The Jefferson Administration The 3 rd President of the United States

Why was the Presidential election of 1800 significant?

The Democratic-Republican Victory The election of 1800 was significant because… - It was the first time a political party replaced another political party in power in the United States. - It proved that the country could change leaders peacefully.

Jefferson In Office He replaced many Federalist officials with Republicans and set Republican policies. He attempted to lower the national debt by cutting military spending- reducing the size of the army and navy. He got rid of some domestic taxes (like the tax on Whiskey) with the help of his Republican-led congress.

Major Events During Jefferson’s Term of Office Marbury v. Madison Louisiana Purchase Lewis & Clark Expedition War of 1812

Marbury v. Madison The Problem… Before Jefferson Took Office: The Federalists passed a law that created many new judgeships. Adams appointed people to fill these positions.

What was the problem with Adams appointing people to fill the judgeship positions?

Marbury v. Madison Enter Thomas Jefferson… When Jefferson entered office, some Federalists had not yet received their special commissions (forms they needed to begin working as judges). William Marbury was one of the Federalists who did not receive his commission. What do you think Jefferson will do about this situation?

Marbury v. Madison The Conflict: Jefferson ordered James Madison (Secretary of State) not to give the papers to the Federalists. William Marbury demanded that the Supreme Court force the Executive Branch to hand over the commissions.

Did the Supreme Court have the power to force Madison to give Marbury his commission? Yes… The Judiciary Act of 1789 gave the Supreme Court the power to do so.

Marbury v. Madison The Decision: The Supreme Court recognized that the Judiciary Act gave it the power to force Madison to hand over the commission. However, the Court ruled that the Judiciary Act of 1789 was unconstitutional because Congress should not have the power to give the Supreme Court new powers.

Marbury v. Madison The Outcome: Madison did not have to give Marbury his commission. The power of Judicial Review was established- this allows the Supreme Court to declare an act of Congress to be unconstitutional.

The Louisiana Purchase From the beginning… Spain was worried about keeping American settlers out of the Spanish territory of Louisiana. So Spain sold Louisiana to France. Napoleon Bonaparte (leader of France) dreamed of rebuilding France’s empire in North America.

The Louisiana Purchase How it all went down… Jefferson wanted to keep the French from controlling New Orleans. Why was New Orleans so important?

The Louisiana Purchase How it all went down… Jefferson told the U.S. ambassador to France to try to buy New Orleans and West Florida. Surprisingly, Napoleon was willing to sell all of Louisiana to the United States. Why was France willing to sell??

1. France was just about to go to war with Great Britain and didn’t want to fight G.B. and the U.S. at once. 2. Instead of land, Napoleon now wanted money to buy supplies for his armies in Europe. 3. Napoleon realized that if the U.S. owned Louisiana, it could challenge Britain’s power in North America.

The Louisiana Purchase How it all went down… U.S. ambassadors (Livingston & Monroe) agreed to buy Louisiana from France for $15 million. Jefferson wasn’t sure the Constitution gave him the power to buy the territory, but agreed to the purchase anyway. The Louisiana Purchase almost doubled the size of the United States.

The Lewis & Clark Expedition: Why Jefferson requested the trip… Jefferson wanted to learn more about the people and land of the West. Jefferson also wanted to see if there was a river route that could be taken to the Pacific Ocean.

The Lewis & Clark Expedition: Making It Happen… Jefferson chose former army captain Meriwether Lewis to lead the trip, and Lieutenant William Clark to be the co-leader. Jefferson asked the men to explore the Missouri River and wanted them to form peaceful relations with any Native Americans they encountered.

The Lewis & Clark Expedition: The Journey They did not find a river route to the Pacific, but learned much about the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains. They established contact with many Native American tribes and collected a lot of valuable scientific information.

The War of 1812 In June of 1812 Congress declared war for the first time in U.S. history. War was declared against Great Britain.

We have already declared our independence, so why would we go to war again with Great Britain?

The War of 1812 Reasons for going to war… G.B. was interfering with American trade. G.B. was impressing American sailors (pressing, or forcing people to serve in the army or navy). G.B. was supplying military aid to American Indians.

The War of 1812 Advantages and Disadvantages… Great Britain Had a larger and more experienced navy, but its ships were scattered. United States Smaller navy, but supported by privateers (private ships fighting G.B.) Best ships were more powerful than British ships.

The War of 1812 How it ended.. In 1814 the Treaty of Ghent was signed and the war was declared to be over. This peace agreement stated that both the U.S. and Great Britain would return territories they had conquered. Americans were proud that their young nation had stood up to the British once again.