Oklahoma Social Studies 8.C.6.1
The Standard
- 8.C.6
- Analyze the political, constitutional, and geographic changes that occurred during the Jeffersonian Era.
Explain issues surrounding the electoral process of the presidential election of 1800, its resolution by the 12th Amendment, and the significance of a peaceful transfer of power.
Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies (2026) · 8.C.6
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain why Jefferson and Burr tied in the Electoral College and how the House chose Jefferson. They describe how later changes to voting for president and vice president addressed the problem. They explain why Adams leaving office peacefully mattered.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain that electors cast two votes without separate votes for president and vice president. They can name the House as the body that broke the tie after 36 ballots. They can explain that separate votes came later, not in time to settle the election.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think Jefferson and Burr were opposing party candidates, rather than running mates. Some think the amendment settled the 1800 tie. The House broke the tie years before the amendment was ratified.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Why did Jefferson and Burr tie, who broke the tie, and what changed for future elections? Add one sentence on why Adams leaving office mattered.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs two 1800-style votes for Jefferson and Burr, tally the tie, then have them cast separate president and vice president votes.
Ask students to write: Why did Adams leaving office matter after a bitter election? Require one detail about the House vote.
Give pairs four cards labeled electoral tie, House vote, Adams leaves office, and amendment ratified; race to put them in order.
Use the National Archives 2024 Electoral College results page; students circle separate president and vice president totals and explain why they matter.
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Related Standards
- USH.C.1.1
Explain the constitutional issues that arise in the post-Civil War era.
- 8.C.3.2.E
Examine the rationales for the creation and functioning of the Electoral College.
- 8.C.12.1
Analyze major issues of the presidential election of 1860 and its immediate consequences.
- USG.C.5.5
Explain the function of the Electoral College, identifying different methods in which presidential electors are determined (e.g., split electoral vote versus wi...
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