The Jefferson Era

10-1 Jefferson Takes Office

Election of 1800

• Thomas Jefferson v. John Adams

Jefferson = Democratic Republican

Adams = Federalist• Democratic

Republicans won the election…

We Have a Tie

• Jefferson = 73 votes

• Aaron Burr = 73 votes

• DR’s wanted him as Vice president (ooops!)

• House of Reps to choose president

• House voted 35 times…no winner

• Hamilton thought Jefferson would do more for nation than Burr

• Convinced some Federalists to vote for Jefferson

Jefferson is da’ bomb!!

• Politician• Musician• Scientist• Architect• Horseman• Devoted reader (his

book collection became the core of the Library of Congress)

Jefferson is da’ bomb!!

• Architect• Monticello

Jefferson is da’ bomb!!

• Architect • Virginia State Capital

Jefferson is da’ bomb!!

• Architect • University of Virginia

“Let us, then, fellow citizens, unite with one heart and one

mind…Every difference of opinion is not a difference of

principle…We are all Republicans, we are all

Federalists.”-Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural

Address

Jefferson in Action

• Promoted a common way of life to unite Americans

• Behaved as a gentleman farmer

• Sought to end many Federalist programs– Thought government

should have less power than it had under Federalists

• Allowed Alien and Sedition Acts to end

• Ended the Whiskey Tax

• Reduced the number of federal employees

• Reduced the size of the military

• Reduced the amount of money owed by the government to the people

That Sneaky Adams…

• Judiciary Act of 1801– Adams appointed

as many Federalist judges as he could before Jefferson could take office.

– Known as the “Midnight Judges”

• John Marshall appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court– Served for over 30

years

Marbury v. Madison• Marbury one of Adams’s

“Midnight Judges”• New Sec. of State James

Madison refused to give him the job.

• Supreme Court ruled that the law under which Marbury sued was unconstitutional (Jefferson and new congress had overturned Judiciary Act of 1801)

• Established principal of Judicial Review– Supreme Court has final

say in interpreting the Constitution.

– Created a lasting balance among the three branches of government.

The End