Transcript The Presidencies of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson

Starter
Get a blue EOC review book from the
shelf
READ “Political Freedoms Prior to
1820” beginning on page 31. Take
notes being sure to write down any
bolded vocabulary words.
Answer questions 1-3 on page 33 (copy
the question and the correct answer).
You have 15 minutes from the time
the bell rings.
THE PRESIDENCIES OF JOHN
ADAMS AND THOMAS
JEFFERSON
Election of 1796
 First contest between opposing political parties
 Federalists nominated John Adams for president
 Democratic-Republicans nominated Thomas
Jefferson for president
 other candidate: Thomas Pinckney ,Samuel
Adams, Aaron Burr
 Constitution stated that the runner-up should
become vice president.
› Results: John Adams (northern) wins presidency with
71 electoral votes; Thomas Jefferson (southern)
became Vice President with 68 electoral votes.
John Adams as President
 First crisis—possible war with
France.
› France saw Jay’s Treaty as a British-
American alliance and they began
seizing merchant ships.
› Three men (John Marshall, Elbridge
Gerry, and Thomas Pinckney) were
sent to France to negotiate with
French foreign minister, Talleyrand.
 French government sent three lowlevel officials who demanded a
$250,000 bribe as payment to see
Talleyrand.
 Adams broke off the negotiations
 the “XYZ Affair”-the insult roused
public sentiment against France
 1798, Congress expanded the Army and created
a navy department, and authorized American
ships to seize French vessels.
› War was never declared, but for two years there was
an undeclared naval wars of victory.
 Alien and Sedition Acts: Federalists pushed
through Congress in 1798 four measures
› the Alien Acts-authorized the President to deport or
jail any alien who criticized Congress. Most aliens
supported Democratic Republican-making it difficult
to become citizens.
› Sedition Act set fines and jail terms for anyone trying
to hinder the operation of the government or
expressing “false, scandalous, and malicious
statements” against the government.
 Jefferson and Madison (D-R) respond to the
Alien and Sedition Acts.
 Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions: stated that if a
state believed a federal law to be unconstitutional, it
did not have to be obey or enforce
 Sedition Act was unconstitutional
 these rights for individual states became know as
Doctrine of nullification
 states can deem laws null and void any law that goes
beyond the Constitution’s outlined powers
Jefferson and Madison (D-R)
response con’t
 No other states adopted the Resolutions (Va. &
Ky.)
 The presidential election of 1800 would
decide the balance of federal power and
states’ rights.
 Washington died in 1799.
Election of 1800
 Bitter struggle between John Adams (Federalist)
and Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican).
 Electoral college deadlocks.
› Jefferson defeated Adams by 8 votes.
› Jefferson and his running mate, Aaron Burr, received
the same number of votes in the electorate.
 House of Reps were called in to decide the winner. (See
Article II, Section 1, Clause 3)
› Flaw was recognized—1804 Constitution amended
the 12th Amendment calls for electors to pass
separate ballots for the president and vice-president.
Thomas Jefferson as President
 Wanted a simple government.
 assumed the Presidency, the crisis in
France had passed.
 He slashed Army and Navy expenditures,
cut the budget, eliminated the tax on
whiskey , yet reduced the national debt by
a third.
 He also sent a naval squadron to protect
the American commerce in the
Mediterranean.
 Further, although the Constitution made
no provision for the acquisition of new
land, Jefferson suppressed his qualms over
constitutionality when he had the
opportunity to acquire the Louisiana
Territory from Napoleon in 1803.
 First president to live in Washington, DC.
John Marshall and the Supreme Court
 Adams appointed Marshall (a Federalist) as the Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court.
› Adams pushed the Judiciary Act of 1801 which increased the
number of Supreme Court judges to 16.
 Midnight judges: Adams’ attempt to pack the court with Federalists
on his last day in office.
 Appointments were not all delivered before Adams left office; Jefferson
argued them as invalid.
 Marbury v. Madison (1803)
 William Marbury was a judge who did not receive his appointment
papers. James Madison was the Sec. of State under Jefferson; it was
Madison’s job to deliver the papers.
 Judiciary Act of 1789 required that the papers be delivered—Marbury
sued to enforce the provisions.
 Marshall decided that this provision of the act was unconstitutional
because the Constitution did not empower the Supreme Court to issue
such orders.
 ****Principle of judicial review: the ability of the Supreme Court to declare
an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Marshall’s Four-Part Legacy
 Marshall applied four of Hamilton’s principles
to interpret the Constitution
 His Supreme Court claimed the power to review
the acts of Congress and of the President to
determine if they were constitutional.
 Insisted that federal laws were superior to the
state laws.
 Broadly (loose construction) interpreted the
Constitution to find implied powers for the
national government.
 Insisted the “sanctity of contracts”- this limited
the power of state government to interfere with
business.
The United States Expands West
 Louisiana Purchase
› Steal of the Century
› Jefferson wanted to secure United States trading on the
Mississippi River
› He sent representatives to France to negotiate the purchase
of New Orleans
› Napoleon was not interest ; he wanted to revitalize the
Western Hemisphere; when the colony of Haiti revolted and
Britain resumed was with France; Napoleon decided to sell,
not only New Orleans, but the entire Louisiana region($15m).
› Largest land acquisition, doubling the country’s size, marked
the turning point for new nation economically (map p.76)
› Began to pursue prosperity from within its own borders not from
foreign nations.
The United States Expands West
 Lewis and Clark Expedition
› Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were to lead
the expedition
› The Corps of Discovery,
› from St. Louis to the Pacific coast.
 Sacajawea: interpreter and guide
 May 1804 to Sept 1806--2 years and 4 months
 People though they died along the way
 Never reached the Pacific**
 Recorded information about the land, animals, and
plants of the west.
Jefferson’s Challenges Expanding West
 Fighting Barbary Wars
 North Africa states- Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli-
were profiting by seizing American ships—Jefferson
need to buy immunity—but Tripoli increase price—
sent navy to blockade the ports of Tripoli—winning
Barbary War
 Entering Reexport Trade– pp 77-78
 Facing British Impressment
 taking American sailors from their ships and forcing
them to serve in the British navy
 Asks for an Embargo Act
 suspend trade by ordering American ships to stay in
port—act did not have the desired effect– act was
repeal—Non-Intercourse Act– reopen trade with
British.