CHAPTER EIGHT
THE JEFFERSON ERA
SECTION ONE
JEFFERSON BECOMES PRESIDENT
Charles C.
Pinckney
Aaron
Burr
Let’s review what Jefferson and Adams and their
political party’s stood for!
or agriculture
This was an election in which both party’s believed that the
republic’s survival depended on if their candidate won the election!
-Candidates did not travel around
the country trying to get votes like
they do today.
-Newspapers or letters were the
primary way for supporters to
build up their candidate or tear
down their opponent.
-Supporters of Adams portrayed
Jefferson the following ways:
a) a pro-French radical
b) if elected Jefferson would bring
the violence of the French
Revolution to America
c) a godless, nonbeliever who they
said wanted to destroy organized
religion, because of his interest in
science and philosophy
d) he was often called a Jacobin,
after the most radical faction in
France during the French
Revolution
-Supporters of Jefferson
portrayed Adams in the
following ways:
a) as a monarchist, if elected
Adams would name himself
King
b) he would use the new Army
to limit American’s rights
c) was accused of plotting to
have his son marry one of the
daughters of King George III
and thus establish a dynasty to
unite Britain and the United
States
-Hamilton of his own party said
Adams was emotionally
unstable, given to impulsive
and irrational decisions, unable
to coexist with his closest
advisers, and generally unfit to
be President
ELECTION OF 1800
Jefferson & Burr received
an equal number of votes in
the Electoral College
This meant that the
Federalist-dominated House
of Representatives was
required to choose a president
-Two Democratic-Republicans finished tied to be
President
-Hamilton pushed for Jefferson, because he felt
that Burr was unreliable and did not like him at
all.
-This causes a major problem between Burr and
Hamilton in years to come
-Burr became Jefferson’s vice-president.
-The 1796 and 1800 Elections led to passage of the
Twelfth Amendment
-That amendment stated that the president and
vice-president would be together on separate
ballots.
John S. Adams
Federalist
Thomas Jefferson
Democratic/Republican
Significance of Election of 1800
• Peaceful transfer of power from one political
party to another (bloodless revolution)
• “Revolutionary” achievement
• Jefferson referred to his victory and the subsequent
change over as “the bloodless revolution”
JEFFERSON IS
INAUGURATED
-Inauguration took place in
Washington, D.C. near the
executive mansion (White
House) and the not yet
completed Capital building.
-Jefferson walked to his
inauguration on March 4, 1801
-In his inaugural speech, Jefferson
made it clear that he
■ supported the will of the
people
■ stressed limited government
■ supported majority rule
■ supported protection for civil
liberties
Capital building in 1800!
JEFFERSON IN OFFICE
-Jefferson had a Democratic-Republican congress in
both houses
■ got Congress to allow the Alien and Sedition
Acts to expire
■ cut military spending and reduced the size of
the military
■ reduced domestic taxes such as the whiskey tax
-Jefferson hoped these savings would help us pay
down the national debt
-He believed in a small government and at this time it
consisted of a few hundred people
-He believed that the government’s primary
functions were
■ to protect the nation from foreign threats
■ deliver the mail
■ collect customs duties
-Jefferson did not agree with the National Bank, but
allowed it to continue
MARBURY V.
MADISON
MARBURY V.
MADISON
1. On Adam’s last day as president, he
fills courts with as many Federalist
leaning judges as possible
These appointments were called “midnight judges” Adams waited until 9 o’clock on his last night as
President to appoint them.
MARBURY V.
MADISON
2. Jefferson becomes President the
next day but some of Adams’ judges
have not yet received their official
forms
a. Jefferson says they cannot
be judges
MARBURY V.
MADISON
b. Jefferson orders James
Madison (Secretary of
State) not to give out the
papers to the midnight
judges
MARBURY V.
MADISON
3. William Marbury is one of the
midnight judges affected by
Jefferson’s decision
MARBURY V.
MADISON
a. Marbury demands that the
Supreme Court examine
the case and force the
executive branch to hand
out his papers
MARBURY V.
MADISON
4. Marbury says Judiciary Act of 1789
gives the Supreme Court the right to
do this
MARBURY V.
MADISON
5. John Marshall, the chief justice
and a Federalist, appointed by
President Adams, agrees to listen to
Marbury’s case
MARBURY V.
MADISON
a. Marshall agrees that
Marbury had been treated
unfairly
AND…..
MARBURY V.
MADISON
b. that the Judiciary Act
would allow the Supreme
Court to force Madison into
making Marbury a judge
BUT….
MARBURY V.
MADISON
c. Marshall has to decide if this
is constitutional or
unconstitutional?
MARBURY V.
MADISON
6. Marshall decides that forcing the
government to make Marbury a judge
would be unconstitutional, because the
law Marbury sued under did not meet
the criteria
MARBURY V.
MADISON
7. Marshall’s ruling established
Judicial Review – meaning the Supreme
Court can declare acts of Congress
unconstitutional
MARBURY V.
MADISON
a. Judicial review has increased
the Supreme Court’s legal
authority… making it a much
stronger branch and part of the
law making process