The Highs and Lows of Thomas Jefferson

Jeffersonian Revolution of 1800 ● Wins a close and very weird election ● Jefferson wins primarily because of the 3/5 Compromise ● “Negro President” ● Jefferson scandals were brought up ● Sally Hemings ● Jefferson and his vice-president (Burr) get the same amount of votes ● House of Representatives has to decide who will be president and the Federalists initially try to give it to Burr ● Hamilton convince them to support Jefferson ● Jefferson sees his victory as a return to the principles of the Revolution ● Federalist betrayed those ideals ● Alien & Sedition Acts ● “The will of the majority is in all cases to prevail… That will be rightful must be reasonable; the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect,, and to violate would be oppression.”

Jefferson’s Goals ● Jefferson is a believer in: ● check the power of government ● state’s rights ● nullification ● strict interpretation of the Constitution ● a small military ●“The spirit of this country is totally adverse to a large military force.” (1807) ●“There shall be no standing army but in time of actual war.” (1776)

An Honorable Winner ● Jefferson did not gloat over a hated enemy ● Very informal ● Did not speak directly to Congress ● Dressed informally ● “We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists.” ● Pledged to not overturn everything the Federalists had done ● Does go after the excesses of the Alien & Sedition Acts ● Pardoned those jailed ● Removed the 14 year rule for citizenship and replaced it with a 5 year requirement ● Dismisses very few Federalist officials ● Hamilton’s financial plan is left intact ● Does eliminate the hated excise taxes ● No attack on the Bank of the United States

John Marshall and the Supreme Court ● Judiciary Act of 1801 ● In the last days of Adams’ Presidency the Federalists put judges into power ● John Marshall became the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court ● Midnight Judges ● Adams appointed people his last day in office ● Marbury v. Madison (1803) ● Perhaps the most important Supreme Court case ever ● Established the principle of Judicial Review ● Supreme Court has the last word on the constitutionality of laws or acts

First Barbary War ( ) ● North African States were pirates ● European nations pay them tributes for safe passage through the Mediterranean Sea ● War breaks out in 1801 ● Jefferson refuses tribute ● Jefferson sends US Navy to take care of business ● Doesn't even tell Congress that he sent the Navy until it was too late ● Blockade and Raids on North Africa ● Raid on Tripoli. ● Peace with Tripoli comes in 1805 V ● Jefferson’s View on Foreign Policy ● Distrusts large standing armies ● Dismantles the American army ● Large militaries could get the US involved in conflicts

Louisiana Purchase (1803) ● Louisiana Purchase ● France sells gigantic portion of land to the United States ● Accounts for 22% of modern United States ● Reasons for the Sale ● French Emperor Napoleon is having problems ● Goal is to conquer Europe ● Does not want to defend colonies in North America ● Does not want to cede the territory to the British in the event of his defeat ● Short on $$$ ● Could raise a lot of $$$ by selling land ● April 30 th, 1803 USA immediately accepts France ’ s offer ● America paid France $15 million ● Just like that America had doubled in size ● $240 Billion in today ’ s money ● Jefferson struggled with this purchase because he believed it was unconstitutional ● Removes Europe from the New World

Exploring the New Territory ● Lewis and Clark Expedition ● New territory is unknown to most ● Jefferson sends an expedition to explore the new territory, and find a route to the Pacific Ocean ● May 1804 the Corps of Discovery leave St. Louis, and return in September of 1806

The Shady Aaron Burr ● Was Jefferson’s vice-president (1 st term) ● Was behind an attempt to secede New England and New York from the US ● Alexander Hamilton foiled the plan ● Burr killed Hamilton in a duel ● He was also behind a plan to take over the Louisiana Purchase and invade Mexico

Napoleonic Wars and the Impact on the US ● US remained neutral attempting to trade with both nations ● British passed the Orders of Council ● Forbade trade with the French ● Napoleon ordered similar orders and began stopping all ships headed to Great Britain ● Impressment: British kidnapping of American sailors and forcing them to serve in the British navy ● Some 6,000 Americans are taken from ● British even bordered an American navy ship the USS Chesapeake

Embargo Act of 1807 ● Embargo Act of 1807: the US voluntarily stopped trading with the rest of the world ● Hurt the US more than it hurt the British or the French ● New England states were furious and there was talk of succession ● Jefferson repealed the act due to all the pressure ● Non-Intercourse Act: reopened trade with the rest of the world except the British and French ● Embargo was a failure ● British and French were not hurt by it ● Silver Lining ● American industry continued to grow as a result of the embargo that lasted from