Teacher Notes- Chapter 2, Section 3
I)
Pursuing Republican Principles:
a. Jefferson wanted to do things differently than his predecessors- who had done things a lot like the
British monarchy.
i. Abandoned Alien and Sedition Acts
ii. Get rid of taxes on stamps, land, and whiskey
iii. Get rid of the national debt by paying it down- reduced taxes as well
iv. Streamlined the bureaucracy- departments and workers in the government
v. Benefitted from increased revenue from imports and land sales due to westward expansion.
b. Federalist believed that expensive displays of wealth led people to respect their government; Jefferson
employed more of a ‘common man’ style, but while still displaying his wealth.
II)
John Marshall and his Supreme Court
a. Became Supreme Court Chief Justice when Jefferson took over appointed by Adams.
i. Cousin of Jefferson, but a Federalist.
ii. On the Supreme Court for 35 years, ruled on over 1,000 cases
b. Four-part legacy
i. Power to review the acts of Congress and the president to determine if they were constitutional
1. Known as judicial review- ability of the courts to determine whether acts/decisions of
the legislative and executive branch are constitutional or not.
ii. Federal laws superior to state laws- remember, he’s a Federalist!
iii. Broad interpretation of the Constitution to find ‘implied powers’
iv. Believed in the ‘sanctity of contracts’; limited power of states to interfere with business.
c. Marbury v. Madison- the groundbreaking case
i. First example of judicial review (1803)
ii. Marbury, appointed by Adams as a ‘midnight judge’
1. All were Federalists secure control of the courts for years to come
2. Marbury’s commission not delivered in time, and the new Secretary of State, James
Madison, refused, citing he was acting on the orders of Jefferson; Marbury then sued.
3. Claimed the Judiciary Act of 1789 gave Supreme Court the power to force a gov. official
to perform a duty.
a. Ruled the Act unconstitutional
iii. Although Marshall ruled in favor of Madison (Dem-Rep), he also set precedent that the Court
could determine what was constitutional or not
1. Goes against the Virginia and Kentucky resolutions, which Madison had helped write…
d. Important Precedents
i. Marbury v. Madison was the only time Marshall ruled a federal law unconstitutional.
ii. Most overruled state laws, especially in terms of business or interstate commerce.
III)
The Nation Expands
a. Jefferson believed farm ownership kept white Americans free from landlords and employers
i. Problem- not enough land!
ii. The population was doubling roughly every 25 years
b. Jefferson wanted to expand westward to the Pacific
i. The land was already inhabited by Native Americans and European colonists, though.
c. Jefferson saw the Spanish Territory as easy pickings
i. Not many settlers
ii. Empire was dwindling
iii. Preoccupied with war in Europe
d. This changed when Napoleon seized the Spanish Territory (including New Orleans)
i. Jefferson then thought of joining the British to fight the French
1. But that means war, and no one really wants to go to war…
e. Jefferson tried to avoid war by purchasing the Territory from Napoleon
i. Napoleon was okay with this because he no longer had the option of creating a vast empire
1. In Saint Domingue, French troops had been defeated by rebels led by Toussaint
L’Ouverture.
2. Needed money to fight the British in Europe.
ii. Louisiana Purchase (1803): Mississippi River to Rocky Mountains for $15 million; doubled the
size of the United States.
iii. Contradicted Jefferson’s idea that the federal government did not have the power to purchase
territory from foreign countries.
f.
IV)
Sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the new territory in 1804.
Jefferson’s Foreign Troubles
a. Barbary States- Morocco, Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli were seizing American ships and sailors and making
money off of these actions.
i. Washington and Adams had paid money for immunity; Jefferson was going to do the same until
the price increased.
ii. Jefferson sent the small navy to blockade Tripoli and in 1805, the Barbary War was over.
b. New farms- lots of surplus goods! Need to expand our overseas markets to get rid of surplus.
i. British had banned direct shipping between French West Indies and France.
1. American ships adopted the policy of re-exporting.
a. Ships would leave French colonies, sail to the United States, where they became
‘American’ goods, and then they were free to sail onward to France.
2. Britain did not like this policy for two reasons:
a. Helped French economy, sustaining Napoleon and his army.
b. US became Britain’s biggest commercial competitor.
3. Britain started stopping American ships.
c. British impressment- taking American sailors from their ships and forcing them to serve in British navy.
i. Needed sailors for this huge war.
1. Claimed that anyone born within the empire was ‘British’ and should serve.
2. 6,000 soldiers impressed.
ii. Federalists were okay with this- cost of doing trade; British trade more valuable than new one
with France.
1. Dem-Reps saw it as an insult.
iii. British attack warship Chesapeake and angered many people, including Federalists.
d. US did not have a large enough navy to defend against the British.
i. Jefferson did not want to increase the size of the navy because it would involve increasing taxes,
and ultimately the national debt.
1. Also saw a large navy as a threat to the Republic.
ii. Embargo Act of 1807- suspended trade; US ships stay in port.
1. Jefferson believed this would harm British markets- instead, the British utilized South
America.
2. Backfired, leaving merchants bankrupt, sailors out of work, and farmers without a way
to sell their crops.
iii. Federalists start to gain power again- especially in New England.
1. Embargo lifted before Jefferson left office (1809)
2. Succeeded by James Madison (a fellow Dem-Rep).