US History
Fort Burrows
The Age of Jefferson
10.1 -- A Republican Takes Office
READ pgs 300-305
Time Line:
1801 - ThomasJefferson becomes 3rdPresident of the United States (2 terms)
1803 - United States purchases Louisiana from France
1807 - The Embargo Act halts American overseas trade
1809 - James Madison becomes the 4th President of the United States (2 terms)
1810 - Mexico declares independence from Spain ( -- 1821)
1811 - US troops fightIndians in Indiana at the Battle of Tippecanoe
1812 - The War of 1812 begins; Congress declares war on Britain
1814 - British forces set fire to Washington DC; the War of 1812 ends
1815 - Napoleon is defeated at the Battle of Waterloo
We all think of the United States as a republic stretching across a continent “from sea to shining sea.”Manifest Destiny! But it was only under Thomas Jefferson that the US first claimed lands reaching to the Pacific Ocean. Lewis & Clark crossed an area of many different, unrelated nations. When Lewis spoke to the Tushepaw Indians in present day Idaho, the speech had to be translated four times before the Tushepaw could understand it: from English to French, from French to Minataree, from Minataree to Shoshone, and from Shoshone to the Tushepaw language. Although the US expanded to span a continent, the challenge of uniting many diverse peoples and cultures into a unified country is not only significant to the history of the United States but also a continuing challenge for the nation’s future.
Main Idea:
As President, Thomas Jefferson sought to set a democratic tone and to reduce the role of the Federal Government.
Vocabulary:
democratic - ensuring that all people have the same rights
laissez faire - idea that gov’t should play as small a role as possible in economic
affairs
free market (economy) - economy system in which individuals, rather than the
gov’t, decide what and how much to produce and sell
Marbury v. Madison - case in which the Supreme Court ruled that ‘it’ had the
power to decide whether laws passed by Congress were constitutional and to reject laws that it considered unconstitutional
judicial review - power of the Supreme Court to decide whether acts of a President
or laws passed by Congress are constitutional
Thomas Jefferson 3rd President March 4, 1801 –March 4, 1809
Jefferson is most famous for being the author of the Declaration of Independence. His ideas formed the basis for our country’s system of government. In the Declaration, Jefferson wrote that “all men are created equal.” He said people have the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” He declared that it is the government’s job to protect these rights. If it fails, the people have a right to change government. His words inspired our nation from its beginning.
As someone who valued learning and education, Jefferson developed a wide range of skills. He could speak or write Latin, Hebrew, Spanish, French, and some Native American languages. He became a lawyer, an architect, an inventor, and a musician, in addition to managing his plantation, Monticello. He was always looking for a new and better ways to do things. Among his inventions are the swivel chair and the dumbwaiter, which is a small, hand-operated elevator. He also designed the original buildings for the University of Virginia.
By the time he was elected president in 1800, Jefferson had already held many official positions. He served in Virginia’s colonial legislature and as governor of Virginia. From 1784 – 1789, he was the US minister to France. Then, GW chose him to be the United States’ 1st Secretary of State, in charge of relationships with foreign countries. He was elected vice president under John Adams.
In 1803, he oversaw the Louisiana Purchase from France for a mere $15 million dollars. He also sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark (Lewis and Clark) to explore this area and prove that it would be possible to travel across the continent.
Setting the Scene:
The morning Thomas Jefferson became President of the United States, he ate breakfast at Conrad and McMunn’s, the boardinghouse where he was staying. Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital, was so new that the Capitol Building was still unfinished. Even so, Congress assembled there on March 4, 1801, to witness Jefferson’s inauguration.
Jefferson wanted his inauguration to be simple, not showy. Rather than riding a carriage to the Capitol, he walked. The new president gave a speech at the ceremony, but in a voice so low, hardly anyone could hear him. Then, he walked back to Conrad and McMunn’s for a quiet dinner. When he entered, only one of his fellow diners bothered to stand and offer him a chair.
Jefferson deliberately made his inauguration a low-key affair. Although he came from a wealthy family, he believed that the nation’s strength came from ordinary people, such as farmers. As President, he rejected the most Federalist ideas and turned the nation in a new direction.
/ Banner made at the time ofThomas Jefferson's Inauguration
Jubilant Democratic-Republicans celebrated the 1801 inauguration of Thomas Jefferson and the defeat of John Adams and the Federalist Party. This hand-painted banner proclaims: "T. Jefferson President of the United States of America/John Adams is no more."
Jefferson’s Democratic Style
Jefferson was determined to make the gov’t more democratic
“Educate and inform the whole mass of the people. Enable them
to see that it is their interest to preserve peace and order, and they
will preserve them… They are the only ones to rely on for the
preservation of our liberty.” Thomas Jefferson, letter to James Madison, 1787
Jefferson’s personal style matched his democratic beliefs
◌ preferred quiet dinners to formal parties
◌ wore casual clothes
◌ greeted by shaking hands instead of bowing
◌ President was just an ordinary citizen
Some Federalists worried about Jefferson’s democratic beliefs
He might bring revolutionary change to the US and punish Federalists who had used the Alien and Sedition Acts to jail some Republicans
Jefferson calmed Federalists’ fears in his inaugural address
He promised not to treat the Federalists harshly
“The minority possess their equal rights, which equal laws must protect”
Jefferson called for an end to the political disputes of the past few years
“We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists”
A Smaller Role for the Federal Government
☼Jefferson thought the Federalists had made the national gov’t too large and too powerful
☼New Economic Policies
Jefferson wanted to reduce the federal budget to keep federal debt low
Jefferson believed in an economic idea known as laissez faire, “let alone”
He believed in favor of a free market where goods/services are exchanged with little regulation
Laissez faire economists believed that gov’t should play as small a role as possible in economic affairs
¿¿ How did Jefferson’s policy of laissez faire encourage free enterprise ?
______
☼A Less Active Government
Jefferson believed the gov’t should protect the rights of citizens
He wanted the gov’t to take a less active role in governing the nation
Decreased the size of gov’t depts. / Reduced the size of army and navyCut the federal budget / Repealed the whiskey tax
The Sedition Act expired the day before Jefferson took office – he hated the law and pardoned those in jail because of it
He asked Congress to restore the law allowing foreign-born people to become citizens again after a 5-year waiting period
☼Federalist Policies Remain
Jefferson did NOT discard all of the Federalists policies
He kept the Bank of the US
He paid off state debts
Jefferson let many Federalists keep their gov’t jobs
Strengthening the Supreme Court
☼Election of 1800 gave Republicans control of Congress
☼Federalists remained powerful in the court
☼Before Jefferson took office, Congress passed a law increasing the number of federal judges
☼President Adams appointed Federalists to fill these new positions
☼John Marshall was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who wanted to make the federal gov’t stronger
☼Marshall found the courts to be much weaker than the other 2 branches
☼Marbury v. Madison
In 1803, Marshall decided a case that increased the power of the Supreme Court
William Marbury was a judge appointed by Adams the night before he left office
Republicans refused this “midnight judge” and accused Federalists of unfair tactics to keep control of the courts
Jefferson ordered Secretary of State Madison not to deliver the official papers confirming Marbury’s appointment
Marbury sued Madison
According to the Judiciary Act of 1789, only the Supreme Court could decide a case that was brought against a federal official
Marbury vs. Madison was tried before the Supreme Court
☼An Important Precedent
Supreme Court ruled against Marbury
Chief Justice Marshall stated the Judiciary Act was unconstitutional
Constitution did not give the Supreme Court the right to decide cases brought against federal officials
Congress could not give that power to the Supreme Court simply by passing the Judiciary Act
Marbury vs. Madison case set a precedent
It gave the Supreme Court the power to decide if laws were constitutional and reject laws that were unconstitutional – called judicial review
Jefferson was not pleased because Marshall’s decision gave more power to the Supreme Court where Federalists were still strong
This upset the balance of the 3 branches:
“The opinion which gives to the judges the right to decide what laws are constitutional and what are not, not only for themselves…but for the Legislature and Executive also…would make the judiciary a tyrannical branch.” Thomas Jefferson, letter to Abigail Adams, 1804
¿¿ What was the significance of Marbury v. Madison ?
______
1. How did Jefferson’s presidency reflect a democratic style ?
______
2. What actions did Jefferson take to reduce the power of the federal gov’t ?
______
______
3. How did Chief Justice John Marshall strengthen the Supreme Court ?
______
______
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