Republicanism:
Jefferson and Madison
Chapter 3
The Election of 1800
 Federalists- Adams and Charles
Pinckney
 Republicans- Jefferson and Burr
 Outcome of the election
 Very close but Jefferson and Burr won
 For the first time in U.S. history one
political party relinquished power to
the opposition.
Packing of the Judiciary
 “lame duck” Congress passed the
Judiciary Act of 1801 which ensured
Federalist control of the judicial system.
 Republicans will repeal Judiciary Act of 1801 in
1802
 Adams appointed John Marshall to be
Chief Justice and other “midnight
appointments”
 Marbury v. Madison (1803)
 Establishes the Supreme Court’s power to
declare a federal law invalid on the grounds that
it violated the Constitution (judicial review)
The New Capital City
 Jefferson is inaugurated in the new
capital of Washington, D.C.
Jefferson in Power
 Republican goals
 Began to pay off the national debt
 Repealed the whiskey tax & all other internal taxes
 Wise and frugal government needed
 Reduce the size of government
 Cut back military expenses
– Shifted defense from a standing army to militia
– Greatly reduced navy
 Outlawed the foreign slave trade on January 1, 1808
 Illegal slave trade continued
Jefferson in Power
Jefferson’s first term was very successful in
both domestic and foreign affairs.
Failure to abolish Hamilton’s programs
Continued the assumption of debt
Retained the tariff as a source of revenue
Expanded the operation of the National Bank
Reduced the national debt from $83 million to $57
million
Practical politics triumphed over agrarian
economics.
Louisiana Purchase (1803)
Louisiana Purchase (1803)
 Spain owned the Louisiana territory since
the French were defeated by the English in
the Seven Years’ War.
 Soon after taking power in 1799, Napoleon
had forced the Spanish to return the territory
in hopes of creating a North American
empire.
 This alarmed the United States because
French control of the Mississippi River
would force the U.S. to ally with England, a
prospect that Jefferson did not like.
Louisiana Purchase (1803)
 Jefferson sent Robert Livingston to talk the
French out of taking over Louisiana and to
attempt to buy New Orleans for $10 million.
 After a slave revolt in Santo Domingo
(Haiti), Napoleon gave up his ideas for the
North America and focused on his war with
England—He asked the U.S. if they would
like to buy Louisiana
 The French offered to sell all of Louisiana
for roughly $15 million.
Constitutional Dilemma
for Jefferson
 Nowhere in the Constitution did it mention the
purchase of territory.
 Jefferson and the Republicans had argued for a strict
construction of the Constitution, which meant that he
not have the power to purchase territory.
 Jefferson reversed and argued that the power
to purchase territory resided in the power to
make treaties (loose construction).
 New England Federalists, fearing new states that
probably be Republican, argued for strict construction.
 Jefferson was pragmatic.
 Thus, each side reversed their position to suit their
rather than principles.
Louisiana Purchase (1803)
The Treaty
 The greatest single achievement of the
Jefferson administration and arguably one of
the greatest achievements of any
administration.
 Treaty of cession dated April 30, 1803, still
needed to be ratified by Senate
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Ratified by Senate in October, 1803.
U.S. paid France $15 million
More than doubled the territory of the United States.
Boundaries were vague.
 Formal Transfer
 French takes control from Spain on Nov. 20, 1803
 U.S. takes control from France on December 20, 1803
Jefferson and
Western Expansion
 Jefferson wanted to map the transMississippi wilderness, collect scientific
information, and promote the fur trade
 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
 Exploration of the West 1804-1806
 Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in
with an expedition of 50 men. They were later joined
French guide and his Shoshone wife, Sacajawea.
 Over a period of two years they traveled from St.
Oregon and back.
 Their reports of friendly Indians and abundant pelts
attracted traders and trappers to the region and also
United States a claim to the Oregon country by right of
discovery and exploration.
The Federalists and
Aaron Burr
 The vast new territory in the West would reduce
the New England Federalists to political
insignificance
 The Federalists decided to secede by linking
New York to their plan.
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Asked Vice President Aaron Burr to run for governor in 1804, but
he lost.
Alexander Hamilton opposed the conspiracy and labeled Burr a
“dangerous man.”
This led to a duel in 1804 in which Burr killed Hamilton after he
refused to fire at his opponent
 Burr was indicted for murder in New York and
New Jersey. He briefly fled to Spanish Florida
before returning to preside over the Senate.
The Burr Conspiracy
It is believed that Burr was trying to
organize a secession of Louisiana and set
up an independent republic.
Burr was arrested while trying to recruit
adventurers in the South and brought to
Richmond, Virginia for a trial for treason.
The trial soon became a battle between
Federalist Chief Justice John Marshall and
Jefferson.
Burr was found not guilty because of lack of
evidence, fled to France, returned in 1812 to
practice law in New York and died at age 80.
War of 1812
 France and England were at war
 Napoleon and the French had control of mainland
Europe, England had control of the seas.
 England adopted the Orders of Council
 Allowed them to inspect and seize neutral (U.S.)
ships at sea.
 Napoleon responded with the Continental
System
 Allowed him to seize neutral (U.S.) ships when they
reached port.
 If American ships complied with the
demands of one side, they were subject to
War of 1812
 Jefferson responded with the Embargo
Act (1807), ending all exports & imports
 In an effort to avoid war, the U.S. would not
trade with anyone.
 The embargo failed because the
American public was not willing to make
the required sacrifices and easily
violated the embargo.
 It was a political disaster for Jefferson
and he repealed it shortly before leaving
office.
War of 1812
Secretary of State James Madison was elected
president in 1808
Non-Intercourse Act, reopened trade with all
countries except France and England. It was as
ineffective as the embargo.
Macon’s Bill Number 2
In 1810, Congress reopened trade with England and
France with the condition that if either dropped its
restrictions, the U.S. would stop trading with the
other.
France agreed to lift its restrictions, with the
condition that the withdrawal would go into effect
when England did the same thing.
War of 1812
The Decision for War
England gave up and revoked the Orders of
Council on June 16, 1812.
Unaware of the British repeal, the U.S. declared
war on England on June 18, 1812.
Causes
Farmers fearful of inability to ship goods (neutral
shipping rights)
Indian unrest blamed on British
Lust for land (Canada)
National honor (War Hawks)
U.S. Was Not Prepared for War
Financially
trade had collapsed and tariff revenues declined
loans were needed for 2/3 of the war costs but were
hard to get because Congress had let the charter for
the Bank of the United States expire and northeastern
opponents of the war were reluctant to lend money
Militarily
Republican budgetary constraints prevented
preparations.
The army only numbered 6,700 men who were illtrained, poorly equipped, and led by aging officers.
The navy was well equipped and well trained but
numbered only 16 ships.
Mr. Madison’s War
Madison hoped to make a quick strike into
Canada.
He believed that it could easily be gained and that the
loss would impel Britain to negotiate honorable terms
on other issues. The key to the success of taking
Canada—speedy execution.
Failure to seize Canada
Small size of government
Difficulties in maintaining and mobilizing troops
Divided Congress (Mr. Madison’s War)
The repeal of the Orders in Council by the British
government in 1812. Republicans had difficulty in
redefining the purposes of the war.
The British Invasion
Burning of
Washington (1814)
British burned the
Executive Mansion, the
Capitol, and all other
government buildings
except the Patent Office.
Siege on Baltimore
4th largest U.S. city
Francis Scott Key
“Star Spangled Banner”
The Battle of New Orleans
January 8, 1815
 After the unsuccessful attack
on Baltimore the British decide
to capture New Orleans and
control the Mississippi River
 Andrew Jackson
 Andrew Jackson arrives in New
Orleans a month before the British
and begins preparations
 Jackson’s frontier militiamen, Creole
aristocrats, free blacks, and pirates
defeated the superior British
invading force in a series of battles.
 British – 2,000 casualties
 U.S.—77 casualties out of which
only 6 deaths
The Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans occurred
after a treaty had been signed but
before it had been ratified. If the British
had won, they could have refused to
ratify the treaty.
War of 1812
 Treaty of Ghent (Dec. 24, 1814)
 Fighting was ended
 Previous boundaries
 Domestic Changes
 Death of Federalist Party
 Hartford Convention-- list of demands to limit
Republic influence in government; threat of
secession
 Republicans were “Federalized”
 Madison advocated a national bank, high tariffs, a
peacetime military, and money for internal improvements.
War of 1812:
Domestic Changes (cont.)
Intense patriotic feelings
Public felt victorious because of victory in
New Orleans
A new confidence in their country’s
destiny.
U.S. won economic
independence as
American manufacturing was
encouraged because of the
interruption of trade.