18 Fructidor Year V, which saw the union of pro-Republican French parties (The Mountain, Jacobins, and Thermidorians), faced with the threat of a bourbon restoration, the reconsitution of the 'clubs' is authorised. With the new 'constitutional circles', these clubs would help public authorities to help rid any 'Monarchists' and support the Republican defence policy. However, this partially led to a backfire when terrorists, Babouvists, and supporters of the Constitution of the Year III, began attacking the Monarchists leading to open attacks in the streets, leading to the downfall of the extremist Jacobin club and rise of the moderate Thermidorians.


1798 French Directory election, Political context
In order to prevent further monarchist gains, the new 'coup assembly' organised several laws by working with the Council of Ancients which would see a reduction of the royalist supporters. Among the many laws passed was the 'one thirds' vote, in which only one third of the assembly would be up for 're-election' while the other 2/3rd would be 'up for election' but the vote wouldn't really count. This was passed in the lower house, but when moved to the Ancients, it was denied by a very large majority and the law thrown away.


1798 French Directory election, Results
The election of 1798 sees 1/3 of the legislative body up for election, or about 236 of the conventional members from 1795, as well as 190 seats vacant since the coup, and 11 seats of those who have died or resigned, leaving a total of 437 deputies. 298 seats are to be renewed in the Council of Five Hundred and 139 in the Council of Ancients.


1798 French Directory election, Results
The overall voter turnout sees a sizable decrease, with just 20% of the eligible population, compared to 23% in 1797 and later 11.5% in 1799. The massive abstention is almost entirely in-part due to the support of the moderate and royalist parties which had been ousted following the coup.


1798 French Directory election, Results
Throughout France however, the local departmental and 'mother assemblies' of the regions become dominated by pro-Monarchy parties or the new 'pro-directorial' party (known today as the Thermidorians). Not only are the smaller regions owned by the monarchists, but more than 27 electoral assemblies are now also controlled by monarchists (these assemblies would elect their deputies to the assembly).


1798 French Directory election, Results
In the smaller departments however, the results are the opposite, with the regions of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Pyrénées-Orientales, Massif Central, Bouches-du-Rhône, Doubs, Sarthe, Seine, and some 40 other departments voting for the neo-Jacobins (the moderate faction of the Jacobins). Five departments opt for the monarchists. The directionals also had good results in the Eastern, Western, and eastern edge of the Massif Central. On the other hand however, many of the remaining departments have assemblies which are split and/or indecisive in achieving a majority.


1798 French Directory election, Results
Among the many new neo-Jacobins elected, includes Lucien Bonaparte, Bertrand Barère and Jean-Baptiste Robert Lindet. In the councils, out of a total of 807 representatives, the groups are now distributed as follows: 387 directorials (107 more and a gain of 38% compared to Year V), 175 Jacobins (105 more), 115 royalists, and 245 independents or undetermined. The Directory retains a majority of around 400 deputies in the councils, but the threat of another defeat in the 1799 elections makes the results unacceptable.


1798 Helvetic Republic constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in the Helvetic Republic over several months in 1798. Modelled after the French Constitution of the Year III of 1795, the new constitution was approved by voters. In some places voting took places in public assemblies, whilst in others the local councils took the decision.


1798 Maryland's 7th congressional district special election
A special election was held in Maryland's 7th congressional district on November 29, 1798, to fill a vacancy left by the death of Representative-election Joshua Seney (DR) before the start of the 6th Congress.


1798 Maryland's 7th congressional district special election, Election results
Nicholson took his seat with the rest of the 6th Congress at the start of the 1st session.


1798 New Hampshire gubernatorial election
The 1798 New Hampshire gubernatorial election took place on March 13, 1798. Incumbent Federalist Governor John Taylor Gilman won re-election to a fifth term, easily defeating various minor candidates.


1798 New Hampshire gubernatorial election, Notes
This New Hampshire elections-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .


1798 New York gubernatorial election
The 1798 New York gubernatorial election was held in April 1798 to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New York.


1798 New York gubernatorial election, Candidates
The Federalist Party nominated incumbent John Jay. They nominated incumbent Stephen Van Rensselaer for Lieutenant Governor.


1798 New York gubernatorial election, Candidates
The Democratic-Republican Party nominated Chancellor of New York Robert R. Livingston. They also nominated incumbent Stephen Van Rensselaer for Lieutenant Governor.


1798 New York gubernatorial election, Results
The Federalist ticket of Jay and Van Rensselaer was elected.


1798 North Carolina's 10th congressional district special election
A special election was held in North Carolina's 10th congressional district on August 2, 1798 to fill a vacancy left by the death of Nathan Bryan (DR) on June 4, 1798