Chapter 10 (The Jefferson Era) Notes
Section 1: Jefferson Takes Office
A: Election of 1800
- The 2 parties in the election of 1800 were the Federalists, led by John Adams, and the Democratic-Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson
- Each party thought the other was endangering the Constitution and the American republic
- The D-R thought they were saving the nation from monarchy and oppression
- The Federalists thought the country was about to be ruined by radicals (people who take extreme political positions)
- The D-R won the election, with Jefferson receiving 73 Electoral College votes and Adams earning 65
- But there was a problem. Aaron Burr whom the D-R wanted as vice president also received 73 votes
B: Breaking the Tie
- According to the Constitution the House had to choose between Jefferson and Burr
- Federalists still held majority in the House, and their votes would decide the winner.
- The Federalists were divided on who to elect
- Hamilton considered Burr unreliable, and wanted Jefferson even though he did not like him
- Over 7 days the House voted 35 times w/out determining a winner
- On the 36th ballot Jefferson was elected president
- Burr became the VP, and would not forget Hamilton’s insults
C: The Talented Jefferson
- Jefferson’s talents went beyond politics
- When Washington D.C. was being built Jefferson advised its architects and designers
- Jefferson’s book collection later became the core of the Library of Congress
- After his election, Jefferson applied his many talents and ideas to the government of the U.S.
D: Jefferson’s Philosophy
- Jefferson’s first order of business was to calm the nation’s political quarrels
- He tried to unite Americans by promoting a common way of life
- He wanted the U.S. to remain a nation of small independent farmers
- He hoped that the enormous amount of available land would prevent Americans from crowding into cities
- Jefferson was also a very modest man, where he put nothing of his presidency on his tombstone
E: Undoing Federalist Programs
- Jefferson thought the federal govt. should have less powers than it did under the Federalists
- So he set out to end many Federalist programs
- The Alien and Sedition Acts now ended and the prisoners under the acts were released
- Many taxes were also ended, including the tax on whiskey
- Because of this loss of revenue, Jefferson reduced the number of federal employees and reduced the size of the military
- Jefferson used revenues from tariffs and land sales to reduce the amount of money owed by the govt.
F: Marshall and the Judiciary
- Judiciary Act of 1801 – Adams had appointed as many federal judges as he could between the election of 1800 and Jefferson’s inauguration in 1801
- This meant the new D-R president would face a firmly Federalist judiciary
- Adams also appointed John Marshall as the new Chief Justice
- Under Marshall the Supreme Court upheld federal authority and strengthened federal courts
- One of the most important decision of the Marshall Courts was Marbury v. Madison (1803)
G: Marbury v. Madison
- William Marbury was one of Adams last minute appointments
- He was justice of the peace for D.C.
- Marbury was supposed to be installed in his position by Secretary of State James Madison, but Madison refused to give him the job
- Marbury sued and the case went to the Supreme Court, which ruled the law under which Marbury sued was unconstitutional (it contradicted the law of the Constitution)
- Although the Court denied Marbury’s claim, it did establish judicial review
- Judicial Review states that the Supreme court has final say in interpreting the Constitution
- By establishing judicial review, Marshall helped to create a lasting balance among the 3 branches of government
Section 2: The Louisiana Purchase and Expedition
A: The West in 1800
- The “West” is known as the area between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River right now
- Although the MS River was the western border of the U.S., there was a great deal of activity further west
- A vital issue for many settlers was the use of the MS River
- Threats to the free navigation of the MS River and the use of the Port of New Orleans brought America to the brink of war
B: Napoleon and New Orleans
- The Port of New Orleans was originally claimed by France, but after the French and Indian War, France turned it over the Louisiana Territory and New Orleans to Spain
- But in a secret treaty in 1800, Spain returned Louisiana and the Port of New Orleans to France and Napoleon
- The developments led to war in 1802 because just before turning over the land back to France, Spain closed New Orleans to American shipping
- Westerners called for war against France and Spain
- To avoid this war, Jefferson offered to purchase New Orleans from France
- The French offer to Jefferson was to sell all of the Louisiana Territory
C: The Louisiana Purchase
- Jefferson was thrilled by Napoleon’s offer, but the Constitution said nothing about the Presidents’ right to purchase land.
- This troubled Jefferson because he believed in the strict interpretation of the Constitution and a nation/republic of small farmers as well
- So on April 30, 1803, the Louisiana Purchase was approved for $15 million (3 cents/acre)
D: Lewis and Clark Explore
- Now that the Louisiana Purchase had been made, learning about the territory became even more important
- Jefferson chose Meriwether Lewis to lead the expedition
- Lewis turned to William Clark to select and oversee a volunteer force, which they called the Corps of Discovery
- The Corps of Discovery soon became known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition
- Lewis and Clark set out in the summer of 1803
- By winter they reached St. Louis. St. Louis soon became “The Gateway to the West”
- March 1804, the American flag flew over St. Louis for the first time
E: Up the Missouri River
- The instructions from Jefferson was to explore the river and he hoped to find a water route across the United States
- Sacagawea – a Shoshone woman whose language skills and knowledge of geography would be great value to Louis and Clark
F: On to the Pacific Ocean
- To get around the Great Falls, the explorers had to carry their boats and heavy supplies for 18 miles
- Sacagawea and the Shoshone helped then cross the Rocky Mountains, which was their land area
- The L&C Expedition brought back a wealth of scientific and geographic information
- The learned that an all water route across the U.S. did not exist
G: Pike’s Expedition
- In 1806 , an expedition led by Zebulon Pike left St. Lois on a southerly route to find sources of the Arkansas and Red rivers
- The Red River formed a boundary between Spanish territory and Louisiana
- The group never explored the Red River, but they did bring back valuable descriptions of the Great Plains and the Rio Grande Valley
H: The Effects of Exploration
- The first American explorers of the West brought back tales of adventure as well as scientific and geographical information
Section 3: Problems with Foreign Powers
A: Jefferson’s Foreign Policy
- Jefferson advised the U.S. to seek friendship with all nations, but to enter into “entangling alliances with none”
- The president’s desire to keep the U.S. separated form other nations was doomed to fail
- Staying out of the ongoing conflict between France and England would be difficult
B: Problems with France and England
- But 1805, the British began to clamp down on U.S. shipping because they did not wasn’t Americans to provide food or supplies to the enemy
- Britain also interfered with U.S. trade by impressments, or kidnapping, of American sailors to work on British ships
- Because of this, Jefferson faced criticism because of not declaring war
C: Trade as a Weapon
- Instead of declaring war, Jefferson asked Congress o pass legislation that would stop all foreign trade
- “Peaceable Coercion”
- In December Congress passed the Embargo Act of 1807
- American ships were no longer allowed to sail foreign ports and it closed American ports to British ships
- Jefferson’s policy was a disaster
- The embargo hurt Americans more that it did the British because of trade
- The embargo was like “cutting one’s throat to cure a nosebleed”
D: Tecumseh and Native American Unity
- British interference with shipping and impressments made Americans furious
- Many believed that the British were stirring up NA resistance to frontier settlements
- Tecumseh vowed to stop the loss of Native American land
- He thought they were losing this land because they were separated into many different tribes
- Tecumseh’ efforts to unite the tribes failed after the treaty of Fort Wayne
- The defeat at the Battle of Tippecanoe was a serious setback for Tecumseh’s movement
E: War Hawks:
- After the battle of Tippecanoe, Tecumseh and his warriors found a warm welcome with the British
- The Native Americans and the British were now allies
- Westerners who called for was were called War Hawks
- They wanted British aid to Native Americans stopped, and they wanted the British out of Canada
- Congress then declared war on Britain on June 18, 1812
Section 4: The War of 1812
A: The War Begins
- Britain didn’t really want a war with the United States because it was already involved on war with France
- To try to avoid the war, the British announced that they would no longer interfere with American shipping
- But the slow mail prevented the news from reaching the U.S. before the war declaration
- The war had 2 main phases
o The 1st phase was from 1812-1814, Britain concentrated on its war against France
o The 2nd phase began after the defeat of France on April 1814
- The U.S. military was weak right now because of the cuts Jefferson made
B: The First Phase of the War
- In spite of the small size, the U.S. Navy rose to the challenge
- They had the fastest ships
- Battle of Thames – this victory put an end to the British threat to the Northwest – and also claimed the life of Tecumseh
C: The Second Phase of the War
- After defeating Napoleon in April 1814, Britain turned its full attention to the U.S.
- British forces burned the Capitol building and the president’s mansion
- Francis Scott key – author of the Star Spangled Banner
- Treaty of Ghent – ended the war of 1812
D: The Legacy of War
- The treaty showed that the war had no clear winner
- The war increased American patriotism, weakened Native American resistance, and U.S. manufacturing grew
- Americans no believed that the young nation would survive and prosper