The Jefferson Era
Election of 1800
The death of George Washington in
December of 1799 would bring a
temporary halt to the political fighting that
had plagued the Adams Presidency.
But the Election of 1800 would feature an
all out battle for the Presidency between
Democratic-Republicans who supported
Vice-President Thomas Jefferson and
Federalist who wanted to re-elect
President John Adams
Jefferson won the election!
One Federalist newspaper
said “the soil will be soaked
with blood” if Jefferson was
elected president
Only the Republican voters in the Electoral College
made a mistake. Both Republican candidates tied
with 73 votes. Adams received just 65
Aaron Burr
73
Thomas Jefferson
73
if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed;
and if there be more than one who have such Majority, and have an equal
Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately
choose by Ballot one of them for President; the Votes shall be taken by
States, the Representation from each State having one Vote and a Majority
of all the States shall be necessary to a Choice.
HOW DO SOLVE THISPROBLEM?
House of Representatives had to vote to
decide the winner.
• - Federalists vote for Burr causing deadlock
• - Hamilton, although he was against Jefferson,
favored Jefferson over Aaron Burr. Hamilton thought
Burr was dangerous and convinced Federalist to vote
for Jefferson saying, “The public good must be (more
important than) private (feelings)
• Jefferson became the 3rd President of the US,
Burr would serve as V.P.
Thomas Jefferson as President
• Policy
– “We are all Federalists, we are all Republicans”
• Keeps many Federalists in federal offices, appoints
New Englanders to Cabinet positions
– Economics:
• Cancels Taxes on farms – makes western farmers
happy
• Maintains National Bank
• Cuts spending to decrease debt
– Cuts Navy spending down to a “Mosquito Fleet”
– Increases revenue through western land sales
Jefferson’s Talents
• He was a talented architect. He
designed and built his home in
Virginia Monticello. Also
influenced design and
architecture in Washington DC.
• Wrote his own version of the
Bible in which he took out all of
the supernatural things and
focused on its message.
• His large book collection
started the Library of Congress
when he donated it.
John Marshall and the Supreme Court
• Before John Adams left
office, he appointed John
Marshall as the Chief
Justice of the Supreme
Court. He would hold the
position for the next 34
years.
• He would shape the
Supreme Court into the
most powerful court in the
nation and preside over
1,000 court cases.
Marbury v. Madison
• One of the most important
early Supreme Court cases
that Marshall decided was
Marbury v. Madison
• For the first time ever, the
Supreme Court ruled a law
passed by Congress and
signed by John Adams was
Unconstitutional. Meaning the
law violated the Constitution.
Part of Marshall’s ruling engraved into
the Supreme Court Building
This helped establish Judicial Review which
means the courts do have the power to review
laws and decide if they are Constitutional.
Louisiana Purchase
• Napoleon Bonaparte was the
military leader (later emperor) of
France.
• He forced Spain to sign the treaty
of San Ildefonso in 1800 which
returned Louisiana to France
• In 1803 to raise money his war
against England and to fight a
rebellion in Haiti, Napoleon sold
the Louisiana territory to
President Thomas Jefferson and
the United states for $15 Million
dollars.
The Louisiana Purchase doubled the
size of the United States!
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMh8
RCqJf9U
Lewis and Clark
• After purchasing the Louisiana territory
Jefferson assigned Meriwether Lewis, a
Captain in the U.S. Army, to explore
the new American Territory.
• Lewis and Jefferson planned the
expedition together.
• Lewis selected his friend William Clark
to go with him and help lead the
expedition which soon became known
as the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
The Corps of Discovery
• The Lewis and Clark expedition began in
1804.
• Lewis and Clark assembled a team to travel
with them which they called the “Corps of
Discovery”
• The purpose of the expedition was to
explore the new territory.
• This was the first expedition that crossed the
United States all the way to the Pacific
Ocean.
Captain Meriwether Lewis
• Meriwether Lewis was born
in 1774.
• He joined the army at 20
years old.
• He was made President
Jefferson’s personal
secretary in 1801.
• Jefferson asked Lewis to
lead and the Corps of
Discovery.
• Lewis was the scientist on
the journey, keeping
detailed records of the
plants and animals they
found.
William Clark
• William Clark was born in
1770 and at 19 joined the
military.
• Clark met Meriwether
Lewis when they were
both in the army.
• Lewis asked Clark to help
him lead the expedition
across the country.
• Clark was the geographer
on the trip, keeping a
detailed diary including
many drawings and maps.
• Sacagawea was a Native
American woman and
was only 12 when she
was kidnapped and sold
into slavery and about
16 when she “married”
Charbonneau.
• She would serve as
interpreter on the
journey.
• Sacagawea had a son
during the expedition.
• Sacagawea’s image was
made into a dollar coin
in 1997.
Sacagawea
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau
• Jean Baptiste
Charbonneau was the son
of Toussaint
Charbonneau and
Sacagawea.
• He became the youngest
explorer on the Corps of
Discovery.
• Clark nicknamed him
“Pomp.”
• York was Clark’s childhood
companion and his “manservant”,
which meant he was a slave. We
know he was big. We know he was
very athletic and a great dancer.
He was devoted to William Clark.
He was a great help to the
expedition because he was such a
curiosity.
• Indians had never seen a black
man before. This painting depicts
and actual event where a chief
tried to rub the black off of
York’s skin.
• York was finally set free ten years
after the expedition ended.
York
The Corps of Discovery
Ocean in View! O’ the Joy!
• It took the expedition a year and a half to go from
St. Louis, Missouri to the mouth of the Columbia
River in modern-day Washington State and another
10 months to return to St. Louis.
• The total journey lasted just over two years!
• They were the first Americans to cross the
continent!
The Explorer Zebulon
Pike was charged with
finding the sources of the
Arkansas and Red Rivers,
and brought back valuable
descriptions of the Great
Plains and the Río Grande
River Valley. He described
the Great Plains as a
desert, which led many
Americans to believe that
it was uninhabitable.
Impact of Western
exploration from 1804-1807
• Accurate maps
• Growth of the fur trade
• Belief that the U.S. should extend to the Pacific
Ocean and a mistaken view of the Great Plains