thmas jefferson: a time of conflict

A Time of Conflict

The Challenges of

Thomas Jefferson’s Presidency

The Election of 1804

• Jefferson chooses

new VP: replaces

Aaron Burr

• Committed to staying

neutral in foreign

policy

• Jefferson wins easily• Burr leaves Republican party

Burr attempts to stay in politics

• Runs for governor of New York

• Hamilton campaigns against him

Fight for Honor

• Burr

challenges

Hamilton to a

duel to the

death

The duel

• July 11, 1804

• Heights of

Weehawken,

NJ

• Burr shoots

Hamilton in

lower

abdomen

Consequences

• Hamilton dies the next day

• Burr becomes a political

outcast

• Tried for treason & murder

• Acquitted and leaves the

country

SS is Everywhere!

Challenge #1

• Trade with Britain and France critical to US economy

• We sold crops and resources to Europe, purchased manufactured goods

• Trade being threatened by PIRATES!

Pirates!

• Attacks on

American ships

in the

Mediterranean

Sea

The Barbary States

• Attacks come

from North

African coast:

• Morocco

• Algiers

• Tunisia

• Tripoli

Why were they attacking?

• Took property

• Enslaved sailors to

hold for ransom

• Wanted America to

pay tribute

Vocabulary:

• Tribute: money paid by one country to another in return for protection

What should we do?

• Jefferson would

not pay tribute

• Warships to

Med. Sea to

protect our ships

The Philadelphia

• Ran aground on

Tripoli coast

• Crew imprisoned

• Americans raided

the harbor and

burned the ship to

keep it out of pirate

hands

Send in Marines!

• 600 sent to capture Tripoli

• “to the shores of Tripoli” still part of Marine anthem

• Inspired confidence in our ability to deal with foreign nations that threatened America

Challenge #2 U.S. Neutrality

• Britain and France

both wanted us to

choose sides

• We wanted to keep

trading with both

How to win the war….

• France and

Britain looking to

hurt one another

• Cut off foreign

trade

How was America involved?

• Britain warships

began to seize

American ships

trading with France

• French warships

began to seize

American ships

trading with Britain

Impressment

• Britain needed sailors for its war against the French• American soldiers were impressed: Forced to serve

in the British navy

What to do?• Jefferson looks for a peaceful way to stop

impressments and the seizing of American ships

Challenge # 3 Embargo

• Embargo: government order that forbids foreign trade

• Embargo Act of 1807: forbid American ships from sailing to foreign ports

OOPS!

• Exports fall from

$109 to $25 million

• Hurt American

farmers and

planters

• Outrage!

In New England…

• Merchants

depended on trade

• Resort to

Smuggling: illegally

importing/exporting

Repealed

• Congress repealed Embargo Act

• President James Madison later passed a new law the forbade trade with Britain and France only

Challenge #4: Native Americans

• Settlers move

west into new

territory

• Indians pushed

even farther

west

Jefferson retires

• Steps down after

two terms

• Did not want to be

remembered for

his presidency

• James Madison

(Republican) wins

Election of 1808

Tecumseh

• Organized western tribes to restore Indian lands

• Britain supplied with weapons

• Traveled and the message spread

Battle of Tippecanoe

• William Henry

Harrison (governor of

Indiana)

• Defeated the Native

Americans

• Tension remain high

between Natives and

settlers, and between

Americans and British

What are we left with?

• Huge tension between America and Britain

• Why? They are…– Attacking ships– Impressing soldiers– Supply Native

Americans with weapons

– Affecting ability to trade