1798 United States elections

Elections for the 6th U.S. Congress February 2026 January 2025 1798 Midterm elections Federalist Party (US)John Adams (F) 6th Federalist hold 11 of 32 seatsNot counting special elections. 0Congressional seat gain figures only reflect the results of the regularly-scheduled elections, and do not take special elections into account. Federalist hold All 106 voting seats Federalist +3 Elections to the 6th United States Congress were held in 1798 and 1799, during the middle of Federalist President John Adams's term. The election took place during the First Party System, as political competition between the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans became increasingly organized. Federalists retained control of both chambers of Congress, gaining three seats in the House of Representatives while partisan balance of the Senate remained unchanged.6th Congress (1799–1801) https://history.house.gov/Congressional-Overview/Profiles/6th/ History, Art & Archives United States House of Representatives June 18, 2026Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/history/one_item_and_teasers/partydiv.htm United States Senate 25 June 2014 Background The elections occurred amid growing tensions between the United States and France. Federalists generally favored a stronger central government and closer commercial relations with Great Britain, while Democratic-Republicans favored a more limited federal government and were more sympathetic to France.Formation of Political Parties https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/formation-of-political-parties.html Creating the United States Library of Congress June 19, 2026The United States and the French Revolution, 1789–1799 https://history.state.gov/milestones/1784-1800/french-rev Office of the Historian United States Department of State June 19, 2026 In April 1798, the Adams administration released dispatches describing the XYZ Affair, in which French intermediaries had demanded payments from American diplomats seeking negotiations with the French government. Public outrage over the affair contributed to heightened anti-French sentiment, and the dispute developed into the undeclared naval conflict known as the Quasi-War.The XYZ Affair and the Quasi-War with France, 1798–1800 https://history.state.gov/milestones/1784-1800/xyz Office of the Historian United States Department of State June 18, 2026 During the same period, the Federalist-controlled 5th Congress enacted the Alien and Sedition Acts. The laws increased the residency requirement for citizenship, authorized federal action against certain non-citizens, and criminalized some forms of criticism of the federal government. They became a major source of partisan controversy and were primarily enforced against supporters and newspaper editors associated with the Democratic-Republicans.Alien and Sedition Acts (1798) https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/alien-and-sedition-acts Milestone Documents National Archives and Records Administration June 18, 2026 Results House of Representatives 1798–99 United States House of Representatives elections All 106 voting seats in the House were contested. The Federalists gained three seats, increasing their majority from 57-49 in the 5th Congress to 60-46 in the 6th Congress.5th Congress (1797–1799) https://history.house.gov/Congressional-Overview/Profiles/5th/ History, Art & Archives United States House of Representatives June 18, 2026 Federalist Representative Theodore Sedgwick of Massachusetts was subsequently elected speaker of the House. Senate 1798–99 United States Senate elections Eleven of the Senate's 32 seats were scheduled for regular election. The elections produced no net partisan change, leaving the Federalists with 22 seats and the Democratic-Republicans with 10. See also 1798–99 United States House of Representatives elections 1798–99 United States Senate elections References Category:1798 elections in the United States 1798 Category:United States midterm elections