Jefferson Alters the Nation’s Course

The United States expanded its borders during Thomas Jefferson’s

administration.

JEFFERSON WINS ELECTION!

• Bitter fight between Adams (Federalist) and Jefferson (Democratic-Republican)– They made wild accusations about each other

Adams – a tool of the rich!

Jefferson- a dangerous revolutionary And supporter of France

JEFFERSON – AN ATHEIST BENT ON DESTROYING ORGANIZED RELIGION!

ELECTORAL DEADLOCK

• Jefferson defeated Adams by 8 electoral votes• BUT – Jeff’s running mate – Aaron Burr – had

the same number of electoral votes as Jeff! • So, House of Representatives has to choose!

– And choose for 6 days and 35 ballots, until they chose Jeff

• Hamilton actually talked some Federalists into casting blank vote to give Jeff the win

Why did Hamilton do it?

• Despite their political differences, Hamilton knew that Jefferson was the better man for the job– Much more qualified than Burr

• Hamilton did it for the good of the country!This deadlock pointed out a flaw in

Constitution – as a result 12th amendment was passed, requiring separate ballots be cast for President and VP

JEFFERSON AS PRESIDENT

• Tried to extend hand of peace to his opponents• “Every difference of opinion is not a difference of

principle.”• “We are [Democratic] Republicans; we are all

Federalists.”– But Jeff planned to restore the republican ideals of 1776

against the strong-government policies of Federalism– He replaced some Federalist officials w/ Dem-Reps

• By 1803, government is evenly divided between the 2 parties.

Keep it simple, Stupid!

• Jefferson tried to cutback on government– He appealed to the common man (even wearing

slippers and work clothes in the office!)

• He reduced the size of the army

• Halted an expansion of the navy

• Cut back on costs of govt social functions

JEFFERSONIAN ECONOMICS

• Eliminated all internal taxes

• Reduced the influence of the National Bank

• Favored free-trade rather than government-controlled trade and tariffs– Jeff figured free trade was the answer because

America was busy producing the raw materials and food that Europe needed

SOUTHERNERS DOMINATE WHITE HOUSE

• Location of White House is key to growing power of Southerners• Jefferson James Madison James Monroe – all from Virginia• New England and Federalists are declining in power

in national political life– Federalists also lose power because Jefferson is moderate– Because Feds don’t want to appeal in political campaigns

to “common man”– And because as the nation expanded, the new states

tended to vote “D-R” – for farmers

JOHN MARSHALL AND THE SUPREME COURT

• Federalists are very important

in the courts, however.

Adams appointed John Marshall as Chief Justice; Marshall served for 30 years

his decisions strengthened power

of SC and of federal government

THE “MIDNIGHT JUDGES”

• As Adams is about to leave office, he pushes through Congress the Judiciary Act of 1801

• He adds 16 new federal judges!• All the new judges are – you guessed it –

Federalists. (Adams hopes to influence future federal judiciary decisions this way.)

• As he signed their appointments late on his last day in office they are called the Midnight Judges.

JEFFERSON’S REACTION TO ADAMS’ “PACKING THE

COURT”• Furious! – Jeff argues that some of the

documents authorizing the appointments had not been delivered by the time Adams left office, they were invalid

• THIS LED TO ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT COURT CASES OF ALL TIME: – MARBURY v. MADISON

MARBURY v. MADISON 1803• This creates the case of Marbury v Madison which is

one of THE MOST IMPORTANT COURT DECISIONS in U.S. history

– to-be-judge Wm. Marbury never got his papers from J. Madison

– he takes it to court saying the Judiciary Act of 1789 required those papers to be delivered

– Chief Justice John Marshall says that Judiciary Act of 1789 DID NOT give the Supreme Court power to issue a demand that those papers be served

» In others words: the Constitution is the law of the land not the Supreme Court

You would have thought that John Marshall being a Federalist would have supported that decision and not have gone against itBut John Marshall establishes the most important principle of judicial review which became a cornerstone of American gov’t.Judicial review means the Judicial branch is equally important as the Executive and Legislative branches and this establishes yet another check and balance to the systemYou would have thought Jefferson would have been happy since it got rid of the Federalist judge Marbury. But this was a warning to Jefferson and Congress that the Supreme Court does have the power to affect them.

Marbury vs. Madison

Westward ho!• Through the Cumberland Gap – a narrow

passage through the Appalachians near where KY, TN, and VA meet

• “The Wilderness Road” becomes a major route for migration– Daniel Boone led the clearing of

a road from VA to KY• Population of Ohio: 1800: 45,000

1810: 231,000

THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE

• 1800, Napoleon persuades Spain to return Louisiana to France. – [Spain had gotten it from France in 1762.]

• Secret Transfer of Louisiana to France worries Jeff – a strong French presence mid-continent may force US into an alliance w/ GB

• Jefferson offers to buy New Orleans and western Florida from the French

“Let’s Make a Deal”

• Jefferson sends Monroe to negotiate w/ Napoleon

• Napoleon had tried to reconquer France’s most important island colony (Saint Dominque, now Haiti), but failed

• So Napoleon wants to sell all of Louisiana!• Monroe and Livingston (US ambassador to

France) close the deal for $15,000,000

Is the purchase constitutional?

• Jefferson actually doubted that the government could legally buy Louisiana– Especially for a “strict constructionist” – since

no where in the Constitution does it say a president can buy land

• But Senate ratified the treaty.• Louisiana Purchase more than doubled the size of the US

LEWIS AND CLARK

• “The Corps of Discovery” – Jefferson appoints Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the new territory- use scientific discovery– From St. Louis to the Pacific– Information about unknown plants and animals– Learn as much as possible about Native Americans as

they travel through the region– 2 years and 4 months resulting in acquisition of

invaluable info about the western territories– Sacajawea serves as interpreter and guide