Thomas Jefferson’s Notable Presidency

Brandon Chang Ryan Fitzpatrick

Joanna LiBrian Shen

The Early Life

❖ Born on April 13, 1743 in Shadwell, Goochland County, Virginia

❖ Son of Peter Jefferson, a planter and surveyor, and Jane Randolph, the daughter of a ship captain

❖ Attended the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg where he met George Wythe, his first law professor and influential mentor

❖ Studied writings of British Empiricists, including John Locke, Francis Bacon, and Isaac Newton

The Early Life (Cont.)❖ Became a lawyer in Virginia and represented

members of Virginia’s elite families

❖ Besides law, Jefferson represented Albemarle County in the Virginia House of Burgesses

❖ Secretary of State under George Washington (1790-1793) & Vice President under John Adams (1797-1801)

John Adams

Previous Political Affiliations❖ Founding Father and principal author of the

Declaration of Independence❖ Served in the Constitutional Congress

representing Virginia and later served as wartime Governor of Virginia (1779-1781)

❖ Served as diplomat in Paris, soon becoming the United States Minister to France (1785)

❖ First United States Secretary of State, organized the Democratic-Republican Party w/ James Madison

❖ Wrote A Summary View of the Rights of British America, belief that people had right to govern themselves

First: Presidential Election of 1800

❖ Republican presidential candidate Thomas Jefferson ran against John Adams who led Federalists

❖ Ugliest election in American history→both candidates’ supporters showed no restraint

❖ Aaron Burr = Republican vice presidential candidate

❖ Burr organized Republican “political machine”, the Tammany Society, to win New York’s vote

First: Presidential Election of 1800 (Cont.)

❖ Jefferson and Burr tied with 73 votes, so vote was passed to House of Representatives where each state delegation cast one vote to break tie

❖ New Republican congress that was elected in the 1800s would not convene until after the inauguration, so the old Federalist congress voted

❖ T. Jefferson → President, A. Burr → vice president.

First Term as President ❖ “Revolution” of 1800, the dominant political party shifted

from the Federalists (Adams) to the Republicans (Jefferson)

❖ Both executive and legislative branches controlled by republican party but judiciary was left in Federalist hands

❖ Jefferson and Republicans looked to a future greatly different from “tyranny” under Federalists

❖ In reality, Jefferson, like his Federalist predecessors, also used his powers of appointment as a political weapon

Thomas Jefferson

Aaron Burr

First Term as President (Cont.) ❖ Mindset of democratic simplicity → appearance

was plain and disregarded courtly and sophisticated etiquette

❖ After Louisiana Purchase, Jefferson commissioned Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore and map the newly acquired land

❖ Their Journey known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Meriwether Lewis

William Clark

Domestic Issues (First Term)

❖ Government was previously too large and expensive → cut size of army + navy

❖ Federalists possessed too much power in Supreme Court due to Judiciary Act of 1801 passed under John Adams

❖ Congress attempted to impeach obstructive Federalist judges

❖ Republicans targeted Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase but did not succeed in removing him from office

Samuel Chase

Domestic Issues (First Term Cont.)

❖ Despite treaty between U.S + Cherokee people, Jefferson made deal w/ Georgia to “expel” them

❖ Jefferson believed Natives should assimilate to American culture, more dependent on trade → eventually giving up their land → no cultural/religious differences

❖ Some argue Jefferson did not have the right to accept the Louisiana Purchase for it was not stated in the Constitution

❖ Vice president Aaron Burr rumored to support Federalist plans for secession in New England

Foreign Issues (First Term)❖ Barbary states of North Africa demanded protection

money from U.S whose ships sailed the Mediterranean, ❖ Conflict arose and led to the First Barbary War between

the U.S and Northwest African Berber Muslim❖ Napoleon gained interest in restoring French power in

the New World❖ France beginning to take control of New Orleans, the

most important outlet of western produce, closing port to U.S. ships

❖ Napoleon offered to sell Louisiana Territory to the U.S. to help pay French debt and b/c his campaign in N.A. had failed → continue his rampage in Europe

First Term Issues: Solved?❖ Secretary of Treasury Gallatin reduced government spending and

cutting members of the executive department

❖ Reduction of military → Greater risk of foreign threats

❖ Eliminated whiskey tax and other internal federal taxes

❖ Jefferson reduced national debt from $83 million to $45 million

❖ 1802, Congress pass “Act for the Protection of Commerce and seamen of the United States against the Tripolitan cruisers”

Albert Gallatin Secretary of Treasury

First Term Issues: Solved? (Cont.)❖ Authorized protection of commerce + seamen of American

vessels, allowed them to seize vessels belonging to Bey of Tripoli

❖ Due to blockades/raids, leader Yusuf Karamanli signed a treaty ending hostilities on June 10, 1805 →America still pay $60,000 ransom to free American sailors

❖ Jefferson pays Napoleon $15 million for the Louisiana Territory

❖ Gives America huge part of Midwest including access to Mississippi River and port of New Orleans

Mississippi River

Second: Presidential Election of 1804❖ Republican presidential candidate Thomas

Jefferson ran for a second term against Federalist Charles Cotesworth Pinckney

❖ Jefferson had overwhelming victory, 162 electoral votes to 14, almost 93% of total votes conducted

❖ Jefferson gained popularity after Election of 1800, and Louisiana purchase which heavily contributed to his immense victory

❖ Both houses of Congress dominated by a Republican majority

Second Term as President

❖ Jefferson Victory in 1804 Election → Ratification of Twelfth Amendment

❖ Twelfth Amendment: Presidential electors specify their choice in votes for President and Vice President instead of electing only president

❖ George Clinton would be elected as Vice President instead of Federalist Rufus King

❖ Clinton would serve under both Jefferson and James Madison (1805-1812) making him the only vice president in history to serve under two presidents

GeorgeClinton

Thomas Jefferson

Domestic Issues (Second Term)❖ March 1806: Political split occurred within Jefferson’s party b/c

of his support to ban British imports as a form of retaliation against the British

❖ Albert Gallatin, Secretary of Treasury proposed spending $20 million on the construction roads and canals to improve infrastructure

❖ John Randolph of Roanoke thought Jefferson had gone too far in Federalist direction and called for a purity of republican principles

❖ 1807, Jefferson tried former V.P Aaron Burr for treason→Burr was charged with trying to levy war against the U.S in attempt to establish a separate confederacy consisting of Western states

❖ Following Revolution, all states abolished the international slave trade, but soon after, South Carolina re-opened it

John Randolph of Roanoke

Foreign Issues (Second Term)❖ Relations strained between U.S and Britain, partly

from the personal hatred between Jefferson and British Ambassador, Anthony Merry

❖ After victory at the Battle of Austerlitz (1805), Napoleon → more aggressive over trading rights

❖ European navies seized American merchantmen and their cargo as contraband of war→rationalized the plunder of U.S shipping as necessary for their victories

❖ Chesapeake-Leopard Affair: American frigate U.S.S Chesapeake was unknowingly pursued, attacked and boarded by British warship HMS Leopard

Napoléon Bonaparte

Second Term Issues: Solved?❖ 1807, Jefferson convinced Congress to pass the Act Prohibiting

Importation of Slaves + condoned the I.S.T as a “violation of human rights”

❖ No new slaves imported into the states, established punishment for international trade but did not regulate domestic slave trade

❖ After attack of USS Chesapeake, Jefferson issued proclamation banning armed British ships from entering

❖ Due to violations of U.S neutrality during Napoleonic War, Jefferson responded with Embargo Act of 1807 preventing American ships from leaving to foreign ports

❖ Embargo to end conflicts with American shipping, turned out to be impractical and a failure diplomatically and economically→devastating on US economy→Non-Intercourse Act

❖ Non-Intercourse Act: Congress passed law that reopened trade w/ all nations except for Britain and France

An Astute Quote From Yours Truly...

“In matters of style, swim with the current;In matters of principle, stand like a rock.”

-Thomas Jefferson

Works Cited1. Autumn Scenery. N.d. Photograph. Mr. Wallpaper. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.

<http://www.mrwallpaper.com/wallpapers/Autumn-scenery-1920x1200.jpg>.2. "Barbary Wars." Barbary Wars. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2013.

<http://history.state.gov/milestones/1801-1829/barbary-wars>.3. Jefferson, Thomas, and Merrill D. Peterson. Thomas Jefferson:

Writings. New York, NY: Literary Classics of the U.S., 1984. Print.4. Louisiana Purchase. N.d. Photograph. Mr. Nussbaum. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.

<http://mrnussbaum.com/history1/images/la.png>.5. Malone, Dumas. Jefferson and His Time. Charlottesville:

University of Virginia, 2005. Print.6. "Miller Center." American President: Thomas Jefferson: Campaigns

and Elections. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://millercenter.org/president/jefferson/essays/biography/3>.

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10. U.S Constitution. N.d. Photograph. Wise Geek. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. <http://images.wisegeek.com/usconstitution.jpg>.

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