The Age of Jefferson,
1800-1816
APUSH Lecture 3A
Mrs. Kray
Some slides taken from Susan Pojer and AMSCO review book
The
“Virtuous
Republic”
1.
Govt. gets its authority
from the citizens.
2.
A selfless, educated
citizenry.
3.
Elections should be
frequent.
4.
Govt. should guarantee
individual rights &
freedoms.
5.
Govt.’s power should be
limited [checks &
balances].
6.
The need for a written
Constitution.
7.
“E Pluribus Unum.” [“Out
of many, one”]
8.
An important role for
women  raise good,
virtuous citizens.
[“Republican
Womanhood”].
The “Revolution” of 1800

Election created much animosity &
partisanship

He sought to calm Federalist fears
by keeping some of their policies
◦ Inaugural Address: “We are all Federalists,
we are all Republicans”
◦ Maintained national debt & continued
Hamilton’s debt-repayment plan
◦ Carried on neutrality policies of
Jefferson & Adams.
Republican Simplicity: Implementing
Jefferson’s Policies

Reduced the size of the military (ex. Republican Simplicity)
◦ There had been a military build-up due to Quasi-War
◦ Later forced to increase military size b/c of Barbary Pirates

Eliminated many federal jobs but dismissed few public servants for
political reasons (ex. Republican Simplicity)

Repealed the excise taxes – including whiskey tax
◦ Felt Whiskey Rebellion was free speech

Lowered the national debt

Only selected Republicans to his cabinet
◦ Did not want the internal divisions that divided Washington
THE LOUISIANA
PURCHASE, 1803
Background
on the
Louisiana
Territory

Louisiana was a large and mostly unexplored tract of western land through
which the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers flowed
◦ New Orleans = most valuable property in the territory in terms of commerce

1800: Napoleon Bonaparte had secretly forced Spain to give Louisiana back to
France so he could create a new French Empire

1803: Napoleon lost interest in his plan, why?
◦ Napoleonic Wars in Europe intensified
◦ Haitian rebellion by Toussant l’Overture against French rule resulted in heavy French
losses
U.S. Interest in
Mississippi River

By 1800, our western frontier extended beyond Ohio and
Kentucky into the Indian Territory
◦ This region depended on transporting goods on rivers that flowed
into the Mississippi and southward to New Orleans for their
economic survival

1802: Spain revoked our right of deposit; western settlers
demanded action

Jefferson feared so long as a foreign power controlled New
Orleans, the U.S. risked foreign entanglements
Negotiating the Purchase

Jefferson sent diplomats to France with instructions to
purchase New Orleans and a small strip of land
extending between New Orleans and Florida for $10
million
◦ If negotiations failed, diplomats were to head to Britain and
negotiate and U.S.-British alliance

French ministers offered to sell us the entire Louisiana
Territory for $15 million b/c France desperate for $$$
in war against England

U.S. diplomats accepted, but is it constitutional?
◦ Strict vs. Loose Interpretation
 Jefferson sets aside his beliefs for what he perceived as the greater
good of the nation
Impact of the Louisiana Purchase

Doubled the size of the U.S.

Removed foreign presence from out borders

Guaranteed extension of western frontier
◦ Jefferson hoped acquisition of millions of acres of
land would further his vision for the country as a
nation of citizen farmers

Increased Jefferson’s popularity

Showed the Federalists to be a weak,
sectionalist party b/c they opposed purchase
Lewis and Clark Expedition


Expedition funded by Congress to
explore the trans-Mississippi West
Benefits of the expedition
◦ Greater geographic and scientific
knowledge of the region
◦ Stronger U.S. claims to Oregon
Territory
◦ Better relations with American Indians
◦ More accurate maps and land routes
for fur trappers and future settlers
THE MARSHALL
COURT, 1800-1834
John Marshall

After the Election of 1800 the only
branch of government still in Federalist
control was the judicial branch

Marshall was appointed by John Adams
in the final months of Adams’ presidency
◦ Chief justice for 34 years

His decisions generally strengthened the
central government at the expense of
states rights
◦ Decisions also tended to be pro-business
and favored contracts
Marbury v. Madison, 1803

When Jefferson became president he wanted to
block the Federalist judges appointed by President
John Adams during his final days in office (midnight
judges)
◦ Order his Secretary of State James Madison not to
deliver the commissions to those federal judges

One of Adams’ midnight judges, William Marbury
sued for his commission

First major case decided by Marshall that would
put him in direct conflict with Jefferson
The Principle of Judicial Review

The Marbury v. Madison ruling
◦ Marbury had a right to his commission according to the Judiciary
Act of 1789
◦ However, Marshall said that act had given the Court more power
than the constitution allowed and therefore the law was
unconstitutional so Marbury would not receive his commission

What it all means:
◦ Marshall sacrificed what would have been a small federalist victory
(Marbury’s appointment) for a greater one
◦ The decision created the principle of judicial review; Supreme
Court now had the power to decide whether an act of Congress or
of the president was constitutional
 Supreme Court could now overrule actions of the other two branches of
the federal government
Judicial Impeachments

Partisan federalist judges tried to block Jefferson’s
Republican agenda with their decisions when
possible

Jefferson supported a campaign of impeachment
to remove Federalist judges
◦ One federal district judge found to be mentally
unbalanced; he was impeached & removed
◦ The House also voted to impeach Supreme Court
justice Samuel Chase but he was ultimately
acquitted in the Senate
 Ensured impeachment would not become a political tool

Threat of impeachment caused the judges to be
more cautious and less partisan in their decisions
JEFFERSON’S 2ND TERM
Although Jefferson was incredibly popular and won reelection in 1804 by an overwhelming margin, his 2nd term
was marked by growing difficulties

Jefferson faced opposition from Old
Republicans (“Quids”) who accused
him of abandoning his Republican
principles
The Problem of Aaron
Burr

After Election of 1800 Electoral College fiasco, Burr not
re-nominated in 1804 to be Jefferson’s vice president
◦ He became a problem for the Jefferson Administration

Federalist Conspiracy
◦ Secretly formed a political pact with some radical New
England federalists (Essex Junto)
◦ Planned to win the governorship of New York in 1804
election, then unite the state with the New England states
and secede from the nation
◦ Alexander Hamilton discovered the plan and convinced his
federalist allies not to elect Burr
Burr Kills Hamilton, 1804
Angered by an insulting remark made by
Hamilton, Burr challenged him to a duel
and fatally shot him
 Burr became a political outcast

Burr’s Trial for Treason, 1806

Burr’s scheming turned westward
with a plan to take Mexico from
Spain and possibly unite it with
Louisiana in order to make himself
a king

When Jefferson learned of the
conspiracy he ordered Burr
arrested for treason
◦ John Marshall was the judged who
presided over the trial

Burr was acquitted
◦ b/c Marshall defined the definition of
treason so narrowly Burr’s actions
did not meet his definition
Difficulties Abroad

Jefferson tried to emulate Washington and Adams’
policies of avoiding war, rejecting permanent
alliances, and maintaining neutrality despite
increasing provocations from England and France
during the Napoleonic Wars

Challenges to U.S. Neutrality
◦ French and British blockades led to those countries
frequently seizing the ships of neutral nations and
seizing their cargoes
 b/c Britain’s navy was stronger they were the worst offender
from the U.S. point of view
◦ U.S. also angered by British policy of impressment
Chesapeake-Leopard Affair, 1807

A few miles off the coast of Virginia,
the British warship Leopard,
demanded that the captain of the U.S.
warship Chesapeake hand over 4
sailors that were alleged British
deserters
◦ U.S. captain refused

Leopard opened fire on the
Cheasapeake
◦ 3 killed and 4 impressed

Anti-British feeling ran high and many
Americans demanded war
The
Embargo Act,
1807

Jefferson persuaded Congress to pass this act
as an alternative to war
◦ Prohibited American merchant ships from sailing to
any foreign port
◦ Jefferson hoped it would damage Britain’s economy
b/c we were their largest trading partner
The Impact of the Embargo

The embargo backfired, it brought much greater
economic hardship to the USA than to Britain
◦ New England, the center of U.S. trade hit hard
◦ Many merchants & ship owners were Federalists and
talk of secession emerged

Became a political liability for Jefferson
◦ Federalists did better in elections of 1808
◦ Jefferson repealed embargo days before he left office in
1809 but even after repeal U.S. prevented from trading
with Britain and France

The only good thing was the embargo forced our
infant industries to develop more quickly
THE PRESIDENCY OF
JAMES MADISON
The Election of
1808

Jefferson honors two-term tradition started by
Washington
◦ Supports his protégé, Madison

Madison wins the presidency but Federalists
gain seats in Congress due to unhappiness
w/embargo
Commercial Warfare

Madison’s presidency was dominated by same European
problems that plagued Jefferson in his 2nd term.
◦ Like Jefferson he tried to use a combination of diplomacy and
economic pressure to deal with the Napoleonic Wars
◦ Nonintercourse Act of 1809
 Americans could trade with all nation’s except France and England
◦ Macon’s Bill No. 2 (1810)
 U.S. economy still suffering under Nonintercourse Act. Congress proposed a
bill that would restore trade with either Britain or France in exchange for
their promise to respect U.S. neutral rights at sea and the U.S. would prohibit
trade with that country’s enemy
◦ Napoleon’s Deception
 He announces plan to revoke the decrees that violated U.S. neutrality and
Madison implemented Macon’s Bill, thus prohibiting trade with Britain
 French continued to seize American ships
THE WAR OF 1812
Causes of the War of 1812:

Violation of U.S. neutrality
◦ Needed free trade for our survival
◦ Impressments

Trouble w/Britain on our western frontier

Other Factors:
◦ General sympathy for France
◦ Desire for territorial expansion
A Closer Look at
Neutrality Issue: The
U.S. Desire for Free
Seas and Trade

U.S. depended upon the free flow of shipping across the Atlantic
for our economic survival and prosperity
◦ British and French blockades led to frequent violations of a neutral
rights as sea

From U.S. perspective British violations were worse
◦ Their navy was strong
◦ British practice of impressment was especially upsetting to
Americans
A Closer Look at Frontier Pressures

Americans desire for expansion
◦ Westerners longed for the lands of British
Canada and Spanish Florida
◦ Standing in the way were the British and their
Indian and Spanish allies

Conflicts with American Indians
◦ This was an ongoing problem for westerners
◦ 1811: Shawnee brothers Tecumseh and
Prophet attempted to unite the tribes east
of the Mississippi River in a new Indian
Confederacy
 The Indiana Governor William Henry Harrison
defeated Tecumseh at the Battle of Tippecanoe
Engraving of British General Brock
meeting with Tecumseh
◦ Rumors swirled that the British were
supplying Tecumseh and Prophet with
weapons and encouraging them to rebel
Cause: Election of the War Hawks

Midterm Election of 1810 brought a
group of new, young DemocraticRepublicans to Congress, many of
whom were from frontier states
◦ Known as the war hawks for their
eagerness for war with Britain
◦ Argued that war with Britain was the only
way to defend American honor, gain
Canada, and destroy American Indian
resistance on the frontier

Quickly gained significant influence in
the House of Representatives
British delays in
meeting U.S.
demands over
neutral rights
Political
pressures from
the war hawk
Congress
Finally persuaded Madison to seek a
declaration of war but nation was
divided
Irony: Neither country really
wanted war

Madison was
re-elected

But election
showed
there was
division in
the country
over the war
NE
Merchants
• Suffered
significant loss in
trade
• Protestant
background
made them
more
sympathetic to
Brits than
Catholic French
Federalists
• Opposed on
principle
• Viewed war as
Republican
scheme to grab
land (Canada &
Florida) to
increase their
voting strength
“Quids”
• Felt war
violated classic
Republican
commitment
to limited
federal power
and to
maintenance
of peace

British advantage:
overwhelming military
superiority

Strategy: Hope
Napoleon wars
continue
◦ British military would be
divided & pre-occupied
so they won’t be focused
on war with us

Invade Canada

Complete failure. Other invasion efforts
also failed.

By 1813, British
navy was less
preoccupied
w/Napoleon and
began effectively
counterattacking
our privateers
Capt. Oliver Hazard Perry was victorious and gained control of
Lake Erie. We had also gained control of Lake Ontario.

Gen. Andrew Jackson
defeated the Creek
Indians



1814 Napoleon was defeated.
British could focus full attention on U.S.
August 24, 1814 British troops entered
Washington D.C. and burned the White House
Francis Scott Key
wrote the Star
Spangled Banner
“Oh Say Can You See, By the
Dawn’s Early Light. . .”

Radical Federalists in New England were strongly opposed to
the war and to the Democratic-Republican government in
Washington
◦ Urged that the constitution be amended and as a last resort,
secession be discussed
 The convention was held to discuss those issues

At the convention more moderate Federalists rejected calls for
secession but did make a number of proposals to limit the
growing power of Democratic-Republicans in the West and
South as well as a proposal that a 2/3 vote of both houses be
required for any future declaration of war


Gen. Andrew Jackson led us to victory
Fought 2 wks AFTER peace treaty was
signed
 Returned
all
conquered territory to
prewar claimants
◦ Recognized pre-war
boundary between Canada
& U.S.
◦ We’re winners b/c we didn’t
lose any territory!!!
 Terms
very favorable
to U.S. why?
◦ British tired of war

Gained respect of other nations  had survived 2 wars with England

Accepted Canada was part of British Empire

Ended the Federalist party as a national force and even saw its popularity decline
in New England
◦ Talk of secession was denounced but the precedent regarding secession and nullification that
New England had set would later be used by the South

Americans Indians were forced to surrender land to white settlers
◦ Abandoned by the British

British blockade had helped promote American economic self-sufficiency
◦ We had been forced to build our own factories

War heroes like Andrew Jackson and William Henry Harrison emerged as a new
generation of political leaders

Feelings of nationalism grew stronger as did the belief that the future for
America lay to the West away from Europe