Question

thomas jefferson
by an extraordinary coincidence, during jefferson’s first term as president, callender also exposed jefferson’s relationship with sally hemings. callender claimed that “dusky sally,” a.k.a. the “african venus,” was the president’s slave concubine, who had borne him five children. “there is not an individual in the neighborhood of charlottesville who does not believe the story,” callender wrote, “and not a few who know it.” jefferson never confirmed or denied callender’s story. but the likely truth of the hemings affair was dramatically bolstered by dna tests published in 1998, which indicated that a jefferson male had sired at least one of hemings’ children.
the crowning irony of the stormy relations between hamilton and jefferson is that hamilton helped install his longtime foe as president in 1801. under constitutional rules then in force, the candidate with the majority of electoral votes became president; the runner - up became vice president. that created an anomalous situation, in which jefferson, his party’s presumed presidential nominee, tied with aaron burr, its presumed vice presidential nominee. it took 36 rounds of voting in the house to decide the election in jefferson’s favor. faced with the prospect of burr as president, a man he considered unscrupulous, hamilton not only
don’t forget to notice & note as you read the text.
notice & note
contrasts and
contradictions
when you notice a sharp contrast between what you would expect and what you observe happening, you’ve found a contrasts and contradictions signpost.
notice & note: mark a surprising fact that chernow includes in the paragraph 15 of the article.
analyze: what contradiction does this fact reveal? explain.
anomalous
(ə - nŏm’ə - ləs) adj. unusual.

Explanation:

The text states Hamilton and Jefferson had "stormy relations" (they were fierce rivals). However, Hamilton helped Jefferson win the 1801 presidency by supporting him over Aaron Burr, even though Jefferson was his long-time foe. This is a contradiction because political rivals typically work to prevent each other from gaining power, not assist their ascent. Hamilton's choice stemmed from seeing Burr as an even more untrustworthy option, creating a sharp contrast between expected rival behavior and his actual actions.

Answer:

The contradiction reveals that Hamilton, despite being Jefferson's bitter political rival, acted against his personal disdain to ensure Jefferson (whom he viewed as a lesser evil compared to Burr) became President, going against the expected dynamic of rivals opposing each other's rise to power.