In some ways, presidential contenders today have it way easier than in the early days of America. Thomas Jefferson was already locked in a heated election battle with incumbent John Adams when their rivalry was made worse by a press without any standard for truth: papers accused him of fomenting the return of monarchy, and of defying the Constitution (to be fair, they also accused Adams of atheism). Worse still was the election system itself: the top vote-getter on the ticket would get the presidency, while the runner up would be VP — but Jefferson ended up tied with his runningmate Aaron Burr. Through it all, Jefferson held fast.

On this day, February 17, in 1801, after a week of protracted debate and political maneuvering by members of the House of Representatives, Thomas Jefferson was finally declared the president.

Conscious that his election to presidency was not all a popular choice, Jefferson chose words carefully for his inaugural address. Trying to conciliate a divided nation, he humbly acknowledged the task of governing a nation was “above his talents,” but he would find guidance and inspiration from the Constitution. And the differences between them were not as great as they might seem. “We are all brethren of the same principle”, he said. “We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists.”