Thomas Jefferson’s Presidency

Key Terms

• Democratic – ensuring that all people have the same rights.

• Laissez faire – the idea that government should play as small a role as possible in economic affairs

• Judicial review – the power of the Supreme Court to decide whether acts of a President or laws passed by Congress are constitutional.

Changing Presidents

• Jefferson was a republican. He rejected most federalist ideas and turned the nation in a new direction.

• Many of the remaining federalists feared that Jefferson would try to punish them for the alien and sedition acts. Jefferson promised that he would not. He wanted all the political bickering to stop.

                                                                                                                         

Were you listening?

• How did Jefferson’s actions reflect his democratic beliefs?

• Why did Federalists worry when Jefferson became president?

What changes did Jefferson make?

• Jefferson did want to change the federalist policies. Jefferson believed the nation’s strength came from ordinary people and he also believed that the federal government had become too strong.

• Jefferson made several changes including reducing the federal budget. Jefferson believed in Laissez Faire economics. This is a free market with very little regulation.

• Laissez faire was very different from the Federalist view. The Federalist had thought the government should try and promote trade and manufacturing.

Changing Federalist Policies• Jefferson did everything he

could to weaken the power of the federal government. He reduced the size of the army and navy and repealed the whiskey tax. He also pardoned all those put in jail because of the sedition acts.

• One Federalist idea Jefferson agreed with was the Bank of the United States so he kept that.

Review

• In what ways did Jefferson try to reduce the size and power of the federal government?

• In what ways did Jefferson try to include the Federalist and their ideas during his presidency?

Midnight Judge• The very last night John

Adams was president, he appointed William Marbury as a new judge. Marbury was a Federalist.

• Jefferson believed Adams was trying to strengthen the courts. He also thought the naming a new judge was his decision to make. Jefferson told his Secretary of State – James Madison not to deliver the official papers that would make Marbury a judge so Marbury sued to get the job.

Jefferson wins…or maybe not?

• The Supreme Court ruled in favor of James Madison saying that Marbury would not be allowed to take the judge position.

So does this mean I need to find a new

job?

Marbury V. Madison

• In the case of Marbury v. Madison, an important precedent was set. It gave the supreme court the power to decide if laws passed by congress were unconstitutional. This power is called Judicial review.

Chief Justice John Marshall

Do you think Jefferson was happy about the Supreme Court verdict?

Why or why not?

• Jefferson was not pleased with the decision because it made the federal government stronger. Jefferson had been trying to reduce the size and power of the federal government and now the judicial branch had more power than ever before.

Last Questions

• Why did Jefferson disagree with the Supreme Court’s decision even though they ruled in Madison’s favor?

• What important precedent did John Marshall set in the case of Marbury v. Madison?