The Age of Jefferson
The Jefferson
Presidency
Revolution
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The New President’s Personality
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walked to inauguration
ineffective public speaker
modern “Renaissance” man
Public Education
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Limited success during Jefferson administration
women and minorities not given access to
education
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“Republican Mother”
Revolution Cont’d
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Cultural Independence
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Noah Webster
Washington Irving – Stories about American life
in New World
Religion
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Skeptical Thinkers
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Enlightenment
deism and universalism
Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin
Revolution Cont’d
Religion Cont’d
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Second Great Awakening
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Methodists + Presbyterians
South
grace attained through good deeds
Improvements in Technology
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Jefferson believed in agrarian society, but also a scientist
understood technology was changing society
Industrial Revolution in England slowly came to United
States
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Modern factories
Water powered factories
Revolution Cont’d
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Improvements in Technology Cont’d
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Cotton Gin
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With invention “short-staple”, with big seeds, could
now be mass produced inland
Steamboats
Turnpikes
Marbury vs. Madison 1803
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Reducing Federal Powers
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Federalists moved to increase federal powers
Republicans attempted to reduce/forestall
Jefferson moved to repeal the Judiciary Act of
1801 / “midnight appointments”
Marbury was a midnight appointment who
never got his letter,
Madison, refused to send it
Marbury vs. Madison 1803
Cont’d
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Reduce your power to gain more power
Federalists had long maintained that the Supreme
Court had the authority to nullify acts of Congress
Original Judiciary Act of 1789 gave Supreme Court
authority to order executive officials to such matters
as the delivery of letters
Court rules that this act is Unconstitutional
Rules that Madison does not have to send the letter
(but Marbury has a right to his post)
John Marshall was chief Justice
establishes precedent that Supreme Court can
overturn an act of Congress
Louisiana Purchase
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Napoleon Eyes America
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French land was lost east of the Mississippi in
1763
Secret treaty of San Ildefonso give New Orleans
back to French
of New Orleans refuses to allow American ships
Louisiana Purchase Cont’d
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External Factors
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Tousssaint L’Ouverture
Jefferson pledges support to French
yellow fever wipes of French forces in New
World
In Spring, Napoleon had to deal with a renewed
war in Europe
Thomas Jefferson's plan in 1805 to build on the Louisiana Purchase
by buying West Florida from Spain is lampooned in this cartoon.
Induced by the sting of the hornet Napoleon, Jefferson vomits gold
coins before a dancing Spanish representative holding maps of
East and West Florida and carrying French Minister CharlesMaurice de Talleyrand's instructions in his pocket. West Florida
was captured by the United States during the War of 1812, and
East Florida was acquired by treaty in 1819 during James
Monroe's administration
Louisiana Purchase Cont’d
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Sold!
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Jefferson hints might form an alliance with the
British
Jefferson offers to buy New Orleans
$15 million
Pleased and Embarrassed
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unsure that the United States had authority to
accept it
Constitution specified treaty-making power
Burr Conspiracy
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Changing party
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Burr almost cost Jefferson the Presidency in
1800
Jefferson held a grudge and Burr was outcast
Federalist North wants to secede from the Union
Hamilton disagrees
Federalists turn to Burr to run for governor of
New York
Burr looses election, blames Hamilton
Burr Conspiracy Cont’d
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Burr challenges Hamilton to a duel
Hamilton is mortally wounded and dies the next day
forced to leave NY to avoid an indictment for
murder
moved West
friends with Wilkinson
desire to capture Mexico
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Wilkinson turns against Burr
Jefferson orders Burr arrested for treason
Burr Conspiracy Cont’d
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Trial
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Jefferson manages the govt’s case from
Washington
Chief Justice Marshall defined the charge
Burr freed, political reputation destroyed
Symbolic
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weak national govt. in a growing empire
ambitious leaders could circumvent normal
channels in their search for power
stability questioned
Caught up in it
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Neutral rights
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Napoleonic Wars between England and France caused
both sides to pass policies prohibiting other nations to
trade with the enemy
American ships were constantly raided
British considered worst offender
Impressment
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British navy
GB passed a law allowing to reclaim navy deserters
British soldiers often did not differentiate between British
escapees and American merchants
Chesapeake-Leopard incident
Caught up in it
Cont’d
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Embargo
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Jefferson-authored legislation passed by Congress
prohibited American ships from leaving the United States
for any foreign port
widely evaded, but still caused a depression
Madison wins 1808 election
Trade Chess
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Madison puts pressure on Britain and France to repeal
laws by offering to assist the other if neither relent
Non-Intercourse Act + Macon’s Bill No.2
France first to withdrawal, Britain is penalized
limited embargo hurts Britain enough to withdraw
blockade, but too late
The Age of Jefferson
War of 1812
General Henry Harrison
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committed advocate of Western expansion
Helped pass Harrison Land Law
Jefferson nominates him governor of
Indiana territory to administer solution to the
“Indian Problem” which offered a choice
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become a part of white society
move west of Mississippi
either way, they had to give up their claims
General Henry Harrison Cont’d
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Plan did not seem kind to Natives
used trickery, threats, bribes, etc.
by 1807 US had extracted lands in E.
Michigan, S. Indiana, most of Illinois in the
North and lands in Georgia, Tennessee,
and Mississippi from Natives
Britain had long been allies with Native
tribes
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fur trade
potential military allies
Battle of Fallen Timbers
renewed after Chesapeake-Leopard
incident
Tecumseh and the Prophet
(Tenskawatawa)
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The Prophet
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recovering alcoholic
spoke of visions and corruption of the white
world
inspired a religious revival and mobilization
his home at Tippecanoe Creek became a
sacred place to Native Tribes to visit and
discuss spiritual as well as political unification
Tecumseh and the Prophet
(Tenskawatawa) Cont’d
Tecumseh
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The Prophet’s brother, chief of the Shawnees
understood that only through united action could the tribes
hope to resist the advance of white civilization
refused to sign the Treaty of Greenville
believed that Harrison and manipulating whites had no
title to land
set out to unite all Indians of the Mississippi North and
South (Great Lakes to Gulf of Mexico)
With Tecumseh gone, Harrison struck at Tippecanoe
(1811) and burned the village
Natives still hungry for battle and would be supplied by
British
Fever against Europe and Neighbors
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From Spain
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Florida, and parts of Alabama, Mississippi, and
Louisiana
Slaves escape
Indian raids
Access to the Gulf of Mexico
American Encroachment
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1810 American settlers seized Baton Rouge
Madison annexes the territory Florida became
another reason to battle England
Fever against Europe and Neighbors
Cont’d
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Rise of War Hawks
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Election of 1810
Pro-War, Pro-Expansion representatives /
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Henry Clay (Kentucky)
John Calhoun (South Carolina)
Madison hoped for peace, but losing control of
Congress
War
Napoleon
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British troops spread thin
not eager for another war abroad
USA war declaration ignored at first
Early Battles w. Tribes
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Canada
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USA surrender at Detroit
USA surrender at Fort Dearborn
At Sea
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success at first
burning British boats in the British Isle
post Napoleon blockade
War Cont’d
Great Lakes successes
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Lake Ontario
Lake Erie
Thames
Tecumseh dies
Brigadier General in British army
Southwest
Creek Indians
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supplied by Spanish
Tecumseh students
Lead raids on white settlers
War Cont’d
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Andrew Jackson
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wealthy Tennessee planter
general of state militia
abandon plans to invade Florida to attack Creeks
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
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slaughtering of men, women and children
Creeks cede most of its land to the United States
Jackson nominated major general in United
States Army
War Cont’d
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British Invasion
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Central Coast
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after surrender of Napoleon in 1814, England prepared to
invade USA
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Landed in Chesapeake Bay and disperse a poorly trained
army of American militiamen
British advance to Washington, and burn it!
Madison has to flee
Retaliation for US burning Canadian capital at York (Toronto)
British stopped at Fort McHenry
Star Spangled Banner (Francis Scott Key)
War Cont’d
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British Invasion Cont’d
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North
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US forces repel a large British naval and land attack at
Plattsburgh
South
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New Orleans
Jackson’s troops consisted of Tennesseans, Kentuckians,
Creoles, blacks, pirates and regular army troops
US Behind fortifications
British leave 700 dead / 1,400 wounded
US leaves 8 killed, 13 wounded
Peace treaty signed weeks before Battle of New Orleans
The End of the Federalists
Anger towards early battle failures
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unpopular sentiment towards war as it dragged on
in NE, unpopularity was also directed towards
Republicans
talk of secession
Hartford, Connecticut
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small majority against secession
approve seven amendment proposals to US Constitution
The “death blow”
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Jackson’s victory
Negotiated peace with England
Federalists viewed as cowardly losers
The Peace Settlement
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Ghent, Belgium
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Americans abandon request for British to end
impressment
British abandon request for Indian buffer state in North
West
English and United States
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contributed to long-term improvement in Anglo-American
relations other treaties would follow that would
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give Americans right to trade freely with England and much
British empire
Mutual disarmament in Great Lakes (Rush – Bagot Treaty)
Eventually, Canadian-American boundary would become the
longest “unguarded frontier” in the world
The Peace Settlement
Cont’d
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Native Americans and The United States
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Treaty required United States to restore lands
seized by white Americans in the fighting, but
those provisions were never enforced
Tecumseh, dead
British gone
Native alliance, gone