Jefferson’s Presidency – “The Triumphs and Travails of the Jeffersonian Republic”
Overall main idea: Between 1800 and 1809, U.S. national government under Jefferson’s presidency
retrenched to Republican values in domestic affairs, expanded the territory of the U.S. with the
Louisiana Purchase, established the independent power of the judiciary, and grew unpopular in
foreign affairs with trade restrictions.
Seemingly clear-cut differences between the Federalist and Republican parties grew more complicated as new opportunities
and crises confronted the early United States.
Federalist and Republican Mudslingers
Main idea: The first openly partisan election between Federalists and Republicans resulted in Federalist defensive
measures and attacks against Thomas Jefferson.
Federalists were losing popularity due to the Alien and Sedition Acts, a division in the party between Adams and
Hamilton factions, and wasted preparations for the aborted war with France, including new taxes
Federalists attacked Thomas Jefferson, who was the Democratic-Republican candidate for president in the election
of 1800
Sally Hemings – Thomas Jefferson’s slave mistress, with whom he most likely fathered multiple children
Jefferson was mostly a Deist, but was accused of being an atheist
Deism – the belief in a God who does not actively interfere in everyday affairs; God created the
world to run by a set of natural laws and physics, like a “cosmic watchmaker”
Jefferson was also associated with violent revolutionary France
The Jeffersonian “Revolution of 1800”
Main idea: After some technicalities, Jefferson was elected president in the “Revolution of 1800,” the first successful
peaceful transfer of ruling power in the new United States.
Jefferson barely defeated John Adams; he received most of his support from the South and the West, where there
were less voting restrictions and more slave owners (remember the 3/5 compromise)
Aaron Burr – Jefferson’s Vice-Presidential running mate from New York; technically tied Jefferson for the
presidency (back then electors cast two votes and whoever got second place was Vice-President; usually one elector would
withhold one vote in order to allow the preferred candidate to receive the most and become president, but not this time); the
election went to the House of Representatives and eventually Jefferson won, possibly because of bribery or intrigue
“Revolution of 1800” – Jefferson claimed his election was a revolution, a return to the republicanism ideals of the
American Revolution that had been infringed upon by the Federalists; it was also the first peaceful transfer of ruling power
in the early United States—the Federalists did not resist giving up power and accepted the results peacefully, stepping
down to allow the Democratic-Republican Jefferson to take over
Responsibility Breeds Moderation
Main idea: President Jefferson spurned superior pretensions, aimed for political moderation and struggled to hold to his
principles in the practical world of politics.
Jefferson discouraged superior pretensions of rank and aristocracy as president; he walked to his inauguration, did
not seat dinners by rank, dressed more plainly, sent messages to congress instead of making speeches, etc.
Despite his party’s victory, Jefferson tried to be friendly and moderate towards the Federalists; “We are all
Republicans, we are all Federalists”; he promised to abide by the majority but protect the minority; he did not appoint all
new Republican officials, keeping many Federalists
Jefferson was known as a man of philosophic morals and principles, but had trouble sticking to them in the world
of practical politics; he was sometimes inconsistent and contradictory
Jefferson was highly talented and skilled in many areas: politics, law, philosophy, science and technology,
archaeology, writing, agriculture, architecture
Jeffersonian Restraint
Main idea: Jefferson showed restraint in domestic politics by only moderately repealing Federalist policies.
The Alien and Sedition Acts were allowed to expire; Jefferson pardoned all of its victims and repealed fines; he
helped pass a law reducing the time required to become a U.S. citizen
Jefferson persuaded Congress to repeal the whiskey excise tax, which he said was unfair to farmers
Albert Gallatin – the Democratic-Republican version of Alexander Hamilton; Secretary of Treasury under
Jefferson; he balanced the budget, reduced spending, and reduced the overall national debt
Still, most Hamiltonian finance policies were left intact – the Bank of the US, the assumption of state debts, and
the tariffs; later Republicans would enact a newer and bigger Bank of the US
Jefferson’s moderation probably helped him get re-elected and avoided the extreme swing voting
The “Dead Clutch” of the Judiciary
Main idea: Judicial power was strengthened as a result of Marbury v. Madison and Samuel Chase’s acquittal.
Judiciary Act of 1801 – increased the size of the federal courts, to which new Federalist judges were appointed
“Midnight Judges” – Federalist judges appointed by John Adams just before he left office, as if at midnight before
retiring; Republicans claimed it was a shady attempt by the Federalists to gain judicial power; Republicans quickly repealed
the Judiciary Act to remove the midnight judges
John Marshall – Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Federalist, appointed by Adams; after almost all of the
Federalists had died out of the U.S. government, Marshall stayed in the Court for over thirty years, ruling in favor of
Federalist policies
Marbury v. Madison, 1803 – Marbury was a midnight judge who sued Secretary of State James Madison for his
new job; Chief Justice John Marshall ruled against Marbury, claiming that the law which gave him his new job was
unconstitutional; established judicial review
Judicial review – the power of the courts to determine whether a law is constitutional (and thus valid) or not (and
thus invalid)
Samuel Chase impeachment – Republicans tried to impeach Supreme Court justice Samuel Chase for his loudmouth Federalist policies; however he was acquitted as he had committed no “high crimes”; reinforced the independence of
the judicial branch and protection from outside interference at the whim of the opposing party
Jefferson, a Reluctant Warrior
Main idea: Jefferson’s war-resistant foreign policy was tested when he was forced to build and send gunboats to fight
Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean Sea.
Jefferson clung to republicanism ideals which distrusted standing armies, military dictatorships, military expense
and entangling foreign military alliances; he reduced the size of the military to a mere police force
Barbary Pirates – North African pirates that preyed on shipping in the Mediterranean Sea; Adams had paid them
off, like Washington; Jefferson built up the navy with small gunboats and sent them to war against the pirates; a peace
treaty was signed four years later, in 1805
Federalists mocked Jefferson’s small gunboat “mosquito fleet”
The Louisiana Godsend
Main idea: The Napoleonic Wars of the French Revolution allowed the U.S. to make the Louisiana Purchase, despite
Jefferson’s reservations about its unconstitutionality.
Napoleon Bonaparte, emperor of France during the latter years of the French Revolution, re-acquired the
Louisiana Territory (west of the Mississippi, south of Canada, east of the Rocky Mountains) from Spain in 1800; he
intended to use it for a new French empire in North America; American western farmers lost the right of deposit (right to
use the warehouses for trade) in New Orleans as a result
Jefferson was squirming to stop Napoleon and help America and its farmers in the west; he was afraid of war or
desperate alliances; he sent envoys to France to attempt to buy New Orleans
Napoleon decided to sell the Louisiana Territory because of the loss of Santo Domingo, a West Indies island, to a
slave insurrection led by Toussaint L’Ouverture, and his plans to renew war against Britain; he needed money and less
liability – “Damn colonies!”
Suddenly the Americans were offered all of the Louisiana Territory instead of just New Orleans; unfortunately for
Jefferson, the purchase was unconstitutional; afraid of losing the deal, he pushed it through Congress anyway; in this case
Jefferson compromised his strict interpretation for practicality, to secure more land and stability for the U.S.
Louisiana Purchase, 1803 – Congress passed treaties from Jefferson that purchased the Louisiana Territory from
the French for just $15 million, about $.03 per acre
Louisiana in the Long View
Main idea: The Louisiana Purchase established a precedent of future expansion, prevented foreign troubles, and led to the
Lewis and Clark expedition to open the West to the United States.
The LA Purchase avoided war and entangling alliances with the Europeans; the new land allowed for an agrarian
republic as idealized by Jefferson; it set the standard for future expansion by purchase and incorporation of equal states, not
colonies, though not for Native Americans
Lewis and Clark Expedition – Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were dispatched by Jefferson to lead the
Corps of Discovery to explore the new Louisiana Purchase; they traveled all the way to the Pacific Ocean and came by with
scientific observations, maps, knowledge and stories; they opened the West to future U.S. migration
Zebulon Pike – explorer of the Mississippi River, the Great Plains and Southwest part of the Louisiana Purchase;
Pike’s Peak in Colorado is named after him
The Aaron Burr Conspiracies
Main idea: Aaron Burr attempted to take advantage of the difficulty of controlling the early United States through
secessionist conspiracies.
Burr vs. Hamilton duel – after Alexander Hamilton schemed against and attacked Burr’s reputation in New York,
Burr challenged him to a duel; Burr killed Hamilton, the strongest leader of the Federalists remaining
Burr Conspiracy – Burr allegedly made a deal with James Wilkinson, top U.S. military commander and double
agent for Spain; historians are unsure as to the specifics, but it possibly involved taking land, seceding from the U.S., and
attacking Mexico for more land; Wilkinson betrayed Burr and Burr was brought to court on treason charges; to Jefferson’s
chagrin, Marshall acquitted Burr and he fled to Europe, still scheming
A Precarious Neutrality
Main idea: Napoleonic Wars between France and Britain led to the seizure of American shipping, impressment of American
sailors, and the Chesapeake incident.
Jefferson easily won re-election in 1804
Napoleonic Wars continued; Napoleon and France took control on land while Britain took control on sea; both
decided to blockade all shipping to their enemy, including seizure of American ships, which was the largest neutral
shipping enterprise in the world
Impressment – the forcible enlistment of sailors; British ships would stop American ships and force sailors (and
U.S. citizens) to serve on their ships
Chesapeake affair – 1807, a British ship stopped the U.S. Chesapeake ship off the coast of Virginia, impressed
four British deserters from the Chesapeake, and when confronted, fired into the Chesapeake, killing and wounding
Americans; Britain apologized but Americans were angry; Jefferson could’ve easily had war if he asked for it
The Hated Embargo
Main idea: In response to European attacks on American shipping, Jefferson embargoed all American exports, which ended
up hurting Americans more than it did the Europeans.
The U.S. military was not ready for a full-scale war, especially considering Jefferson’s demilitarization
Jefferson attempted his “peaceful coercion” method of foreign affairs to avoid war by pushing for embargo (ban
on trade) with all countries; once they were without American shipping, the British and the French would come crawling
back peacefully
Embargo Act of 1807 – passed by Congress, it blocked all American exports and trade with foreign countries
The Embargo Act hurt Americans worse than it did the British and French, as they had other options; New
England shippers and merchants suffered, western farmers suffered, and Jefferson and the Republicans lost popularity;
Federalists actually regained some popularity; repealed in 1809, just before Jefferson left office
Actually helped New England manufacturing grow, since it protected it from foreign goods, like a
protective tariff
Non-intercourse Act – passed in 1809, it opened American shipping to all countries except Britain and France
Overall main idea: Between 1800 and 1809, U.S. national government under Jefferson’s presidency
retrenched to Republican values in domestic affairs, expanded the territory of the U.S. with the
Louisiana Purchase, established the independent power of the judiciary, and grew unpopular in
foreign affairs with trade restrictions.
The War of 1812 – “The Triumphs and Travails of the Jeffersonian Republic”-“The Second War for
Independence and the Upsurge of Nationalism”
Overall main idea: Between 1812 and 1814, the United States fought Great Britain to a draw over
shipping restrictions, Indian conflicts, expansionism and restored respect and power.
Madison’s Gamble
Main idea: President Madison tried to open all former shipping by trusting the French under Macon’s Bill No. 2, but
Britain continued its restrictive actions and Madison reacted against them.
Jefferson retired after his two terms as President, like Washington
James Madison – fourth president, Democratic-Republican, small Virginian, scholar, “Father of the Constitution”;
didn’t have the strong majority of Congress like Jefferson
Macon’s Bill No. 2, 1810 – replaced the Non-Intercourse Act; it ended embargo and opened trade to all countries,
but included a lure for the British and French—whichever country ended its restrictions first, the U.S. would then embargo
the other country
Napoleon vaguely claimed he would lift French restrictions if the British would reply in kind; Madison
feared this was a ruse, but gambled anyway, hoping to push the British to act also; the British did not, and so under
Macon’s Bill No. 2, Madison embargoed the British again; Congress passed Macon’s Bill, but it was not supported by
Madison
Madison feared the embargo of the British would lead to war with them
Tecumseh and the Prophet
Main idea: Tecumseh and The Prophet organized a pan-Indian confederacy that threatened the West and eventually would
ally with the British.
Madison was reluctant to go to war with the British
War Hawks – western and southern Republican congressmen who wanted to go to war with the British; they
disliked impressment and seizing of American ships, British trade restrictions, and Indian attacks in the west
Pan-Indian Confederacy – Tecumseh and The Prophet (Tenskwatawa) organized all Indian tribes east of the
Mississippi into a confederacy to fight against white expansion and influence into their lands
Battle of Tippecanoe – William Henry Harrison led U.S. troops that defeated The Prophet at Tippecanoe in
present-day Indiana in 1811; hurt the Prophet and the Confederacy, made Harrison a war hero, and pushed Tecumseh and
the Confederacy into an alliance with the British
Mr. Madison’s War
Main idea: The U.S. declared war on Britain to begin the War of 1812 because of shipping harassment, British alliance
with the Indians, War Hawks, expansionism for Florida and Canada, and the restoration of respect for the American
republic.
War Hawks were pushing for war mostly because of problems with Indians and the British alliance with them;
other southern War Hawks wanted to expand the U.S. into Spanish Florida or British Canada
Madison mostly wanted to restore respect and power to the U.S.; years of embargoes and steering around war had
left the U.S. with only more problems and derision from other countries; the U.S. needed to aggressively assert its rights
and power
Congress declared war at Madison’s request in 1812 to begin the War of 1812; mostly Republicans, westerners
and southerners voted for war
Almost all Federalists and New England were against war; they were pro-British and anti-Napoleon and
anti-Republican
New England Federalists actually helped the British as much, if not more, than the U.S. during the war
British were still the most powerful empire in the world; the Americans were barely united; looked grim