11.5 Thomas Jefferson and the Republican Party

Personal Background• Born in Virginia.• Man of many talents.• Brilliant.• Became a tobacco planter, and later became a politician.

View of Human Nature

• Had confidence in common people to make wise decisions for themselves and the country.

Best Form of Government

• DEMOCRACY• Small gov. w/ limited powers.• Strong state gov’ts.• Strict interpretation of Constitution.• “Best gov’t is one that governs least.”

Ideal Economy ($)

• Wanted an economy based on agriculture, or farming.

• Was extremely opposed to the nat’l. bank.

Relations With Britain and France

• Most Republicans sided with France and supported the revolution b/c of freedom and democracy.

• The French gov’t. sent a rep. to persuade the U.S. to back the French. Washington refused, not wanting to get into a war with Britain.

11.6 The Presidency of John Adams

The Alien and Sedition Acts• Federalists passed 4 laws known as “Alien and

Sedition Acts.”• Made it take longer for immigrants to get to

vote.• Made it a crime to speak, print, or write badly

of the government.

The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

• Republicans viewed the Acts as an attack on freedom of speech and press.

• VA and KY nullified the laws.• States’ rights theory: States have the authority

to nullify federal laws.

11.7 The Election of 1800

The Campaign• John Adams V. Thomas Jefferson

Divided Federalists

• Hamilton didn’t support Adams, but instead Pinckney, who he thought he could control more easily.

11.8 Deadlock and a New Amendment

• Adams lost the election, but Jefferson and Burr tied.• Hamilton persuades Federalists to vote for Jefferson.• New amendment: Separate ballots for president and

vice president.

A peaceful Revolution

• The election of 1800 showed that power could pass from one group to another peacefully.