Age of Jefferson .

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Age of Jefferson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqAt8A0W204




Introduction

On March 4, 1801, Thomas Jefferson walked to the Capitol and took the oath of office as president. His actions reflected his belief that the “pomp and

circumstance” in which Washington and Adams had engaged ill-fitted republican govt.

Despite the partisan bitterness of the election of 1800, Jefferson, in his inaugural address, attempted to conciliate Federalists by emphasizing the principles on which most Americans agreed: federalism and republicanism

Introduction (cont.)

The period of 1801 to 1823 would see major changes: 1.) The Federalist Party would slowly die out 2.) the Republicans would be torn apart by

factionalism 3.) United States would double in size 4.) sectional strife over statehood for MO would

nearly tear that expanded nation apart

The Age of Jefferson, 1801-1805

Jefferson and Jeffersonianism Thomas Jefferson; intellectual, scientist, architect,

inventor, and statesman, was a complex, contradictory, and gifted individual

Author of the DOI’s bold statement about the equality of all men, he, nevertheless, doubted that blacks and whites could live side by side on terms of equality

Despite his opposition to racially mixing black and white blood, his political enemies charged that he himself had fathered the children of his slave Sally Hemings. Recent DNA evidence from Sally’s male heir appears to

support the story

Jefferson and Jeffersonianism (cont.)

Jefferson distrusted power concentrated in the federal govt. a danger to republican liberty

Preferring state govts. he saw as closer and more responsive to the people

Republican liberty could best be retained by a virtuous and vigilant citizenry that put the public good ahead of selfish private interests Educated small farmers Cities and their landless inhabitants were a potential

menace to the republic

Jefferson’s “Revolution”

Jefferson attempted to repeal Federalist measures that he felt were a danger to the simple republic Parts of Alexander Hamilton’s economic program The Alien and Sedition Acts

He reduced taxes and the national debt Primarily by slashing expenditures for the army and

for the diplomatic establishment He felt that he was lifting an economic burden form

hardworking farmers

Jefferson and the Judiciary

Jefferson demanded that Congress repeal the Federalist-sponsored Judiciary Act of 1801 and remove the partisan Federalist judges that President Adams had appointed in his last hours as president

Jefferson had little success with impeachment of Federalist judges Only one conviction and removal from the bench

The majority in Congress viewed impeachment process as an inappropriate way to solve the problem of partisan judges

Jefferson and the Judiciary (cont.)

Jefferson’s drive to keep additional Federalists out of the judiciary led to the Marbury v. Madison (1803)

The Supreme Court said presidents could appoint federal judges

Marbury v. Madison

Complete the Marbury reading and questions. 15 Minutes

Marbury v. Madison

Analyze the cartoon and Jefferson’s opinion of the case 10 minutes

Jefferson and the Judiciary (cont.)

Marshall used the case to significantly strengthen the power of the judicial branch

He claimed that federal courts had the right to review laws passed by Congress Judicial review

For the 1st time, the Supreme Court declared a portion of a law passed by Congress unconstitutional

Jefferson did not oppose the concept of judicial review, but he believed that judges should not use it for partisan purposes

The Louisiana Purchase

Napoleon Bonaparte forced Spain to cede the Louisiana Territory to France

The French action alarmed Jefferson it placed a major European power on the U.S. border It blocked the gradual expansion of the U.S.A.

The Louisiana Purchase (cont.)

The problem became especially pressing in 1802, when Spanish authorities (just before the territory’s transfer to France) denied western farmers use of the port of New Orleans

Jefferson sent James Monroe and Robert R. Livingston to France with a request to buy the city

Napoleon countered with an offer to sell the entire Louisiana Territory for $15 million He was frustrated with uprisings in French Caribbean

colonies


Since the Constitution did not explicitly give the federal govt. the power to acquire new territories and since Jefferson was wedded to strict interpretation, he briefly thought of first seeking an enabling amendment to the Constitution


His political acumen and desire to make land available to small farmers, the “backbone of the nation,” won out Doubles the size of America

He submitted the purchase treaty to the Senate It was quickly ratified

April 30, 1803 officially U.S.A. territory

The Election of 1804

Republicans renominated Jefferson for president

and dropped Aaron Burr in favor of George Clinton for VP

The Federalist Charles C. Pickney and Rufus King

The Election of 1804 (cont.)

The successes of Jefferson’s first term Doubling the size of U.S.A., maintaining

peace, reducing taxes, reducing national debt

Won over many former Federalist voters

Overwhelming Republican victory 162 to 14 electoral votes

The Election of 1804 (cont.)

The Lewis and Clark Expedition

Lewis Meriwether

William Clark

Jefferson requested funding from Congress for an expedition across the continent to explore the new Louisiana Purchase

The Lewis and Clark Expedition (cont.)

They were charged with the difficult task of opening trade relations with unknown numbers of Indian tribes across the plains and northwest

Brought Americans into contact for the first time with the Mandan, Hidatsas, Arikaras, and Sioux tribes

Left St. Louis in 1804


Followed the Missouri, Snake, and Columbia rivers

Crossed the Rockies

Reached the Pacific in 1805

They would not have returned safely if not for the guidance and comfort offered by numerous Indian nations along the trail


The Corps of Discovery returned with a wealth of scientific information (and some misinformation), descriptions, and maps that stimulated interest in the West

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eqGmM6ze2s



The Gathering Storm, 1805-1812

Introduction Jefferson’s second term as

president was beset by problems caused by the breakdown of Republican Party unity and the renewal of the Napoleonic Wars

Challenges on the Home Front

Aaron Burr, Jefferson’s first-term VP, stirred up factionalism within the Republican party

Challenges on the Home Front (cont.)

Jefferson believed that Burr was the chief plotter in a conspiracy to separate the western states from the Union

The president had Burr arrested and tried for treason

At the trial, over which John Marshall presided, the jury found the charges “not proved”

Burr vs. Hamilton

Plotted to sever the Union by forming a pro-British Northern Confederacy

Hamilton had stopped Burr’s grab for presidency in 1800 by supporting Jefferson, and tried to stop Burr a second time when Burr tried to be governor of NY by publishing his “despicable opinion” of Burr Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel and mortally

wounded him in New Jersey

To avoid indictment, he tried to unite with the governor of Louisiana Territory to crate an independent confederacy of Western states

Burr vs. Hamilton

Jefferson had him put to trial for treason

Chief Justice John Marshall presided Couldn’t prove actual treason Was found not guilty

Burr fled to Europe where he tried to interest Napoleon in making peace with Britain as a prelude to the French invading America and Mexico

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLSsswr6z9Y



Challenges on the Home Front (cont.)

Jefferson also was attacked by another faction of Republicans known as the Quids and led by John Randolph

They criticized the president’s handling of the Yazoo (present-day AL and MS) land scandal (GA legislature had sold the land at a fraction of its worth to land companies. The land companies bribed the GA legislatures.) and other actions that they saw as compromising “republican virtue”

The Suppression of American Trade and Impressment

The British and French, at war with each other, forbade American ships from entering each other’s ports and trading with the other side.

Both powers seized U.S. ships

Actions of the British caused greater harm because they had the larger navy and their warships often hovered just off the U.S. coast The British also removed sailors on American ships

and forced (or pressed) them into service in the Royal Navy

The Suppression of American Trade and Impressment (cont.)

When the British warship HMS Leopard attacked the American frigate USS Chesapeake near the VA coast and impressed 4 of its crewman the country was outraged Jefferson still sought to avoid war

The Embargo Act of 1807

Jefferson persuaded Congress to pass an embargo as a means of “peaceable coercion”

He hoped that U.S. refusal to export any goods or to buy any products from abroad would put sufficient economic pressure on GB and France to make them respect U.S. neutral rights

The Embargo Act of 1807 (cont.)

Unfortunately, the cutoff of trade did not hurt them enough to change their actions

It proved disastrous to the U.S. economy Seamen were unemployed; merchants

and farmers who depended on foreign sales were ruined

The impact was hardest on New England

The Embargo Act of 1807 (cont.)

An unintended consequence of the embargo was to encourage the transfer of capital into domestic manufacturing, a development Jefferson had initially opposed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3Ox6vGteek



Age of Jefferson .

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