NEW YORK MAGAZINE OR LITERARY REPOSITORY, February, 1797

* President John Adams election victory 

  The most notable report is the announcement that John Adams has been elected President of the United States.
A report near the back notes in part: "Yesterday, agreeable to a provision of the Constitution...the members...assembled...to count the votes of the Electors for, and determined the election of, a President and Vice President of the United States: when John Adams, Esq. was declared rot be elected President, and Thomas Jefferson, Esq. Vice-President..." with a bit more.
Among the articles are: "Application of the Doctrine of Septic Fluids to Explain Some of the Diseases of Human Teeth and Bones" which takes over 8 pages. Also: "Portrait of General Washington" being a descriptive, textual article.
Near the back are the news reports including a short bit noting: "Wednesday last was honored as the anniversary of the birthday of George Washington."
Certainly one of the less common 18th century American magazine titles, existing from just 1790 to 1797.
Still present is the full page plate.
Complete in 56 pages, lacking a full title/contents page, 5 by 8 inches, scattered foxing, nice condition.

Background: The election of 1796, as recorded in this 1797 report, stands as a watershed moment in American history because it marked the nation's first contested presidential election and the first peaceful transfer of executive power. With George Washington stepping down, the election tested whether the young republic could survive a bitter ideological struggle between John Adams’s Federalists and Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republicans without fracturing into civil strife. Furthermore, because the original constitutional framework dictated that the runner-up become Vice President, the election inadvertently created a fractured, deeply dysfunctional administration featuring a President and Vice President from opposing political factions. This glaring structural flaw ultimately paralyzed executive cooperation, exacerbated the nation's growing partisan divide, and directly catalyzed the passage of the 12th Amendment a few years later to ensure separate electoral ballots for both offices.