1797 DRAPED BUST H10C, 15 STARS MS65

Having been elected the previous year in the first ever contested presidential election, President John Adams was inaugurated in 1797. Thomas Jefferson became Adams’ vice president after receiving the second largest number of electoral votes. It is interesting to note that this system of giving the vice presidency to the runner-up of the presidential election was only true of two elections. The policy was changed by the 12th Amendment after controversy arose surrounding the 1800 election cycle in which Aaron Burr received the same amount of votes as Thomas Jefferson and unsuccessfully challenged the decision of the House of Representatives to elect Jefferson. After the 12th Amendment was introduced, the electorate would cast separate votes for the president and vice president. This 1797 half dime is a remnant of the formative years for the democracy of the United States of America.