1. Jeffersonian Democracy: 1800-1824 (Part II)
AP U.S. History
CH 11.2
Jeffersonian Democracy: (Part II)

2. Discussion Questions
How did Jefferson modify his beliefs in a strict interpretation of the constitution, limited federal government, and militarism?
Was Jefferson a hypocrite who compromised his political ideals OR a pragmatic leader who became more flexible as president?
Examine each of Jefferson’s key decisions & determine which decisions were hypocritical & which were pragmatic\
How does Jefferson’s presidency compare with Washington’s?

3. The Louisiana Purchase
In 1801, France gained Louisiana from Spain & seemed ready to create an empire in North America
But, the Haitian revolution & cost of European wars led Napoleon to lose interest in America
In 1803, Jefferson negotiated with France to buy New Orleans, but Napoleon offered to sell all of Louisiana for $15 million
James Monroe & Robert Livingstone were US diplomats to buy New Orleans 7

4. The Louisiana Purchase
Jeffersonian contradictions:
The Constitution was vague on which branch had the authority to purchase new lands
Jefferson abandoned “strict construction” to buy Louisiana
Jefferson signed the Louisiana Gov’t Act which denied self-rule to Louisiana residents
Republicans feared giving the mostly French & Spanish residents of New Orleans authority in a territorial assembly
James Monroe & Robert Livingstone were US diplomats to buy New Orleans 7

5. The Louisiana Purchase & the Lewis & Clark Expedition
The report from the Lewis & Clark expedition reaffirmed faith in the future economic prosperity of the U.S.
Meriwether Lewis & William Clark were commissioned to explore the Louisiana territory
Left St. Louis in May 1804 & reached the Pacific in Nov 1805
To determine if the Missouri River flowed to Pacific Ocean
Goal #1: Determine if the Missouri River flowed to the Pacific Ocean
Goal #2: Collect data on flora & fauna

6. Native American Resistance
The Louisiana Purchase increased tensions with Indians:
Americans rejected coexistence with Indians
Tecumseh swayed the Shawnee & other tribes to stop selling land & to avoid contact with whites
Jefferson hoped to “civilize” Indians into yeoman farmers & planned for a vast reservation west of the Mississippi River 3

7. Jefferson’s Second Term

8. Jefferson’s Reelection
Jefferson ended his 1st term as a very popular president:
He maintained internat’l peace with England & France despite continued denial of neutrality
Reduced taxes for Americans
Doubled the size of the U.S.
In 1804, Jefferson was re-elected as president & the Republicans took the majority in Congress

9. Despite his electoral victory, serious divisions divided Jefferson’s second term as president

10. Division in the Republican Party
The decline of the Federalists suspended the two-party system:
Led to Republican dominance in national politics from
But…without a clear party to oppose, many Republicans began attacking Jefferson’s policies
The Tertium Quids (“nothings”), criticized Jefferson’s betrayal of strict construction & sacrifice of virtue to get results as president
The Jeffersonian & Quid factions became separate parties by 1824
National Republicans were absorbed into the Whig Party
Jacksonians became the Democratic Party
The “Virginia Dynasty” (Jefferson, Madison, Monroe) dominated the executive branch
Republicans controlled both houses of Congress
By 1820, the Federalists were no longer acting as a national party; there was little to hold the Democratic-Republican Party together. William H. Crawford in 1824 was the last nominee by the Congressional nominating caucus; but the majority of the party boycotted the caucus. Henry Clay finished fourth in the election that year, behind John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and William Crawford. Their factions became separate parties after the election, of which the Jacksonians became the basis of the present Democratic Party; the National Republicans were absorbed into the Whig coalition which faded out before the American Civil War.
The tertium quids (sometimes shortened to quids) refers to different factions of the United States Democratic-Republican Party during the period In Latin, the term means "a third something". Quid was a disparaging term that referred to cross-party coalitions of Federalists and moderate Democratic-Republicans. When Virginia Congressman John Randolph of Roanoke broke with Jefferson and James Madison in 1806, his Congressional faction was called "quids." Randolph was the leader of the "Old Republican" faction that insisted on strict adherence to the Constitution and opposed any innovations. He made no effort to align with either quid faction in the states and made no effort to build a third party at the federal level. Randolph supported James Monroe against Madison during the runup to the presidential election of 1808, but the state quids supported Madison. They were led by Randolph, who had started as Jefferson's leader in the House and became his bitterest enemy. Randolph denounced the Yazoo Purchase compromise of 1804 as totally corrupt. After Randolph failed in the impeachment of a Supreme Court justice in 1805, he became embittered with Jefferson and Madison, complaining, "Everything and everybody seem to be jumbled out of place, except a few men who are steeped in supine indifference, whilst meddling fools and designing knaves are governing the country " [Risjord 42]. He refused to help fund Jefferson's secret purchase of Florida from Spain. Increasingly, Randolph felt that Jefferson was adopting Federalist policies and betraying the true party spirit. He wrote to an ally that "the Administration....favors federal principles, and, with the exception of a few great rival characters, federal men.... The old {Democratic-) Republican party is already ruined, past redemption. New men and new maxims are the order of the day." [Risjord 47] Randolph's increasingly strident rhetoric limited his influence, and he was never able to build a coalition to stop Jefferson. However, many of his supporters lived on and, by 1824, looked to Andrew Jackson to resurrect what they called "Old Republicanism." 15

11. The Yazoo Controversy
Jefferson endured heavy criticism due to the Yazoo Land Fraud:
Corrupt GA politicians sold 35 million acres of land to insiders at ridiculously low prices
Quids attacked Jefferson for allowing defrauded individuals to keep lands they bought
In Fletcher v. Peck (1810), the Supreme Court allowed purchasers to keep these lands
Together with Marbury v Madison, the Supreme Court defined itself as a legitimate 3rd branch of gov’t
The case established an important precedent:
Supreme Court can nullify any unconstitutional state laws
Again, it’s the Marshall Court
massive fraud perpetrated by several Georgia governors and the state legislature from 1795 to 1803 by selling large tracts of land to insiders at ridiculously low prices.

12. Lands Associated with the Yazoo Land Fraud

13. The Slave Trade
At the Philadelphia Convention, slavery was tabled until 1808
In Dec 1806, Jefferson urged Congress to prepare a slave law:
Southerners furiously argued against any slavery legislation
Congress passed a law that ended the slave trade in 1808, but smugglers were to be turned over to local authorities 18

14. Renewed Conflict Overseas
A war would be too expensive & destroy his plans for a small gov’t
In 1803, England & France resumed their war & violated U.S. neutrality rights by seizing ships & impressing American sailors:
Jefferson refused to declare war on either England or France
In 1807, Jefferson approved a very unpopular embargo that prohibited U.S. merchants from trading with England or France
The embargo hurt the NE economy
The embargo did not hurt England or France
Exports fell from $108 million in 1807 to just $22 million in 1808
Required huge gov’t oversight & an expensive army to suppress smuggling 19

16. Conclusions During Jefferson’s two terms:
The U.S. doubled in size, saw huge population growth, & experienced western expansion
The role of government shrank
The Jefferson presidency led to a divisive, politically partisan era
The U.S. grew closer to internat’l war due to failed attempts at reconciliation with Europe

17. Discussion Questions From Part 1 and 2
How did Jefferson modify his beliefs in a strict interpretation of the constitution, limited federal government, and militarism?
Was Jefferson a hypocrite who compromised his political ideals OR a pragmatic leader who became more flexible as president?
Examine each of Jefferson’s key decisions & determine which decisions were hypocritical & which were pragmatic\
How does Jefferson’s presidency compare with Washington’s?