CHAPTER 6
SECTION 3
JEFFERSON ALTERS THE
NATION’S COURSE
Mr. Clifford
US 1
A.) JEFFERSON WINS PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION OF 1800
• Adams (Federalist) vs. Jefferson (Republican):
• To Republicans, Adams was a tool of the rich who wanted to
turn the executive branch into a British style monarchy.
• To Federalists, Jefferson was a supporter of revolutionary
France, and an atheist bent on destroying organized religion.
Americans were not accustomed to a peaceful transfer of
power from one political party to another.
The 1800 Presidential Election
Results
• Jefferson (Republican) ties Aaron Burr (Republican). Burr
and Jefferson defeated Adams (Federalist) by 8 electoral votes.
The tie would be decided by the House of Representatives.
• Alexander Hamilton opposed Jefferson’s policies but felt that
Burr would be a bigger threat to the Federalist party. Hamilton
would persuade Federalist representatives to vote for Jefferson.
• As a result of the 1800 election, Congress would pass the 12th
Amendment which called for electors to cast separate ballots
for President and Vice President. This system is still in effect
today.
Peaceful Transfer of Power
• The peaceful transfer of power from one party to another
showed the world that the American Republic could withstand
political change.
• “Every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle. . .
We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists”. Thomas
Jefferson
• Jefferson planned to restore Republican ideals of 1776 against
the strong-government policies of Federalism.
Simplifying the Presidency
• Jefferson believed in simple government. As a symbolic gesture, he walked
to his own inauguration rather than ride in a carriage.
• Jefferson believed in decentralized power:
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reducing the size of the federal government
the size of the army
halted a planned expansion of the navy
lowered expenses for government social gatherings.
eliminated all internal taxes
reduced the influence of the Bank of the United States.
favored free trade, rather than government controlled trade & tariffs.
He believed that free trade would increase our trade with Europe.
Southern Dominance of
Politics
• Washington D.C. was carefully chosen, between Virginia &
Maryland, in order to reflect the union of the North and South.
• Federalists were experiencing a declining political authority in
the US.
• Jefferson’s political moderation & the expansion of the US
worked against the Federalists.
• Settlers who moved to new states and territories would
predominately vote Republican.
THE FEDERALISTS LOSE
POWER
• - Jefferson worked to reduce the power of the Federalists in
government. He replaced Federalist officials with Republican
ones. By 1803, the government bureaucracy was more evenly
balanced between Republicans and Feds.
John Marshall & the Supreme Court
(MIDNIGHT JUDGES)
• - Federalist still held power in the Supreme Court after the
election of 1800.
• To ensure that the Federalists’ remained in control John Adams
pushed a law through congress called the Judiciary Act of
1801.
• The Act increased the number of judges to 16 (midnight
judges) and appointed John Marshall, a Federalist, as chief
justice of the Supreme Court.
• Jefferson and the Republican party would work to destroy the
Judiciary Act.
Marbury v. Madison
• - William Marbury, one of the judges that Adams appointed,
never received his official papers for his appointment. James
Madison, who was Jefferson’s Secretary of State, refused to
give Marbury his papers since he believed that the Judiciary
Act was unconstitutional. The issue went to the Supreme
Court and Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that Madison had
the authority to refuse a presidential appointment to the
Supreme Court. Republicans were happy with the result.
Federalists were happy because the Supreme Court’s decision
established the principle of judicial review. Now, the
Supreme Court could declare an act of Congress
unconstitutional.
Hamilton Duels with Burr
• - Hamilton was still a powerful figure in the Federal
Government. Hamilton convinced members of the House of
Reps to vote for Jefferson, not Burr, in the 1800 election. In
1804, Hamilton backed Aaron Burr’s opponent in the New
York political race for governor. Hamilton described Burr as a
‘dangerous man’ and ‘not to be trusted’. Burr was infuriated
and publicly challenged Hamilton to a duel. Though Hamilton
hated dueling he accepted Burr’s challenge. Hamilton fired in
the air but Burr fired and killed Hamilton. The Federalists had
lost their leader and Burr’s political life was ruined.
THE UNITED STATES
EXPAND WEST
• - Americans continued to migrate west of the Appalachian
Mountains. From 1800 to 1810 the population of Ohio grew
from 45,000-231,000. Kentucky, Tennessee, and bordering
territories also grew in population. Pioneers traveled through
the Cumberland Gap (a natural passage through the
Appalachian Mts.) & the Wilderness Road that was created by
Daniel Boone and other settlers.
The Louisiana Purchase
• Jefferson feared that a strong French presence in the middle of
North America would make American citizens favor a treaty
with the British.
• Jefferson sent diplomats to Paris in an attempt to acquire
Florida and New Orleans.
• Napoleon believed there was no reason to keep the Louisiana
territory and sold it to the US for 15 million.
• Jefferson submitted the treaty to the Senate and they approved
it.
• Jefferson believed that Republican ideals would spread to the
new land as more Americans settled in the west.
Lewis & Clark
• In 1803, Jefferson appointed Meriwether Lewis and William
Clark to lead an expedition from St. Louis to the Pacific coast.
• Jefferson wanted Lewis and Clark to conduct scientific
experiments, keep a detailed journal of the experiences, and to
document the native cultures they found.
• Lewis and Clark hired 50 soldiers and woodsmen to go on
expedition with them. Later, Sacajawea would travel with
Lewis and Clark and would serve as an interpreter and guide.
• The expedition took 2 years and 4 months.
• It would open the way for settlement of the west and American
claims to the Oregon Territory in the Northwest Coast.