THE TRIUMPHS AND TRAVAILS OF

THE JEFFERSONIAN REPUBLIC

AP U.S. HistoryChapter 11

THE JEFFERSONIAN “REVOLUTION OF 1800” – JEFFERSONIAN RESTRAINT

• "Revolution of 1800" -- significant for its unprecedented peaceful transfer of power

• “We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists” – more harmonious spirit in politics

• "Honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none."

• Simple inauguration - simple administration – reduced number of grand balls/dinners, sent annual messages to Congress by clerk (done until Woodrow Wilson), rode horseback, small dinners served at a round table, wore no wig and homespun clothes (once answered callers in dressing gown/slippers).

• Real threat to republic – taxes, standing army, public corruption

• Most vigilant/virtuous people – educated farmers. Least – residents of cities (breeding grounds for mobs)

• Studied science – every scientific advance would increase human happiness

• Jefferson - kept most of Hamilton's financial plan intact• Did not keep excise taxes • Maintained Bank• Retained tariff

• Did not tamper with funding national debt at par and assumption of state debts.

• Jefferson reversed certain Federalist policies– Pardoned/returned fines - guilty under the Sedition Law– New naturalization law in 1802 – 5 year requirement

• Succeeded in substantially reducing the national debt ($80 million to $57 million) while balancing the budget - cut gov’t spending – Albert Gallatin – Sec. of Treasury

• Reduced Hamilton’s standing army but kept strong navy. 1802 – 3,350 officers and men – rely on it only for national defense.

JEFFERSON, A RELUCTANT WARRIOR

• Tripolitan War (1801-1805)• After 4 years of fighting, Tripoli was

forced to sign a treaty 1805 • Jefferson - build up

a fleet of small gunboats (later criticized as the "mosquito fleet") as it later proved ineffective during the War of 1812

•1801 – Ordered Navy to Mediterranean

Jefferson and the Judiciary

• No Republicans sat on federal judiciary• Still upset over enforcement of A and S Acts• Judiciary Act of 1801 – reduced Supreme Court

judges from 6 to 5 (Jefferson could not appoint when there was a vacancy), and increased the number of federal judges (16) – assured Federalists domination of the federal courts.• "midnight judges"

• Act repealed by Rep congress (1802)

John Marshall • Chief Justice - 34 years• Committed to

strengthening the federal government.

• Maintained Federalist principles - “Ghost of Alexander Hamilton”

Marbury vs Madison, 1803 • William Marbury sued for delivery

of his commission - held up by new secretary of state James Madison.

• Madison was ordered by Jefferson to withhold Adams' appointments under the Judiciary Act of 1801.

• Marshall ruled Madison under no legal obligation b/c Congress had exceeded its constitutional authority.

Marbury

Madison

MEANS…

Judicial Review• Marshall ruled part of the Judiciary Act of 1789, an act

of Congress, unconstitutional • Supreme Court - power to rule legislative acts

unconstitutional. Supreme Court has the ultimate say-so.

• Power of Supreme Court

greatly enhanced Inscription on the wall of the Supreme Court Building from Marbury v. Madison, in which Chief Justice John Marshall (statue, foreground) outlined the concept of judicial review.

Meantime….• Impeaching two Federalist Judges

– John Pickering (insane/ alcoholic)

and Samuel Chase (big-time Federalist who jailed Republicans under Sedition Act)

• Impeachment – treason, bribery, and “high crimes and misdemeanors”

• Does excessively partisan fit this?

The Louisiana Purchase• 1800 - Treaty of

San Ildefonso – Spain ceded to France– 6 months to get

news, minutes to realize…

• Spanish - 1802 withdrew right of deposit at New Orleans guaranteed under the Pinckney Treaty of 1795.

• Monroe/Livingston to Paris – buy New Orleans, as much of Florida as possible

• Louisiana Territory purchased for $15 million (1/4 was debts owed by French to Americans that we would pay). Doubled our size, gave farmers enough land for long time, insured access to MS river.

• Constitutional?????• Jefferson accepted TREATY reluctantly

– Justified if as providing farmers with more land.

• Federalists opposed LA Purchase• Decrease Eastern stronghold

Most important land purchase in U.S. History

1. Doubled size of U.S. for only 3 cents an acre – a BARGAIN and a SURPRISE PACKAGE!!!

2. Guaranteed MS River/New Orleans

3. Paved way for westward expansion - By 1890 all remaining Native Americans in West would be killed or forced onto reservations. John Jacob Astor formed the American Fur Company in 1808 - tap into the newly purchased territory; eventually resulted in U.S. claim to Oregon

4. Ended European expansion in North America (for the most part) 5. Avoided possible war with France, entangling alliance with Britain.

However, a few weeks after the LA Purchase, FR declared war on GB, which dominated American politics for the next 11 years

6. Boosted American nationalism

The Lewis and Clark Expedition• Western boundary???• Meriwether Lewis• William Clark, 50 others

• French fur-trader/wife, Sacajawea • U.S. claim to Oregon; further opened West to Indian trade,

exploration. Demonstrated viability of an overland trail to the Pacific – missionaries, fur trades and settlers.

• Collected scientific info, tall tales• Zebulon M. Pike 1806-1807, went into Colorado & New

Mexico; discovered Pike’s Peak

Jefferson wins again in 1804

Republicans got rid of Burr…

First term

success – U.S. doubled its territory, taken steps to pay off debt, remained at PEACE!

The Gathering Storm…• 1803-1814• Renewal of Napoleonic Wars• Federalists weakened, but

Republicans - internal squabbles…– Burr big problem…– “Quids”

The Suppression of American Trade

• 1803 – Britain and France resumed their war…• U.S. – carrying supplies from FR/SP Caribbean colonies to

Europe • Napoleon – supplies, HURT Britain (driving down prices

from their colonies – economic probs)• 1803 – 1807 U.S. exports rose from $66.5 million to $102.2 million.• England – “Orders in Council" – blockade of French-

controlled ports of Europe. • France – “Continental System” – ships obeying British

regulations subject to seizure…

• RESULT – ALL AMERICAN TRADE WITH EUROPE HAD BEEN OUTLAWED!!

• Both FR/BR seizing ships…–British more humilitating…

• Off OUR coast• British Impressment• 6,000 Americans impressed between 1808-1811

• Chesapeake-Leopard Affair (June 21, 1807) - H.M.S. Leopard demanded surrender of four** alleged British deserters on U.S.S. Chesapeake . Leopard fired at the Chesapeake: 3 dead; 18 wounded.

• Chesapeake Affair enraged country• Made some preparations for war, BUT…

Sought PEACE

THE HATED EMBARGO• Jefferson wanted to avoid war – taxes, debt,

defeat would be bad for the U.S. BUT – at the same time could not give in to the mistreatment.

• Embargo Act – 1807 – prohibited ships from leaving American ports for foreign ports.

• Prohibited only exports, but…• “Peaceable coercion” – pressure both nations to

respect our rights

• British sales to the U.S. dropped 50%, but they found new markets in South America

• Also – Embargo Act contained loopholes–Ships blown off course…

• Napoleon seized ships (enforcement??)

• Embargo Act disaster to the U.S. economy • In 1807 U.S. exports = $108 million ; in 1808 =

$22 million. Merchants (bankrupt/jail), shipping (30,000 seamen out of work), farmers (can’t pay debts) all hurt.

• Congress repealed - March 1, 1809 (3 days before Jefferson left office)

Election of 1808 • Republican - James Madison• Federalists - significant gains in Congress

(although still in minority) and gained control of several state legislatures.

• Non-Intercourse Act (1809) – replaced Embargo Act – Reopened trade with all nations of the world

except BR and FR (trade would reopen if they stopped violating our rights) – they didn’t, so…

– Macon’s Bill #2 – Opened trade with BR and FR, then a bribe – if either nation repealed its restrictions we would stop trade with other.

Reasons for embargo's failure

1. Overestimated British dependence on U.S. trade 2. Embargo not in effect long enough,

administered effectively 3. Embargo Act proved to be three times as costly

as war -- U.S. lost opportunity to build a strong navy

4. Northeastern Federalists undermined Embargo through smuggling.

• The Embargo Act inadvertently sparked the Industrial Revolution

• New England - self-sufficient -- Textile factories

•The Embargo eventually hurt Britain -British importers and textile manufacturers saw major losses

• Madison (now President) under fire from aggressive Republicans

• South and West – “War Hawks”• Henry Clay (KY) and John C.

Calhoun (SC)• Economic Recession 1808-1810

TECUMSEH AND THE PROPHET

• Fear of Indian threat in west (with help of British in Canada)– Tecumseh, brother

“the Prophet” organized several tribes in OH, IN and attacked settlers.

• William H. Harrison’s army - defeated the Prophet at Battle of Tippecanoe, Tecumseh at Battle of the Thames

“Tecumseh’s Curse”• 1840 – William H. Harrison - pneumonia• 1860 – Abraham Lincoln - assassination• 1880 – James Garfield - assassination• 1900 – William McKinley - assassination• 1920 – Warren G. Harding – heart

attack/stroke/poison?• 1940 – Franklin D. Roosevelt – cerebral hemorrhage• 1960 – John F. Kennedy - assassinated• 1980 – Ronald Reagan – attempted assassination

(injured but not killed)• 2000 – George W. Bush – attempted assassination (not

injured)

Congress Votes for War• June 1st – War message to Congress

Causes:• Impressment• British ships in American waters• British violations of neutral rights• Incitement of Indians• Underlying cause – economic recession affecting S

and W• Madison

• U.S. declared war on Britain in June, 1812 - 1st declaration of war under the Constitution

The War of 1812• British – naval blockade on American coast• Ally – Native Americans• Americans – few militiamen understood goals

of war• Focused on Canada, unsuccessfully…

The Treaty of Ghent• 1814 – Ghent, Belgium (signed Christmas Eve)• British really not gaining anything, wanted

peace in Europe, so…Treaty:

• restored the status quo ante bellum• Boundary issue between U.S./Canada referred

to joint commissions for future settlement• Nothing done about impressment

Battle of New Orleans

• Most dramatic American victory!!!– Jan. 1815

• Andrew Jackson and men in an hour inflicted more than 2,000 casualties while losing only 13 Americans.

The Hartford Convention• Battle of New Orleans – impact on domestic

politics…

• Northeast – hurt by Embargo, “Mr. Madison’s War”– Talk of secession

• Late 1814 – convention in Hartford, CT – series of resolutions:

• Abolish 3/5 clause• 2/3 vote in Congress required to declare war• 2/3 vote in Congress to admit new states• Limit President to 1 term• Prohibit election of 2 successive presidents

from same state• Bar embargoes lasting more than 60 days

• Seen as a TRAITOROUS PLOT

• Federalists finished as a force in national politics!!!