Hist 110American Civilization I

Instructor: Dr. Donald R. Shaffer

Upper Iowa University

Lecture 7bJefferson Takes Over

Election of 1800 Thomas Jefferson prevailed over Aaron

Burr in the House of Representative Led to the 12th Amendment joining the

vote for President and Vice President Jefferson’s inaugural: took a

conciliatory stance toward the Federalists

His agenda: Cut government spending Eliminate internal federal taxes and

pay off the national debt Passive approach to economic

policy Selective removal of Federalists in

appointive offices (only 69 of 433) Judiciary Act of 1801: Republicans

repeal act packing the judiciary with Federalists Republicans fail at using

impeachment to remove Federalist judges—unable to oust arch-Federalist Samuel Chase

What did Jefferson mean by the

statement in his inaugural address: “We are all

Federalists.We are all Republicans.”

Westward expansion sped up after 1783 By 1800, nearly a million Americans

lived west of Appalachian crest Movement encouraged by federal

government, particularly with the use of U.S. army to force out Native Americans

Louisiana Purchase (1803) Treaty of San Ildefonso (1800): Spain

forced by Napoleon to cede Louisiana, which threatened American commerce on the Mississippi River

Jefferson offered to buy New Orleans from France to fix this problem

Napoleon, suddenly needing money, offered to sell all of Louisiana to U.S. (828,800 sq. miles of territory)

Jefferson’s quandary: reconcile purchase with strict construction of Constitution

Jefferson decided to allow the voters to judge the constitutionality of purchase in the 1804 presidential election

Lecture 7bWestward Expansion Under Jefferson

Map of theLouisiana Purchase

(in deep green)

Lecture 7bForces Underlying Westward Expansion

Two forces underlay Westward expansion in the decades following the American Revolution

Yeoman farmers both in the North and South trying to maintain their independence in the face of growing land scarcity on the eastern seaboard

The movement of commercial agriculture, especially southern planters, looking for fresh land The boom in cotton cultivation

after the invention of the cotton gin spurred the movement of planters west as cotton quickly exhausted soil

Federal land policy, which initially required large purchases for cash, meant that much of western land ended up in the hands of speculators

Speculators found themselves having to deal with squatters

Growing land scarcity, worn out land, and labor departed for the frontier, forced eastern farmers to introduce progressive agricultural techniques

George Caleb Bingham’s famouspainting of Daniel Boone

escorting settlers through the Cumberland

Gap

Lecture 7bJefferson’s Difficult Second Term

Jefferson easily re-elected in 1804, but afterwards his fortunes suffered

Political troubles: Fallout from Vice President Aaron

Burr killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel

The Quids: a ultra-pure faction within Jefferson’s Republicans

James T. Callender: exposed Jefferson’s sexual relationship with his slave, Sally Hemings

Impressment Collapse of Peace of Amiens in

1803 British began stopping U.S. ships

and forcing American sailors to serve in the Royal Navy

Non-Importation Act (1806): U.S. resorted to trade pressure to end British practice of impressment

Embargo Act (1807): failure of non-importation, the Chesapeake Affair, and New England’s resistance caused Jefferson to ask for a cessation of all U.S. imports and exports

Lecture 7b Origins of the War of 1812

James Madison succeeded Jefferson as president in March 1809

Jefferson left the presidency unpopular because of his harsh and unsuccessful policies to end impressment

Madison also failed to end impressment

Non-Intercourse Act (1809) Macon’s Bill No. 2 (1810)

Roots of Anglo-American conflict Misunderstanding each others view of

the world and their place in it—Americans wanted their neutral rights respected while British and French thought weak nations like the U.S. must ally themselves with a great power for their own protection

War Hawks Up and coming politicians like Henry

Clay and John C. Calhoun who pushed for war because they felt it was the only way for the U.S. to reclaim its honor

Napoleon Bonaparte

Who cheated the U.S.

in the implementation

of Macon’s Bill No. 2

Henry ClayJohn C. Calhoun

Lecture 7b War of 1812 (1)

June 19, 1812: War declared Madison accused Britain violating

U.S. neutral rights Claimed also Britain was inciting

Native American attacks on the frontier

Some Americans coveted Canada U.S. divided on war

South and West pro-war New England anti-war

They had strong trade ties to the British Empire

U.S. ill-prepared for war Navy: 6 frigates, 3 sloops: even

with the use of privateers not even close enough to the strength needed take on the Royal Navy

U.S. Army: never larger than 35,000 during war

Yet the U.S. lack of preparation was offset for most of the war by the fact that the British were in 1812 still heavily engaged in their war with France

American propaganda poster from the War of

1812What does it say about

American self perception?

Lecture 7bWar of 1812 (2)

U.S. offense: 1812-1814. American forces repeatedly invaded

Canada—and repeatedly failed Some U.S. victories

Put-in-Bay: naval victory on Lake Erie

Battle of the Thames in which the Indian leader Tecumseh was killed

British offensive: 1814-1815 Invasion from Canada stopped on

Lake Champlain Chesapeake campaign

Washington, D.C. burned in retaliation for U.S. burning Toronto

Fort McHenry: successful defense saved Baltimore and inspired the national anthem

Treaty of Ghent (December 1814): With the end of the Napoleonic War

the underlying causes of the war ended making a status quo settlement possible

American victory at the Battle of

New Orleans that took place after

the peace treaty ending the war

American victory in the battlehelped disguise that war hadbeen a near disaster for the

U.S.