Transcript Unit Eight: The Jeffersonian Era

Unit Eight: The Jeffersonian
Era
Jeffersonian Democracy
1800 – 1804
Election of 1800
• The Election of 1800 showed that power in
a democracy could switch hands between
two opposing factions and not end up in
war.
• In 1800 Thomas Jefferson (President) and
Aaron Burr (V.P.) entered the white house
as the first Democratic/Republicans to
hold the Presidency.
• Thomas Jefferson at the beginning of his
first term stated that he was starting the
Revolution of 1800.
Jefferson’s Agenda
• The Revolution of 1800 was Jefferson’s wish to
undo most of the policies of the Federalists party
returning the power of government back to the
local powers (states), limiting the powers of the
Federal Government, and the belief in
agrarianism called Jeffersonian Democracy.
• Jefferson’s agenda was four fold:
– 1.) Reduce Taxes (especially excise taxes)
– 2.) Reduce the size of the Federal
Bureaucracy (people employed by the gov.)
– 3.) Reduce the size of the army
– 4.) Repeal the Alien and Sedition Acts.
Jefferson’s Plan in Motion
• Jefferson started his dismantling of the
power of the Federal government through
the U.S. Supreme Court.
• The Demo/Rep Congress passed into law
the Judiciary Act of 1801 which reduced
the size of the Supreme Court, added
three more circuit courts, and 13 district
courts.
• This was to decentralize judicial
proceedings and to weaken the Federalist
Party.
The Plan Backfires
• The only problem with the new legislation was
that John Adams got to appoint all the new
judges and the Chief Supreme Court Justice
before leaving office.
• John Adams moved quickly to appoint all the
new judges (called the midnight judges), and to
appoint John Marshall as the Chief Justice
(close friend and Federalist).
• As soon as Jefferson took office, all the
appointments that were not given out were
thrown away so Jefferson could appoint them.
Marbury Vs. Madison
• William Marbury after not receiving his appoint to
the Federal seat of the District of Columbia sued
Secretary of State James Madison in the
Supreme Court asking for a writ of mandamus
(an order to force him to deliver the letter)
starting the case called Marbury vs. Madison.
• In his ruling John Marshall stated that the
Supreme court could not rule over the case
because it was a court of appeals (only sees
cases after they have be tried in a lower court)
not a court of original jurisdiction (can hear a
case for the first time.
Marbury Vs. Madison
• Marbury vs. Madison laid the principle of
Judicial Review (which allows the
Supreme Court to judge if laws are
constitutional or not, not innocence or
guilt).
• This allowed the Supreme
Court to be the final say and
“protector” of people’s rights
against governmental tyranny,
and to be free from political
coercion.
John Marshall
The Impeachment of a Justice
• During the first years of Jefferson’s
administration he and his party brought
many judges up for impeachment (the
process of trying a government official for
wrong doing while in office). [Does not
mean to kick them out of office]
• One of the most famous was Justice
Samuel Chase who was tried for attacking
people’s civil liberties, but was acquitted
(found innocent) of all charges.
Other Jeffersonian Ideals
• The American farmer is the best example of civic
virtue, far from political corruption.
• America is an empire of liberty, and should
uphold this in the world.
• Separation of church and state so each do not
influence the other.
• Freedom of speech and press, so the people
can be heard.
• Standing armies during times of peace can be
used against the people by the government.
• Constitution should be strictly followed and not
read into.
Foreign Affairs
• The first issue abroad that Jefferson had to deal
with was attacks on American merchant shipping
in the Mediterranean Sea.
• A group of North African states (Morocco,
Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli) joined together and
formed a group known as the Barbary Pirates
attacking, raiding, and seizing commerce ships
as they sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar
(gateway to the Mediterranean Sea)
• The Pirates forced the foreign nations to pay a
tribute (an annual payment made to not attack),
or a ransom (money paid to get something back)
to sail in the Sea or to receive there cargo and
crew back.
To the Shores of Tripoli
• Jefferson refused to payoff the Pasha (ruler) of
Tripoli and instead sent the U.S. Navy to defend
commerce vessels in the area.
• Commodore Edward Preble led a naval war on
the Pirates while army officer William Eaton led
a land assault against the capital of Tripoli.
• The most daring mission was when the U.S.
Marines led by Stephan Decatur snuck into the
port of Tripoli and burned the captured American
vessel the U.S.S. Philadelphia.
• The Barbary Wars finally ended in 1815 after
many years of American blockades forcing the
Barbary States to signs peace treaties to respect
American naval presence in the area.
Barbary Wars
Foreign Affairs
• The major foreign affairs issue
of the time was the French
general Napoleon Bonaparte
becoming ruler of France and
his dream to create a vast
French Empire not only in
Europe, but also in the New
World.
• In 1800 Napoleon signed the Treaty of
San Ildefonso forcing Spain to cede (to
give up) the Louisiana Territory and West
Florida to France.
Problems with New Orleans
• Even though France held ownership of New
Orleans the Spanish were allowed to govern
over it.
• The Spanish refused to allow American
Farmers to use the port, causing the Western
farmers almost to raise a militia and attack
New Orleans.
• To keep America out of war, Jefferson sent
James Monroe to Paris to aid Robert R.
Livingston in the purchase of New Orleans and
West Florida for 10 million dollars. ( this action
was completely unauthorized by the
Constitution)
Haiti!
• The French government at first rejected the
offer of the American diplomats, until
Napoleon’s dreams in the New World were
stopped by a small island in the Caribbean.
• The colony of Santo Domingo (Haiti) was
taken over by a slave revolt led by Toussaint
L’Ouverture, which was the key to Napoleon’s
New World Empire.
• The Haitian revolt and the start of a new war
in Europe made Napoleon disparate for cash.
The Louisiana Purchase
• Napoleon authorized the sell of the entire
Louisiana Territory to the United States for
15 million dollars gaining 828,000 squares
miles of western land.
• The Louisiana Purchase alone double the
size of the new nation.
• The Louisiana Purchase though put
America in direct conflict over the
boundary of the new area with Spain
(Southwest) and Britain (Canada and
Oregon Country).
The Louisiana Purchase
Domestic Issues
• Jefferson had to deal with two major
domestic issues that developed in New
England and in the newly acquired
Louisiana Purchase.
• In New England a group of Federalists
known as the Essex Junto led by Timothy
Pickering wanted to secede (withdraw)
from the nation, but needed the assistance
of Aaron Burr and New York.
• After Burr lost the election for governor of
New York the plan was called off.
Domestic Issues
• One of the major reasons Burr lost the election
was because of the remarks against him made
by Alexander Hamilton.
• Aaron Burr feeling disrespected challenged
Hamilton to a duel (gun fight), shooting and
killing him.
• After this Burr moved out west where once again
he was involved in a plot to secede the
Louisiana Territory from the nation led by
General James Wilkinson.
• Burr was tried for treason (a crime against the
whole nation), but was found innocent because
of a lack of witnesses who would testify against
him.
The Duel
Election of 1804
• In 1804, Jefferson and George Clinton ran
against the Federalist candidates Charles
C. Pinckney and Rufus King easily
defeating them winning a second term.
• The Democratic/Republicans also took
many seats in the House and Senate.
• Thomas Jefferson’s election to a second
term showed a decline in the Federalist
party and the overwhelming support of the
people for Thomas Jefferson and his
actions.