1. Key events of Thomas Jefferson’s Presidential Term
The Jeffersonian Era
Key events of Thomas Jefferson’s Presidential Term

2. Key Concepts & Events of the Jeffersonian Era
Thomas Jefferson led the Democratic – Republican political party (supported the beliefs of Anti-Federalists)
Ran against John Adams in the presidential election of 1800
Jefferson beat Adams, but got the same # of votes as his running mate Aaron Burr so there was a tie
After 6 days and 35 ballots, Jefferson finally earned a majority of the votes and became president
Due to the chaos surrounding this election, Congress passed the 12th Amendment – electors voted for president and vice-president separately.

3. Key Concepts & Events of the Jeffersonian Era
Jeffersonian Republicanism was the political belief that people should control the government and that a simple government best fit the needs of the people.
As president, Jefferson looked to simplify government
Reduced the size of the army
Reduced the influence of the Bank of the United States (BUS)
Reduced government costs for social services
Eliminated all internal taxes
Jefferson, as a resident of Virginia, marks the beginning of Southern dominance in national politics. His presidency highlights the decline of Federalist influence in U.S. government

4. Key Concepts & Events of the Jeffersonian Era
Before Jefferson took office, John Adams tried to fill a large number of federal judge positions with Federalists.
Jefferson argued that these appointments were invalid and told his secretary of state, James Madison, not to deliver the appointments.
As a result, one of the judges (Marbury) that was denied his appointment sued, this led to one of the most important court cases of all time.
In the case, Marbury v. Madison, Chief-Justice John Marshall declared part of Congress’s Judiciary Act of 1789 unconstitutional
By doing so, Marshall established the concept of judicial review – the Supreme Court can declare laws unconstitutional

5. Key Concepts & Events of the Jeffersonian Era
Another key event of the Jefferson era was the Louisiana Purchase
France owned the land that made up the Louisiana territory and was planning on using it to setup French farms and grow food to support French colonies in the Caribbean
This concerned Jefferson in several ways:
French had a presence along the U.S. border and created a national security issue
American farmers in the western states / territories depended on the Mississippi River and the port in New Orleans to transport their products to markets

6. Key Concepts & Events of the Jeffersonian Era
By 1803, Napoleon no longer had dreams of an American empire and looked to sell the Louisiana territory
Jefferson was unsure if the constitution gave him the power to purchase the territory.
However, Jefferson abandoned his own political beliefs and approved the purchase for $15 million.
The Louisiana purchase:
More than doubled the size of the U.S.
Expanded the power of the President b/c no one openly questioned Jefferson’s power to complete the purchase (made the constitution elastic)
Led to the Lewis and Clark expedition which provided us with valuable information about the west and showed that transcontinental (across the country) travel was possible