Chapter 8

Jeffersonianism and the Era of Good Feelings, 1801-1824

Introduction

• On March 4, 1801, Thomas Jefferson walked to the Capitol and took the oath of office as president.– His actions reflected his belief that the “pomp and

circumstance” in which Washington and Adams had engaged ill-fitted republican govt.

• Despite the partisan bitterness of the election of 1800, Jefferson, in his inaugural address, attempted to conciliate Federalists by emphasizing the principles on which most Americans agreed: federalism and republicanism

Introduction (cont.)

• The period of 1801 to 1823 would see major changes:– 1.) The Federalist Party would slowly die out– 2.) the Republicans would be rent by factionalism– 3.) United States would double in size– 4.) sectional strife over statehood for MO would nearly

tear that expanded nation apart

Introduction (cont.)

• 1.) How did Jefferson’s philosophy shape policy toward public expenditures, the judiciary, and LA?

• 2.) What led James Madison to go to war with Britain in 1812?

• 3.) How did the War of 1812 influence American domestic politics?

• 4.) To what extent did Jefferson’s legacy persist into the Era of Good Feelings?

The Age of Jefferson, 1801-1805

• Jefferson and Jeffersonianism– Thomas Jefferson; intellectual, scientist, architect,

inventor, and statesman, was a complex, contradictory, and gifted individual

– Author of the DOI’s bold statement about the equality of all men, he, nevertheless, doubted that blacks and whites could live side by side on terms of equality

– Despite his opposition to racially mixing black and white blood, his political enemies charged that he himself had fathered the children of his slave Sally Hemings.• Recent DNA evidence from Sally’s male heir appears to support

the story

Jefferson and Jeffersonianism (cont.)

• Jefferson distrusted power concentrated in the federal govt. – a danger to republican liberty

• preferring that state govts. – he saw as closer and more responsive to the people

• Republican liberty could best be retained by a virtuous and vigilant citizenry that put the public good ahead of selfish private interests– Educated small farmers– Cities and their landless inhabitants were a potential

menace to the republic

Jefferson’s “Revolution”

• Jefferson attempted to repeal Federalist measures that he felt were a danger to the simple republic– Parts of Alexander Hamilton’s economic program– The Alien and Sedition Acts

• He reduced taxes and the national debt– Primarily by slashing expenditures for the army and for the

diplomatic establishment– In these ways he felt that he was lifting an economic

burden form hardworking farmers

Jefferson and the Judiciary

• Jefferson demanded that Congress repeal the Federalist-sponsored Judiciary Act of 1801 and remove the partisan Federalist judges that President Adams had appointed in his last hours as president

• Jefferson had little success with impeachment of Federalist judges– Only one conviction and removal from the bench

• The majority in Congress viewed impeachment process as an inappropriate way to solve the problem of partisan judges

Jefferson and the Judiciary (cont.)

• Jefferson’s drive to keep additional Federalists out of the judiciary led to the Marbury v. Madison (1803)

• http://www.landmarkcases.org/marbury/majority.html

• The Supreme Court said presidents could appoint federal judges

Jefferson and the Judiciary (cont.)

• Marshall used the case to significantly strengthen the power of the judicial branch

• He claimed that federal courts had the right to review laws passed by Congress– Judicial review

• For the 1st time, the Supreme Court declared a portion of a law passed by Congress unconstitutional

• Jefferson did not oppose the concept of judicial review, but he believed that judges should not use it for partisan purposes

The Louisiana Purchase

• Napoleon Bonaparte forced Spain to cede the Louisiana Territory to France

• The French action alarmed Jefferson – it placed a major European power on the U.S.

border– It blocked the gradual expansion of the U.S.A.

The Louisiana Purchase (cont.)

• The problem became especially pressing in 1802, when Spanish authorities (just before the territory’s transfer to France) denied western farmers use of the port of New Orleans

• Jefferson sent James Monroe and Robert R. Livingston to France with a request to buy the city

• Napoleon countered with an offer to sell the entire Louisiana Territory for $15 million– He was frustrated with uprisings in French Caribbean

colonies

The Louisiana Purchase (cont.)

• Since the Constitution did not explicitly give the federal govt. the power to acquire new territories and since Jefferson was wedded to strict interpretation, he briefly thought of first seeking an enabling amendment to the Constitution

The Louisiana Purchase (cont.)

• His political acumen and desire to make land available to small farmers, the “backbone of the nation”, won out

• He submitted the purchase treaty to the Senate – It was quickly ratified

• April 30, 1803 officially U.S.A. territory

The Election of 1804

• Republicans– renominated Jefferson for president and dropped

Aaron Burr in favor of George Clinton for VP

• The Federalist– Charles C. Pickney and Rufus King

The Election of 1804 (cont.)

• The successes of Jefferson’s first term– Doubling the size of U.S.A., maintaining peace,

reducing taxes, reducing national debt

• Won over many former Federalist voters• Overwhelming Republican victory– 162 to 14 electoral votes

The Election of 1804 (cont.)

The Lewis and Clark Expedition

• Lewis Meriwether • William Clark• Jefferson requested

funding from Congress for an expedition across the continent to explore the new Louisiana Purchase

The Lewis and Clark Expedition (cont.)

• They were charged with the difficult task of opening trade relations with unknown numbers of Indian tribes across the plains and northwest

• Brought Americans into contact for the first time with the Mandan, Hidatsas, Arikaras, and Sioux tribes

• Left St. Louis in 1804

The Lewis and Clark Expedition (cont.)

• Followed the Missouri, Snake, and Columbia rivers

• Crossed the Rockies• Reached the Pacific in 1805• They would not have returned safely if not for

the priceless guidance and comfort offered by numerous Indian nations along the trail

The Lewis and Clark Expedition (cont.)

• The Corps of Discovery returned with a wealth of scientific information (and some misinformation), descriptions, and maps that stimulated interest in the West

The Gathering Storm, 1805-1812

• Introduction– Jefferson’s second term as president was beset by

problems caused by the breakdown of Republican Party unity and the renewal of the Napoleonic Wars

Challenges on the Home Front

• Aaron Burr, Jefferson’s first-term VP, stirred up factionalism within the Republican party

Challenges on the Home Front (cont.)

• Jefferson believed that Burr was the chief plotter in a conspiracy to separate the western states from the Union

• The president had Burr arrested and tried for treason

• At the trial, over which John Marshall presided, the jury found the charges “not proved”

Challenges on the Home Front (cont.)

• Jefferson also was attacked by another faction of Republicans known as the Quids and led by John Randolph

• They criticized the president’s handling of the Yazoo (present-day AL and MS) land scandal (GA legislature had sold the land at a fraction of its worth to land companies. The land companies bribed the GA legislatures.) and other actions that they saw as compromising “republican virtue”

The Suppression of American Trade and Impressment

• The British and French, at war with each other, forbade American ships from entering each other’s ports and trading with the other side.

• Both powers seized U.S. ships• Actions of the British caused greater harm because

they had the larger navy and their warships often hovered just off the U.S. coast– The British also removed sailors on American ships and

forced (or pressed) them into service in the Royal Navy

The Suppression of American Trade and Impressment (cont.)

• When the British warship HMS Leopard attacked the American frigate USS Chesapeake near the VA coast and impressed 4 of its crewman– the country was outraged– Jefferson still sought to avoid war

The Embargo Act of 1807

• Jefferson persuaded Congress to pass an embargo as a means of “peaceable coercion”

• He hoped that U.S. refusal to export any goods or to buy any products from abroad would put sufficient economic pressure on GB and France to make them respect U.S. neutral rights

The Embargo Act of 1807 (cont.)

• Unfortunately, the cutoff of trade did not hurt them enough to change their actions

• It proved disastrous to the U.S. economy– Seamen were unemployed; merchants and

farmers who depended on foreign sales were ruined

– The impact was hardest on New England

The Embargo Act of 1807 (cont.)

• An unintended consequence of the embargo was to encourage the transfer of capital into domestic manufacturing, a development Jefferson had initially opposed

James Madison and the Failure of “Peaceable Coercion”

• The unpopularity of the embargo revived the Federalist Party

• 1808 election• Federalist=Charles C.

Pinckney• Republican=James

Madison

James Madison and the Failure of “Peaceable Coercion” (cont.)

• Federalist carried much of New England

• Madison carried most of other sections of the country

James Madison and the Failure of “Peaceable Coercion” (cont.)

• Just before Jefferson left office, Congress repealed the embargo and replaced it with the weaker Non-Intercourse Act– This law worked no better then the previous one

• For the next year and half, President Madison tried variations on the them of peaceable coercion (Macon’s Bill No. 2)– all failed to change British and French behavior

James Madison and the Failure of “Peaceable Coercion” (cont.)

• By 1810, Madison faced increasing pressure from Republican congressional representatives from the South and West– Demanded a more aggressive policy toward Britain and

France

• “war hawks” – resented the insults to American honor– Blamed the interference in trade for the economic

recession hitting their home states

Tecumseh and the Prophet

• The war hawks wanted the British to get out of Canada– They believed that the

British were arming and inciting the Indians on the American frontier

Tecumseh and the Prophet (cont.)

• Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa (the Prophet) were 2 Shawnees attempting to unite the tribes of Ohio and Indiana against white settlers

• Initially they had no connections with the British– William Henry Harrison attacked the Prophet’s town and

won the battle at Tippecanoe, Tecumseh did join forces with England

Congress Votes for War

• June 1, 1812, Madison asked Congress to declare war on England

• The vote reflected party and sectional splits• Most of the “no” votes came from New

England Federalists• The majority of Republicans passed the

declaration

Congress Votes for War (cont.)

• Reasons U.S.A. declared war in 1812– Britain’s incitement of the Indians– The belief that continuing British restrictions on

U.S. shipping was causing the recession in the South and West

– Madison’s view that England intended to ruin America as a commercial rival

The War of 1812

The War of 1812 (cont.)

• On to Canada– In 1812, American

attempts to conquer Canada failed• The British took Detroit• American victories:

– Oliver H. Perry’s victory on Lake Erie

– William Henry Harrison’s at the Battle of the Thames

The British Offensive

• In 1814, the British landed on the shores of Chesapeake Bay and marched to Washington

• Captured Washington and burned it

• After they failed to take Baltimore, they broke off the campaign

The Treaty of Ghent

• U.S. and British commissioners met at Ghent, Belgium

• Dec. 1814• The British demanded

territory from the U.S.A.

• The U.S.A. refused• British backed down

The Treaty of Ghent (cont.)

• Dec. 24, 1814, they signed the treaty• The U.S.A. was restored to prewar status quo• Battle of New Orleans– Fought 2 weeks after the Treaty was signed– U.S. had a resounding victory– Had no bearing on the terms of the Treaty of Ghent– Provided an uplifting ending for Americans

Treaty of Ghent (cont.)

Battle of New Orleans

The Hartford Convention

• The unpopularity of the war in the Northwest contributed to the revival of the Federalists

• In the election of 1812, antiwar Republicans and Federalists supported DeWitt Clinton for president against Madison– Madison won reelection

(128 to 89)– Clinton carried most of the

Northeast

The Hartford Convention (cont.)

• American military losses intensified Federalist discontent

• Fall of 1814• Group of Federalists convened at Hartford, CT • Passed resolutions aimed at strengthening their

region’s power within the Union• http://civilwar.bluegrass.net/secessioncrisis/hartford

convention.html

The Hartford Convention (cont.)

• Their timing could not have been worse– Coincided with the end of the war and news of

Jackson’s victory in New Orleans • Silenced Federalist criticism

• Public disapproval of the Hartford Convention led to the rapid demise of the Federalist Party

The Hartford Convention (cont.)

• In the election of 1816, James Monroe (the Republican nominee) scored an easy victory

• In 1820, Monroe won reelection with every electoral vote but one

1816 1820

The Awakening of American Nationalism

• Madison’s Nationalism and the Era of Good Feelings, 1817-1824– Era of Good Feelings was the name given to the

postwar time period – Heightened spirit of nationalism – New political consensus– Federalist party disappeared

Madison’s Nationalism and the Era of Good Feelings, 1817-1824

(cont.)• Republicans wanted to make the country more self-

sufficient– Enacted many measures that the Federalists had earlier

supported– Chartering of a new national bank– Protective tariff (help domestic manufacturing)

• Sectional harmony started to break down because of the issue of slavery and its spread westward

John Marshall and the Supreme Court

• Chief Justice Marshall wrote opinions that strengthened the power of the federal govt. at the expense of state sovereignty

• Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819)– Forbade state interference with contracts– http://www.abanet.org/publiced/youth/sia/holtcases/dart

mouth.html

• McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)– Prohibited states from interfering with the exercise of

federal powers

The Missouri Compromise, 1820-1821

• National harmony crumbled in the 1819 controversy over Missouri’s application for statehood

• For the 1st time, bitter sectional debate took place over the issue of the spread of slavery because the institution had become embroiled in political and economic issues dividing North and South

The Missouri Compromise, 1820-1821 (cont.)

• Admitting MO as a slave or free state would upset the balance of 11 free and 11 slave states that existed in 1819

• 1820 the Missouri Compromise was approved by Congress

The Missouri Compromise, 1820-1821 (cont.)

• 1.) MO entered the Union as a slave state• 2.) ME entered as a free state• 3.) in the remainder of the Louisiana Territory,

slavery would be permitted only south of 36 30 latitude – The southern boundary of MO

Foreign Policy Under Monroe

• Under the leadership of President James Monroe and his able secretary of state, John Quincy Adams, the U.S. achieved several foreign-policy successes

Foreign Policy Under Monroe (cont.)

• Good relations with the British were cemented through agreements– Rush-Bagot Treaty (1817)

• British and U.S.A. agreed to eliminate their fleets from the Great Lakes

– British-American Convention (1818)• Clarified the western border between Canada and the United

States “as a line from the farthest northwest part of Lake of Woods to the 49th parallel and thence west to the Rocky Mountains.”

• 1819 Adams-Onis Treaty– Spain ceded East Florida to the U.S.A. and renounced its

claims to West Florida

The Monroe Doctrine

• December 1823• Mostly written by John Quincy Adams• Purpose was to discourage European powers

from helping Spain regain her lost colonies in the Americas

• Also, reserving the right of the U.S. to expand further in the Western Hemisphere

The Monroe Doctrine (cont.)

• The Monroe Doctrine stated:– 1.) the U.S.A. would not become involved in strictly

European affairs– 2.) the American continents were not available for further

European colonization– 3.) the U.S. would look upon any attempt by European

countries to regain lost colonies or to interfere in the Americans as an “unfriendly act.”

– http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/jd/16321.htm – http://www.ushistory.org/documents/monroe.htm

Conclusion

• In the election of 1800, the Republicans gained control of the federal govt.

• President Jefferson in his first term cut govt. spending and taxes.– He also protested Federalist stacking of the judiciary– And he purchased Louisiana

Conclusion (cont.)

• Jefferson’s second term was beset by factionalism within his party and foreign difficulties as Britain and France were again at war (and violated U.S. neutral rights)

• When the policy of “peaceable coercion” initiated by Jefferson and followed by Madison, failed, Congress declared war on Britain (War of 1812)

Conclusion (cont.)

• The War of 1812 caused sectional divisions– Federalist denunciation of the war at the Hartford

Convention hastened the demise of the party– The remaining Republicans wanted to make America

economically self-sufficient• They passed many of the nationalist measures once advocated by

Hamiltonian Federalist– A new national bank; federally supported internal improvements;

protective tariffs

Conclusion (cont.)

• Even U.S. foreign policy, especially the Monroe Doctrine, reflected assertive nationalism

• National harmony shattered as Congress battled over the spread of slavery and Missouri’s admission as a slave state