Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase

Key Terms Democratic – ensuring that all people have the same rights Laissez faire – the idea that government should play as small a role as possible in economic affairs Judicial review – the power of the Supreme Court to decide whether acts of a President or laws passed by Congress are constitutional.

Changing Presidents Jefferson was a republican. He rejected most federalist ideas and turned the nation in a new direction. Many of the remaining federalists feared that Jefferson would try to punish them for the alien and sedition acts. Jefferson promised that he would not. He wanted all the political bickering to stop.

What changes did Jefferson make? Jefferson did want to change the federalist policies. Jefferson believed the nation’s strength came from ordinary people and he also believed that the federal government had become too strong. Jefferson made several changes including reducing the federal budget. Jefferson believed in Laissez Faire economics. This is a free market with very little regulation. Laissez faire was very different from the Federalist view. The Federalist had thought the government should try and promote trade and manufacturing.

Changing Federalist Policies Jefferson did everything he could to weaken the power of the federal government. He reduced the size of the army and navy and repealed the whiskey tax. He also pardoned all those put in jail because of the sedition acts. One Federalist idea Jefferson agreed with was the Bank of the United States so he kept that.

Midnight Judge The very last night John Adams was president, he appointed William Marbury as a new judge. Marbury was a Federalist. Jefferson believed Adams was trying to strengthen the courts. He also thought the naming a new judge was his decision to make. Jefferson told his Secretary of State – James Madison not to deliver the official papers that would make Marbury a judge so Marbury sued to get the job.

Jefferson wins…or maybe not? The Supreme Court ruled in favor of James Madison saying that Marbury would not be allowed to take the judge position. So does this mean I need to find a new job?

Marbury V. Madison In the case of Marbury v. Madison, an important precedent was set. It gave the supreme court the power to decide if laws passed by congress were unconstitutional. This power is called Judicial review. Chief Justice John Marshall

Do you think Jefferson was happy about the Supreme Court verdict? Why or why not? Jefferson was not pleased with the decision because it made the federal government stronger. Jefferson had been trying to reduce the size and power of the federal government and now the judicial branch had more power than ever before.

The Louisiana Purchase By 1800, 1 million people lived between the Appalachian mtns. And the Miss. River. Those people depended heavily on the Mississippi to transport their farm and trade goods to market. Spain controlled New Orleans, but in 1800 Spain signed a treaty giving New Orleans back t o France. France was controlled by a general name Napoleon Bonaparte who had taken power during the French revolution. Napoleon was on a mission to conquer Europe. Needing money for his conquests, he sold the Louisiana Territory to the US for 15 million. This happened in 1803 and is known as the Louisiana Purchases. This doubled the size of the US.

Lewis and Clark Once we had this new land, we needed to explore it. Jefferson chose two men, Lewis and Clark, to lead the expedition. After several years, they finally made it to the pacific ocean. Lewis and Clark brought back useful information about the Louisiana Purchase.