1788 New England General Election (Amerian Confederation)

The 1790 New England General Election was the first General Election in New English history. It was held on December 15, 1788. Under the Constitution of the Confederation of the United States, each Commonwealth would elect a leader to run the country and appoint Members of their respective Parliaments or Congress to represent them in the greater United States Congress. While there were no parties, three different political factions formed at this time, the Adamsites, the Estes Junto, and the Radicals. John Adams, leader of the Adamsites, won handily with 56.4% of the Popular vote, and his political allies gaining 19 seats in Parliament, granting them the majority.

The Adamsites were a group dedicated to enforcing the political ideology of Founding Father John Adams unto New England. This meant friendlier relations with Britain, high tariffs, souring relations with France, and a strong, but not tyrannical, federal Government. The Estes Junto were radical Federalists led by Timothy Pickering, who sought to retain the Aristocracy that had developed in New England. This meant restricting the right to vote to various people and creating a powerful federal Government. They did not gain a single vote, as most races they entered were not decided by Popular Vote, but instead by County Boards using an Electoral College system to decide their Representative. Races that did use the popular vote, most voters leaned more towards Adams rather than the extreme Pickering. The Radicals, mainly centered in Vermont and led by former Vermont Governor Thomas Chittenden, were the opposite of the Estes Junto. They sought greater voting rights, and friendlier relations with France, but still maintaining good relations with Britain. Vermont was the area with the least amount of voting restrictions, so most of the Radicals votes came from there.

With the Adamsites having a solid majority, they elected Braintree Member of Parliament and party leader John Adams to the position of Prime Minister, a position Adams would hold for 16 years until retiring from Political office.