JEFFERSONIAN DEMOCRACY

• The Federalist Contribution – Republicans won election of 1800

because electors did not distinguish between president and vice-president

– Jefferson and Burr received same number of votes; this threw the election into House of Representatives

– Hamilton, who exerted considerable influence on Federalist members of Congress, threw his support to Jefferson; Jefferson won presidency

– Federalists’ major contribution consisted of principles and governmental structure set forth in Constitution

– Federalists established a sound financial system and encouraged development of a diversified economy

– in foreign affairs, they sought accommodation with Britain and took a cautious approach toward French Revolution

– Jefferson called his victory in 1800 a revolution, but real significance of election was that control of government changed hands in a democratic and orderly fashion

• Thomas Jefferson: Political Theorist – Jefferson derived political philosophy

from ideas of Enlightenment and experience as southern planter

– although he believed humans were inherently selfish, he also believed individuals in society could be improved by the application of reason

– unlike Hamilton, he did not believe that wealthy had monopoly on talent

– viewed all government as constant threat to individual freedom

– he relied on democracy and

protection of personal liberties

– Jefferson distrusted Hamilton’s

admiration for British society, his

plans to centralize American

government, and his efforts to aid

commerce and development

• Jefferson as President

– he repealed Naturalization Act and

allowed Alien and Sedition Acts to

expire, but he made no attempt to

destroy Hamilton’s financial structure

• Jefferson’s Attack on the Judiciary – as Adams’s administration expired,

Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1801, which created a number of new federal judgeships

– Adams filled new judgeships with Federalists

– upon gaining power, Republicans immediately repealed the act

– moreover, not all of the commissions Adams signed had been delivered

– Jefferson ordered undelivered commissions withheld

– one of Adams,s appointees, Marbury, petitioned Supreme Court to force new secretary of state, Madison, to give him his judicial commission

– in Marbury v. Madison, Chief Justice John Marshall decided that a clause contained in Judiciary Act violated Constitution

– even though Marbury had a right to the commission, the Supreme Court could not force Madison to give it to him

– case established the power of federal judiciary to invalidate federal laws

– the Marbury case made Jefferson even more determined to strike at the Federalist-dominated courts

– after obtaining impeachment and conviction of a clearly unfit district judge, John Pickering, Jefferson went after Samuel Chase, an associate justice of the Supreme Court

– House of Representatives impeached Chase, Senate found that his actions did not constitute “high crimes and misdemeanors”

• The Barbary Pirates – Jefferson refused to continue policy of

paying tribute to North African pirates to prevent seizure of American ships, making United States the only maritime nation to refuse to pay protection money to Barbary pirates

– the pasha of Tripoli declared war on United States in 1801, and Jefferson dispatched a naval squadron to Mediterranean

– although squadron failed to defeat pirates, the pasha agreed to a treaty more favorable to United States

• The Louisiana Purchase – Jefferson acquired Louisiana Territory,

region between Mississippi River and Rocky Mountains, from France in 1803 for $15 million

– Spain had given territory back to France in 1800

– before relinquishing area, Spain revoked right of deposit at New Orleans

– Jefferson made an attempt to buy New Orleans

– Napoleon’s need for money to finance

his war in Europe and the failure of

French to put down a slave revolt in

Haiti led emperor to sell all of Louisiana

– Jefferson had doubts about

constitutionality of Louisiana Purchase

but decided to go ahead anyway

– with support of some prominent

Federalists, treaty won ratification in

Senate

• Federalism Discredited– west and south supported Jefferson, and

his popularity was growing in north– with addition of new states in west, New

England’s power declined still further– small group of die-hard Federalists in New

England began to consider secession, even among Federalists, this group had little support

– their attempt to gain control of New York’s state government failed

– as a result of campaign, Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel and killed him

• Lewis and Clark– in 1803, Jefferson sent an expedition

under Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore Louisiana Territory

– expedition left St. Louis in Spring of 1804 and traveled up Missouri River

– they eventually made it to Pacific coast and returned to St. Louis in 1806

– Lewis and Clark located passes through Rocky Mountains, established friendly relations with several Indian tribes, and brought back a wealth of information about territory and inhabitants

• Jeffersonian Democracy– Jefferson’s policies and talents created

Jeffersonian democracy– he proved that a democrat could maintain

a stable administration– by accepting Federalist ideas on public

finance, he contributed to prosperity among all classes, all of this eroded support for Federalists

• Domestic Concerns Vex Jefferson– Despite his popular support, factionalism

within his party disrupted Jefferson’s second term

– John Randolph, a fanatic supporter of

states’ rights, resented Jefferson’s

accommodations to Federalist policies

– Randolph first clashed with Jefferson

over a bill providing federal relief to

victims of the Yazoo land fraud

• The Burr Conspiracy – Jefferson’s political assaults on Burr

contributed to the latter’s decision to flirt with treason

– his intent was to carve out a western empire for himself

– Burr’s expedition failed when a confederate betrayed him, Burr was captured and charged with treason

– Marshall’s narrow construction of treason led to Burr’s acquittal and increased animosity between Jefferson and Chief Justice

• Napoleon and the British

– until 1806, the war between Britain and France stimulated the American economy; Americans provided goods and vessels to the combatants

– Napoleon resorted to economic warfare against Britain, British retaliated with the Orders in Council, which blockaded most continental ports and barred foreign vessels from them unless vessels first stopped at a British port and paid customs duties

– Napoleon then declared that any vessel submitting to British rules became English property and therefore subject to seizure

– when war first broke out, the danger of capture convinced merchant vessels from belligerent countries to abandon colonial trade, which fell into American hands

– Americans tried to circumvent restrictions by transshipping and reexporting colonial goods as American goods carried on American ships, British declared such practices illegal, and thereby threatened American prosperity

• The Impressment Controversy – British practice of impressment

threatened America’s rights as a neutral country

– Jefferson and his administration conceded Britain right to impress British subjects from American ships

– British also impressed naturalized Americans and even native-born American citizens

– Jefferson believed in standing up for one’s rights but hated the thought of war

– moreover, as a southerner, he was probably less sensitive to New England’s interests than he might have been

– in addition, the tiny navy Jefferson maintained could do little to enforce American rights on high seas

• The Embargo Act – when the British fired on an American

warship and impressed three deserters from it, Jefferson ordered all British warships out of American waters and Congress passed the Embargo Act, which prohibited all exports

– Jefferson hoped embargo would put economic pressure on Britain and France, but act severely damaged American economy

– American merchants resented act and frequently violated it

– in Jefferson’s last months as president, Congress repealed the Embargo Act and replaced it with the Non-Intercourse Act, which forbade trade only with Britain and France and authorized president to end the boycott against either power if it stopped violating rights of Americans