Question

The development of political parties led to which of the following amendments to the Constitution of the United States? A) The elected president would appoint the vice president after the election to ensure that members of the same political party filled both positions. B) The majority party in Congress would have the authority to choose the vice president. C) Distinct ballots would be cast for president and vice president, avoiding a situation in which one person from each political party would serve in those posts. D) The Electoral College was abolished, and the winner of the popular vote would be declared president, with the vice president being chosen by the officials of the president's political party.

Answer 1

The rise of political parties led to the adoption of the Twelfth Amendment, which introduced separate ballots for the president and vice president to prevent them from coming from different parties. This was a response to the issues with the original electoral system, where the second-place finisher became vice-president.

Step-by-step explanation:

The development of political parties in the United States led to the adoption of the Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution. The purpose of this amendment, which went into effect in 1804, was to fix issues related to the election of the president and vice president. In the original electoral system, electors cast two ballots, and the person who received a majority won the election, while the second-place finisher became vice president, which could and did lead to political rivals occupying the top two executive offices. The Twelfth Amendment changed this by instituting distinct ballots for the president and vice president.

This eliminates the possibility of one person from each political party serving in these two crucial posts. Under the new system, each presidential candidate is paired with a vice presidential candidate, forming a unified ticket representing a particular political party. This development emerged as a direct result of the rise of powerful political parties and their influence over the candidate selection process.

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