The Jefferson Era
Chapter 8
Jefferson Becomes President
THE ELECTION OF 1800
-In 1800, John Adams and Charles Pinckney
campaigned against Thomas Jefferson and
Aaron Burr.
-Republicans also insinuated that Adams would
use the newly created permanent army to
limit American’s rights. (This was some of the
beginnings of political “mudslinging”)
John Adams
Charles Pickney
vs
Thomas Jefferson
Aaron Burr
-Jefferson and Burr each had won 73 electoral votes. The
decision to break the tie was left up to the House of
Representatives.
-Jefferson finally won the tiebreaker. This election was
the first time that one party had replaced another in
power in the United States. This was the first peaceful
transfer of power.
JEFFERSON’S POLICIES
-These problems with the system of voting led Congress
to propose the Twelfth Amendment, which called for
a separate ballot for president and vice president.
-Jefferson made it clear that he supported the will of the
majority as he stressed the need for a limited
government and the protection of civil liberties.
-He chose James Madison as Secretary of State.
-Jefferson urged the Democratic-Republican Party’s newly
controlled Congress to allow the hated Alien and
Sedition Acts to expire.
-Jefferson also lowered military spending and reduced
the size of the navy to 7 active ships, in hopes that
these cuts would allow the government to repay the
national debt.
-Jefferson also asked Gallatin to find ways to abolish
domestic taxes, like the tax on whiskey. (He was trying
to protect civil liberties)
- Jefferson believed that the primary functions of the
federal government were to protect the nation from
foreign threats, make sure the mail was delivered, and
collect custom duties.
MARBURY V. MADISON
-Although Republicans controlled the presidency and
Congress, the federal judiciary was dominated by the
Federalists.
-Shortly before their terms of office ended, Federalist
legislators passed the Judiciary Act of 1801. This act
created 16 new federal judgeships, which President Adams
immediately filled with Federalists before leaving office.
They were known as the “Midnight Judges”.
-Some of these appointments were initiated so late that the
documents that authorized them had not been delivered by
the time Adams left office. This led to controversy once
Jefferson took office.
The Judicial Branch
The framers understood that as the nation grew, there might be a need for
more courts. To account for this, the Constitution gave Congress the power to
create courts “inferior” to the Supreme Court “from time to time.” This
means that Congress has the power to both create and eliminate other
federal courts, and that the court system is continuously evolving as national
needs change.
-William Marbury was named as a justice of the
peace by President Adams; however, he did not
receive his documents before Adams left office.
When Jefferson took office, Marbury demanded
the documents.
-Jefferson advised the new secretary of state,
James Madison, not to deliver them because
they were not valid.
VS.
-Marbury sued, demanding the Supreme Court to
order Madison to deliver the appointment
papers.
-John Marshall, a Federalist appointed by John
Adams, was the current Chief Justice of the
United States.
-Marshall wrote the Court’s opinion in Marbury v.
Madison, a case that helped establish the
Supreme Court’s power to check the power
of the other branches of government. (checks
and balances)
-In denying Marbury’s request, the Court was able
to avoid a direct confrontation with Jefferson’s
administration. However, more importantly, it
did establish the Court’s power of judicial
review which was the power to declare an act
of Congress unconstitutional.
-Marshall and other federal judges would later use
this power of judicial review to make the
judiciary a much stronger part of the national
government.
The Louisiana Purchase
-By the early 1800s, thousands of Americans had settled in
the area between the Appalachian Mountains and the
Mississippi River.
-As the region’s population began to grow, Kentucky,
Tennessee, and Ohio were admitted to the Union.
-New Orleans, located at the mouth of the Mississippi,
was a very important port. Its busy docks handled
settlers’ farm supplies and valuable furs brought from
American Indians.
-Spain controlled both New Orleans and Louisiana. This
region expanded west from the Mississippi River to the
great Rocky Mountains.
-Under a treaty veiled in secrecy, Spain agreed to
trade Louisiana to France.
-In 1802, prior to handing over Louisiana to
France, Spain closed New Orleans to American
Shipping.
-President Jefferson asked the U.S. ambassador to
France, Robert Livingston and James Monroe to
attempt to purchase New Orleans.
-Jefferson sent James Monroe to help Livingston.
-They had a $2 million budget to buy as much of
the Gulf coast as they could.
-France was lead by Napoleon, a powerful ruler
who had conquered most of Europe. He had
dreamed of rebuilding France’s empire in
North America.
-Napoleon sent 20,000 troops to try to regain
control of the island of Haiti from a slave
rebellion, but they were unsuccessful.
-Without Haiti, Napoleon could not build an
empire for France in North America.
-When the Americans tried to buy New Orleans,
Napoleon told Charles Talleyrand, the French
foreign minister, offer to sell them the entire
territory of Louisiana.
-Napoleon wanted to sell Louisiana to fund his
war with Great Britain.
-The Constitution did not mention the power of
the president to purchase foreign lands.
Jefferson worried that it was cost public money
and add to the national debt.
-On October 20, 1803, the Senate approved the
agreement of the Louisiana Purchase, which
practically doubled the size of the United States
and gave the U.S. control of the Mississippi
River.
Explorers Head West
-Americans knew very little about western Native
Americans or the land they lived on.
-In 1803, the president asked Congress to
appropriate funds for an expedition to explore the
West.
-He chose Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to
lead the expedition.
-Lewis was a former army captain and Clark was a
friend of his.
-Their group was named Corps of Discovery. The
journey began in 1804
Meriwether
Lewis
William Clark
-They used interpreters to communicate with the
leaders of the Native American that they met.
-The explorers relied on the goodwill of people they
met such as Sacagawea. She helped guide Lewis and
Clark from 1804-1806.
-Her knowledge was very valuable to the expedition.
-In November 1805, Lewis and Clark reached the Pacific
Ocean.
-They did not find a river route across the West to the
Pacific Ocean (aka NW Passage), but they had
learned much about Western lands and other paths
across the Rocky Mountains.
Pike’s Expedition
-In 1806, Zebulon Pike was sent to find the
beginning of the Red River.
-This was important because the United States
considered it to be part of the Louisiana
Territory’s western border with New Spain.
-He tried to reach the summit of the mountain
known as Pike’s Peak.
-In 1808, the traveled into Spanish lands and was
arrested. They thought he was a spy.
-Records of his journey gave many Americans
their first description of the Southwest.
The Coming of War
Violations of Neutrality
-Great Britain began stopping and searching
American ships for sailors who ran away from the
British navy. This was interfering with American
shipping.
-U.S. citizens were often captured and were forced
into impressment by the British navy. This
continued even after Americans protested.
-In June 1807, British forced sailors off the
Chesapeake, a U.S. navy ship.
-This was a violation of U.S. neutrality.
-Because of Great Britain's violations of U.S.
neutrality some people favored going to war
while others favored an embargo (banning trade
with Great Britain).
-In late 1807, Congress passed the Embargo Act
which banned trade with all foreign countries
-Congress hoped that he embargo would punish
Britain and France and protect American
merchant ships from capture.
-Without the benefit of foreign trade, America lost
money.
-Northern states were heavily impacted by the
Embargo Act because the relied on trade.
-Furious merchants sent Jefferson hundreds of
petitions and demanded the repeal of the
Embargo Act.
-In 1809, Congress replaced the Embargo Act and
only banned trade with Britain, France, and their
colonies.
-The Embargo Act failed. It caused merchants to
lose money and had little effect on Great
Britain and France.
Conflict in the West
-American settlers began to move into areas gained by the Treaty
of Greenville which was an agreement between Native
American leaders and the U.S. government that gave the U.S.
Indian lands in the Northwest Territory and guaranteed U.S.
citizens could safely travel through the area.
-British agents from Canada began to provide arms to Native
Americans living along the western frontier.
-This made American settlers scared and angry.
-Tecumseh was a Shawnee Chief who warned the other Native
Americans about the dangers they were facing from white
settlers.
-He hoped to unite Native Americans from the northwestern
frontier, the South and the eastern Mississippi Valley.
Class Discussion:
• Interpret the following quote by Tecumseh:
“We gave them forest-clad mountains and
valleys full of game, and in return what did
they give our warriors and our women?
Rum, trinkets, and a grave.”
-In 1810, Tecumseh met with William Henry
Harrison, the governor of the Indian territory.
-Harrison urged him to follow the Treaty of
Greenville.
-Fighting broke out between the Native
American’s and Harrison’s soldiers in
November 1811.
-Tecumseh’s village was destroyed.
-Tecumseh and his followers were defeated at the
Battle of Tippecanoe.
-American’s believed that the British had
encouraged Tecumseh to attack western
settlers.
-Some members of Congress called for war with
Britain (War Hawks).
-These legislators were led by Henry Clay of
Kentucky and John Calhoun of South Carolina.
-These War Hawks wanted to invade Canada to
gain more land.
-New England Federalists were the strongest
opponents of the War Hawks and wanted to
renew friendly business relations with Great
Britain.
John Calhoun & Henry Clay
Declaring War
-Republican James Madison was elected president
in 1808.
-In 1812, Congress voted to declare war on Great
Britain. This was the first time Congress had
declared war.
-Madison was re-elected to a second term and
would serve as President through the War of
1812.
The War of 1812
Causes of the War
-Impressment of American Sailors
-Interference with American shipping
-The presence of British soldiers – aiding Native
Americans
Early Battles
-At the start of the war, the British navy had
hundreds of ships. (The U.S. Navy had fewer
than 20) Although, they were scattered around
the globe.
-Although small, the U.S. Navy had well-trained
sailors and powerful new warships including
the USS Constitution.
-Many times, the British navy was embarrassed
as the American vessels defeated British ships
in one on one duels.
-Harrison’s victory combined with Tecumseh’s
death ended British control in the Northwest.
The Creek War
-Creek Indians were angry with American settlers
for trespassing into their lands. (1813)
-Andrew Jackson enlisted about 2000 volunteers
to move -against the Creek nation.
- The Treaty of Fort Jackson ended the Creek War
forcing the Creek to give up millions of acres of
their land.
The British
attack our
nation’s capital!!
The War of 1812 moves to our nation’s capital
-President Madison was forced to flee when British troops set
fire to the White House, the Capitol, and other government
buildings.
- Dolly Madison, his wife, retrieved artifacts from the White
House including the famous painting of George
Washington.
-The British marched on to Fort McHenry in Baltimore,
Maryland and fired on it for 25 hours.
-Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the Star Spangled
Banner as he watched the American victory at Fort
McHenry.
-However, the Americans stood their ground and the British
were forced to retreat.
-After the attack on Washington, the British moved on to
New Orleans where they attempted to capture the city
and gain control of the Mississippi River.
The Star Spangled Banner Lyrics
By: Francis Scott Key 1814
•
Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last
gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the
perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly
streaming,
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still
there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
http://www.nps.gov/fomc/index.htm
The Battle of New Orleans: (Actually in Chalmette, LA)
-Andrew Jackson was commanding forces around
New Orleans. His troops were made up of a mix
of free African Americans, a group of Choctaw
Indians, state militia, and pirates led by Jean
Lafitte.
-This battle began on the morning of January 8,
1815.
-11,000+ British troops attacked Jackson’s force of
5,500+ soldiers.
-The British were stopped when they were caught
on an open field.
GEOGRAPHY
~It was foggy early in the
morning.
~The British had to cross
swampy land to reach the
Americans.
~US boats along MS River
fired artillery upon the British.
-Casualties: 2,000 British - 70 Americans
-The Battle of New Orleans made Andrew Jackson
a hero and was the last major conflict of the
War of 1812.
Effects of the War
-Increase sense of national pride
-American manufacturing boosted
-Native American resistance weakened
-Slow communication at the time meant that Andrew
Jackson did not know about the Treaty of Ghent
that had been signed on December 24, 1814,
which ended the War of 1812.
Summary
-Andrew Jackson was a war hero after the
Battle of New Orleans
-Increased national pride
-The interruption of trade boosted the
production of American made products
-American Indians were losing their stronghold
on their land