The Triumph and
Travails of the
Jefferson Republic
Chapter 11
The Jeffersonian “Revolution of
1800”
• Jefferson won 73 electoral votes to Adams’
65 (more than he won in when elected in
1796).
• Running mate Aaron Burr was
instrumental in helping Jefferson win New
York.
• The 3/5 clause of the Constitution helped
Jefferson because of the new power of the
Southern states.
The Jeffersonian “Revolution of
1800”
• There was a big issue after the election
because Jefferson (Pres.) and Burr (VP
running mate) earned the same number of
electoral votes for the Presidency.
• Under the Constitution, the tie could only
be broken by the House, who took several
months to declare Jefferson the winner.
• John Adams would be the last Federalist
President of the United States.
Jeffersonian Restraint
• Jefferson quickly pardoned the
“martyrs” who were held under the
now expired Alien and Sedition Acts.
• After Congress met Jeffersonians
enacted a new naturalization law that
reduced the residence requirement
from 14 years to 5 years.
The “Dead Clutch” of the
Judiciary
• The Judiciary Act of 1801 was the last
important law passed by the expiring
Federalist Congress.
• It created 16 new federal judgeships and
other judicial offices.
• The Republicans were mad because it was
one last attempt by Federalists to entrench
their party into lifetime posts.
The “Dead Clutch” of the
Judiciary
• The Jeffersonians repealed the act a year
after it was passed.
• The Jeffersonians were hard after Supreme
Court Chief Justice John Marshall ( a cousin of
Jefferson) after he was appointed by Adams
(he was the 4th choice) in the dying days of
his term.
• Marshall served 30 days under Adams and
another 34 years under Jefferson and
subsequent Presidents.
Marbury v. Madison
• William Marbury (Fed.) was appointed justice of
the peace of Washington D.C., but the position
was being shelved by new secretary of state
James Madison (Rep.).
• Marbury sued for the delivery of the position.
• Knowing he had no Federalist backing, Marshall
dismissed Marbury’s suit, but ruled that the
Judiciary Act of 1789 (on which Marbury based
his appeal) was unconstitutional because it
attempted to assign to the Supreme Court
powers that the Constitution had not foreseen.
Marbury v. Madison
• Marshall greatly magnified the authority of
the Supreme Court.
• Marbury v. Madison settled who had the final
authority to determine the meaning of the
Constitution, the courts or the states.
• Marshall promoted the principal of “judicial
review”- the idea that the Supreme Court
alone had the last word on the question of
constitutionality.
The Louisiana Godsend
• In 1800 Napoleon got the king of
Spain to cede that Louisiana Territory
to France.
• In 1802 Spaniards withdrew the right
of deposit guaranteed to American
traders by Pinckney’s Treaty of 1795.
• The pioneers were upset and the
pacifist Jefferson needed to act.
The Louisiana Godsend
• Spain was no threat, but in the hands of
Napoleon, Louisiana signified a coming
war and breaking the American practice of
not seeking military alliances.
• In 1803 James Madison was sent to meet
up with foreign minister Robert R.
Livingston and buy New Orleans and as
much land to the east as they could for
$10 million.
The Louisiana Godsend
• If no agreement could be made, they were to go
seek an alliance with England and prepare for war
with France.
• At a critical point, Napoleon decided to sell all of
Louisiana and abandon his dream of a New World
Empire.
• Two reasons why Napoleon changed his mind;
• The failure to retake Santo Domingo (Haiti) from
rebellious enslaved Africans led by Toussaint
L’Ouverture.
• Not wanting to get into another war with England
or drive the U.S. into an alliance with England.
The Louisiana Godsend
• Napoleon decided to sell Louisiana and
pocket the money.
• On April 30, 1803 the French ceded Louisiana
to the U.S. for about $15 million.
• There were a couple problems for Jefferson;
• He had instructed Livingston to spend no more than
$10 million on New Orleans and lands east, whereas
Livingston spent $15 million on New Orleans and lands
west.
• Jefferson wanted to pass an Amendment (he didn’t
think he had power for this size purchase), but any
stall might make Napoleon reconsider.
The Louisiana Godsend
• Even though it was unconstitutional,
senators were ecstatic to receive
828,000 square miles for $15 million
($.03/acre).
Louisiana in the Long View
• With the Louisiana Purchase, America
secured at one bloodless stroke the western
half of the richest river valley in the world
and further laid the foundations of a future
major power.
• In spring of 1804, Jefferson sent his personal
secretary Meriwether Lewis, and a young
army officer named William Clark to explore
the northern part of the Louisiana Purchase.
Louisiana in the Long View
• Lewis and Clark and their exploration
group, the Corps of Discovery crossed the
Missouri River in St. Louis and spent the
winter of 1804 with the Mandan Indians in
North Dakota.
• Aided by a Shoshone woman named
Sacajawea, they struggled across the
northern prairies and through the Rockies
to the Columbia River on the Pacific coast.
The Aaron Burr Conspiracies
• Burr dropped from Jefferson’s cabinet in
his 2nd term.
• Burr joined a group of Federalist
extremists to plot the secession of New
England and New York.
• Alexander Hamilton, though no friend of
Jefferson, exposed the plot and foiled it.
• Incensed, Burr challenged Hamilton to a
duel.
The Aaron Burr Conspiracies
• Hamilton deplore dueling and even though it was
illegal in several states at that point, felt he needed
to defend his honor.
• Hamilton met Burr at the appointed hour, but
refused to fire his weapon.
• Burr’s single shot killed Hamilton, along with Burr’s
political career.
• With the help if Gen. James Wilkinson, military
governor of the Louisiana Territory, Burr plotted to
split the country in half and invade Florida and
Mexico.
The Aaron Burr Conspiracies
• In fall of 1806, Burr and 60 followers floated
down the Mississippi to meet with Wilkinson,
but Wilkinson learned that Jefferson knew his
plot and fled to New Orleans.
• Burr was arrested and tried, but ultimately
acquitted.
• He fled to Europe where he tried to urge
Napoleon to make peace with Britain and
launch an attack on America.
Madison’s Gamble
• Following Washington’s precedent,
Jefferson left the presidency after 2 terms.
• On March 4, 1809 James Madison took the
oath of the presidency and immediately
faced factions within his own party.
• The U.S. looked to repeal the NonIntercourse Act that formally reopened
trade with the world, except for Britain
and France.
Madison’s Gamble
• Madison accepted an offer from Napoleon
that France would lift restrictions if the U.S.
continued its embargo against England.
• This would allow Napoleon to partially
blockade his enemy without having to lift a
finger.
• Madison thought this would force Britain to
reopen its trade with the U.S., but Madison’s
gamble did not pay off.
Mr. Madison’s War
• By spring of 1812, Madison believed war with
England to be inevitable.
• Natives were armed by the British, which
made matters worse.
• One prominent Republican called the war a
test, “to determine whether the republican
system adopted by the people is imbecile and
transient, or whether it has force and
duration worthy of the enterprise.”
Mr. Madison’s War
• Madison asked Congress to declare war on
June 1, 1812 (this is the first of only 5 times
when Congress has formally exercised its
constitutional power).
• The vote in the House was 79 to 49 and 19 to
13 in the Senate, which showed how deeply
divided people were over the idea of fighting.
• Support for the war came from the West and
the South, but also from PA and VA.
Mr. Madison’s War
• Federalists in both North and South damned the
conflict, but New England took it further with
muffled bells, flags at half-mast, and public fasting.
• It is odd that the seafaring New Englanders
opposed the war for a free sea.
• The Pro-British Federalists in the northeast
sympathized with Britain and resented the
Republicans’ sympathy with Napoleon whom they
regarded as the “Corsican butcher” and the “antiChrist of the age”.
The Second War for
Independence and the
Upsurge of Nationalism
Chapter 12
On to Canada over Land and
Lakes
• In 1812 the regular army was ill-trained, illdisciplined, and widely scattered.
• The militia that supplemented the regulars
were mostly known for their ability to
quickly leave the battlefield.
• Instead of capturing Montreal and possibly
ending the war, the Americans attacked in
a three-pronged force that set out at
Detroit, Niagara, and Lake Champlain.
On to Canada over Land and
Lakes
• The Americans turned their attention to the
Great Lakes in which American naval officer
Oliver Hazard Perry captured a British fleet in the
battle of Lake Erie.
• Despite successes, the Americans were grimly
defending their own soil against the British by
1814.
• In 1814, Napoleon was exiled to the island of
Elba, leaving the Americans to face the music
alone.
On to Canada over Land and
Lakes
• The Americans were able to fight off
British moving in from Canada by way
of NY, which may have saved the
American union from its demise.
Washington Burned and New
Orleans Defended
• In August of 1814 a 2nd British force (4,000
soldiers) landed in the Chesapeake Bay
region.
• They marched to Washington and set fire
to most public buildings, including the
Capitol and the White House.
• As this happened, the Americans in
Baltimore held firm at Fort McHenry as it
was hammered by cannons.
Washington Burned and New
Orleans Defended
• A detained American prisoner named Francis
Scott Key watched the battle from a British ship
and wrote the words of the “Star Spangled
Banner”, which was set to the tune of an English
tavern song.
• The 3rd British wave was aimed at New Orleans
in 1814.
• Future President Andrew Jackson commanded a
force of 7,000 sailors, regulars, pirates,
Frenchmen, and militiamen from LA, TN, and KY.
Washington Burned and New
Orleans Defended
• The British made a poorly calculated
frontal assault and lost 2,000 men in a
half hour.
• The victory made Andrew Jackson a
national hero, even though word
arrived that the Treaty of Ghent had
been signed two weeks before the
battle.
The Treaty of Ghent
• Tsar Alexander I of Russia pushed for
mediation Britain and America as
early as 1812.
• Five American peacemakers, including
John Quincy Adams (son of John) and
Henry Clay met with British officials in
the small Belgian town of Ghent.
Treaty of Ghent
• The British demanded (remember, British
were in control at this point):
• A neutralized Indian buffer state in the Great
Lakes region
• Control of the Great Lakes
• A substantial part of Maine
• The U.S. rejected these terms and as the
war dragged on, the British were more
willing to compromise.
Treaty of Ghent
• The British were also preoccupied with
negotiating with France at the Congress of
Vienna (1814-1815).
• The Treaty of Ghent, signed on Christmas
Eve 1814, was essentially an armistice.
• Both sides agreed to stop fighting and
restore territory to prewar conditions, but
did nothing to address the grievances at
the heart of the war.
Federalists Grievances and the
Hartford Convention
• As the war dragged on, New England
extremists became more vocal and some
pushed for secession from the Union.
• In late 1814, when the capture of New
Orleans seemed imminent, MA issued a
call for convention at Hartford, CT.
• MA, CT, and RI dispatched full delegations;
neighboring NH and VT sent partial
representation.
Federalists Grievances and the
Hartford Convention
• 26 men met in complete secrecy for about three
weeks to discuss their grievances and to seek
redress.
• The final report demanded financial assistance from
Washington to compensate for lost trade and
proposed constitutional amendments requiring 2/3
vote in Congress before an embargo could be
imposed, new states admitted, or war declared.
• Delegates sought to abolish the 3/5 clause (felt New
England was falling subservient to the agrarian west
and south).
Federalists Grievances and the
Hartford Convention
• They also wanted Presidents limited to a single
term, and to prohibit the election of two
successive presidents from the same state (break
up the “Virginia dynasty”).
• Three envoys from Mass went to the burnt out
Washington where word had just reached about
New Orleans and shortly thereafter, the Treaty of
Ghent.
• As their complaints seemed petty, the envoys
sank away in disgrace.
Federalists Grievances and the
Hartford Convention
• The Federalists were never again to
mount a successful presidential
campaign.
• Until 1815, there was far more talk of
nullification and secession in New
England than in any other section of
the country, including the South.
nd
The 2 War for American
Independence
• Other nations developed a new respect for
America’s fighting prowess after the War of
1812.
• In a diplomatic sense, if not in a military
sense, the conflict could be called the Second
War for American Independence.
• In 1817, the Rush-Bagot agreement between
the British and the United States severely
limited armaments on the Great Lakes.
Nascent Nationalism
• The most impressive by product of the War of
1812 was a heightened sense of nationalism- the
spirit of nation-consciousness or national
oneness.
• Washington Irving and James Fenimore Cooper
attained international recognition as they were
the first writers to use American scenes and
themes.
• Textbooks were now being written for
Americans, by Americans.
Nascent Nationalism
• The Bank of the United States was
voted by Congress in 1816.
• The army was expanded to 10,000
men and the navy further covered
itself in glory as they defeated pirates
in Northern Africa.
“The American System”
• After the war, American manufacturing began to
take shape due to self-imposed embargoes
before and during the war.
• British competitors tried to dump the contents
of their warehouses on the U.S., often cutting
prices below cost to try and run the American
factories out of business.
• Having failed to crush the U.S. on the battlefield,
the British were now trying to crush the U.S. in
the marketplace.
“The American System”
• The nationalist Congress responded by passing
the Tariff of 1816- the first tariff in American
history instituted primarily for protection, not
revenue.
• The rates (20 to 25 percent of dutiable imports)
were not high enough to provide completely
adequate safeguards, but the law was a bold
beginning.
• Henry Clay threw himself behind an elaborate
scheme known by 1824 as the American System.
“The American System”
• The American System had 3 main parts;
• A strong banking system, which would provide
easy and abundant credit.
• A protective tariff, behind which eastern
manufacturing would flourish, and provide
funds for
• A network of roads and canals, especially in
the burgeoning Ohio Valley, in which foodstuffs
and raw materials would flow in from all
directions.
“The American System”
• In return, a stream of manufactured goods
would flow in the return direction, knitting the
country together economically and politically.
• An outcry for better transportation (roads) was
one of the most striking aspects of the
nationalism inspired by the War of 1812.
• Congress voted in 1817 to distribute $1.5 million
to the states for internal improvements, but
President Madison vetoed the handout as
unconstitutional.
“The American System”
• The individual states were left to venture
ahead with construction programs of their
own, including the Erie Canal, which was
completed by New York in 1825.
• New England, not surprisingly, strongly
opposed federally constructed roads and
canals, because such outlets would further
drain away population and create
competing states beyond the mountains.
The So-Called Era of Good
Feelings
• James Monroe was the Republican
nominee for the Presidential race of 1816.
• He was the next in the line of the “Virginia
Dynasty”, following in the footsteps of
Washington, Jefferson, and Madison.
• The Federalists ran their last candidate in
their history, but he was crushed by 149
electoral votes.
The So-Called Era of Good
Feelings
• The Era of Good Feelings, the phrase
commonly used to describe Monroe’s
presidency was somewhat of a misnomer.
• Problems such as; the tariff issues, the
national bank, internal improvements, the
sale of public land, and the conflict over
slavery were issues that plagued Monroe’s
time in office.
The Panic of 1819 and the
Curse of Hard Times
• Economic panic descended in 1819 and deflation,
depression, bankruptcy, bank failures, and
unemployment came with it.
• The main cause was that the national bank had
become involved in over speculation in frontier
lands.
• The national bank forced the speculative (“wildcat”)
banks to the wall and foreclosed mortgages on
countless western farms.
• People in the western states began to view the
national bank as a financial devil.
Growing Pains of the West
• Between 1791 and 1819, 9 frontier states
were added to the union, alternately free or
slave.
• Immigrants were heading westward as were
former farmers who felt that the nutrients in
the soil were being overused.
• The embargo years also moved people away
from the coast and the pacification of the
natives helped people move farther and
farther inland.
The Uneasy Missouri
Compromise
• In 1821, Missouri was admitted as a slave
state.
• To return balance between the free and
slave states, Maine (which until this time
as part of MA) was admitted as a free
state.
• The balance between North and South
was at 12 each, where it would stay for 15
more years.
The Uneasy Missouri
Compromise
• Although Missouri was permitted to retain
slaves, all future bondage was prohibited
in the remainder of the Louisiana Purchase
north of the southern boundary of
Missouri.
• The Missouri Compromise lasted for 34
years and during that time it preserved the
shaky compact of the states.
The Uneasy Missouri
Compromise
• Even though the Missouri Compromise (slave
problems) and the panic of 1819 should have
clouded the Era of Good Feelings, the people loved
President Monroe.
• It didn’t hurt that Federalist opposition was weak.
• During the Presidential election of 1820, Monroe
gained every electoral vote except one.
• Monroe, as it turned out, was the only president in
American history to be reelected after a term in
which a major financial panic began.
Sharing Oregon and Acquiring
Florida
• Monroe and John Q. Adams, negotiated the
underrated Anglo-American Convention with
Britain in 1818.
• This pact permitted Americans to share coveted
Newfoundland fisheries with their Canadian
cousins.
• The pact also provided for a ten-year joint
occupation of the untamed Oregon Country,
without surrender of the rights or claims of
either America or Britain.
Sharing Oregon and Acquiring
Florida
• At this point, most of FL remained under the
control of the Spanish.
• Revolutions in South America left FL devoid of
Spanish troops, much to the excitement of Gen.
Andrew Jackson.
• Jackson secured a commission to enter Spanish
FL to defeat any Indians and recapture any
runaway slaves taking refuge.
• He was however, to respect all posts under the
Spanish flag.
Sharing Oregon and Acquiring
Florida
• Jackson exceeded his instructions and quickly
took over Pensacola and St. Marks.
• As the presidential cabinet moved to take action
against the overzealous Jackson, Adams spoke
out and demanded huge concessions from
Spain.
• The Florida Purchase Treaty of 1819 ceded
Spanish FL, as well as Spanish claims to Oregon,
in exchange for the U.S. claims to Texas
(becoming part of independent Mexico).
The Menace of Monarchy in
America
• Many European countries put down
republican revolutions in order to restore
despotic rulers.
• Rumors began to fly that Russia, Prussia,
Austria, and France would work together to
overthrow revolted colonies in Spanish
America.
• Obviously, having powerful enemies with
differing ideals this close would not work out
well.
The Menace of Monarchy in
America
• In 1821 the tsar of Russia extended Russian
jurisdiction into present day British Columbia
and the Russians already established trading
posts as far south as San Francisco.
• The fear was that the Russians were planning on
cutting the U.S. off from California, its window to
the Pacific.
• George Canning, British foreign minister
approached the American minister in London
with a proposition.
The Menace of Monarchy in
America
• Canning wanted the U.S. to combine with
Britain on a joint declaration renouncing
any interest in acquiring Latin American
lands, and specifically warning the
European despots to keep their harsh
hands off the Latin American republics.
• The American minister, unsure of what to
do, relayed the message to Washington.
Monroe and His Doctrine
• Adams was very wary of Canning’s
proposal because the U.S. had neither a
strong navy nor army.
• Canning worried that the U.S. would one
day seize Spanish territory in the Americas
(possibly Cuba), which would jeopardize
Britain’s possessions in the Caribbean.
• On top of that, Adams concluded that
there were no definite plans for an attack
on American soil.
Monroe and His Doctrine
• In late 1823 the Monroe doctrine was
born after the nationalistic Adams
convinced the nationalistic Monroe to see
his way of thinking.
• In his regular address to Congress on
December 2nd, Monroe gave a stern
warning to the European powers;
• Noncolonization
• Nonintervention
Monroe and His Doctrine
• Directed toward the Russians in the
Northwest; Monroe proclaimed that
the ear of colonization in the
Americas had ended and that the
hunting season was permanently
closed.
• What the Europeans had they may
keep, but they were to take no more
land.
Monroe and His Doctrine
• Monroe also spoke out against
foreign intervention.
• Monroe told the crowned heads of
Europe to keep their hated
monarchical systems out of his
hemisphere.
Monroe’s Doctrine Appraised
• Even before Monroe’s speech the Russian
tsar decided to retreat.
• In 1824, the Russo-American Treaty fixed the
southernmost limits of Russian territory at
the present southern tip of the Alaska
panhandle.
• The Monroe Doctrine might have more
accurately been called the Self-Defense
Doctrine because it was concerned with the
security of the U.S., not Latin America.