JEFFERSONIAN DEMOCRACY

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JEFFERSONIAN DEMOCRACY

• The Federalist Contribution
• Republicans won election of 1800 because
  electors did not distinguish between president
  and vice-president
• Jefferson and Burr received same number of votes
  this threw the election into House of
  Representatives
• Hamilton, who exerted considerable influence on
  Federalist members of Congress, threw his support
  to Jefferson Jefferson won presidency

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• Federalists major contribution consisted of
  principles and governmental structure set forth
  in Constitution
• Federalists established a sound financial system
  and encouraged development of a diversified
  economy
• in foreign affairs, they sought accommodation
  with Britain and took a cautious approach toward
  French Revolution
• Jefferson called his victory in 1800 a
  revolution, but real significance of election was
  that control of government changed hands in a
  democratic and orderly fashion

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• Thomas Jefferson Political Theorist
• Jefferson derived political philosophy from ideas
  of Enlightenment and experience as southern
  planter
• although he believed humans were inherently
  selfish, he also believed individuals in society
  could be improved by the application of reason
• unlike Hamilton, he did not believe that wealthy
  had monopoly on talent
• viewed all government as constant threat to
  individual freedom

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• he relied on democracy and protection of personal
  liberties
• Jefferson distrusted Hamiltons admiration for
  British society, his plans to centralize American
  government, and his efforts to aid commerce and
  development

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• Jefferson as President
• he repealed Naturalization Act and allowed Alien
  and Sedition Acts to expire, but he made no
  attempt to destroy Hamiltons financial structure

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• Jeffersons Attack on the Judiciary
• as Adamss administration expired, Congress
  passed the Judiciary Act of 1801, which created a
  number of new federal judgeships
• Adams filled new judgeships with Federalists
• upon gaining power, Republicans immediately
  repealed the act
• moreover, not all of the commissions Adams signed
  had been delivered
• Jefferson ordered undelivered commissions withheld

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• one of Adams,s appointees, Marbury, petitioned
  Supreme Court to force new secretary of state,
  Madison, to give him his judicial commission
• in Marbury v. Madison, Chief Justice John
  Marshall decided that a clause contained in
  Judiciary Act violated Constitution
• even though Marbury had a right to the
  commission, the Supreme Court could not force
  Madison to give it to him
• case established the power of federal judiciary
  to invalidate federal laws

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• the Marbury case made Jefferson even more
  determined to strike at the Federalist-dominated
  courts
• after obtaining impeachment and conviction of a
  clearly unfit district judge, John Pickering,
  Jefferson went after Samuel Chase, an associate
  justice of the Supreme Court
• House of Representatives impeached Chase, Senate
  found that his actions did not constitute high
  crimes and misdemeanors

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• The Barbary Pirates
• Jefferson refused to continue policy of paying
  tribute to North African pirates to prevent
  seizure of American ships, making United States
  the only maritime nation to refuse to pay
  protection money to Barbary pirates
• the pasha of Tripoli declared war on United
  States in 1801, and Jefferson dispatched a naval
  squadron to Mediterranean
• although squadron failed to defeat pirates, the
  pasha agreed to a treaty more favorable to
  United States

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• The Louisiana Purchase
• Jefferson acquired Louisiana Territory, region
  between Mississippi River and Rocky Mountains,
  from France in 1803 for 15 million
• Spain had given territory back to France in 1800
• before relinquishing area, Spain revoked right of
  deposit at New Orleans
• Jefferson made an attempt to buy New Orleans

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• Napoleons need for money to finance his war in
  Europe and the failure of French to put down a
  slave revolt in Haiti led emperor to sell all of
  Louisiana
• Jefferson had doubts about constitutionality of
  Louisiana Purchase but decided to go ahead anyway
• with support of some prominent Federalists,
  treaty won ratification in Senate

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• Federalism Discredited
• west and south supported Jefferson, and his
  popularity was growing in north
• with addition of new states in west, New
  Englands power declined still further
• small group of die-hard Federalists in New
  England began to consider secession, even among
  Federalists, this group had little support
• their attempt to gain control of New Yorks state
  government failed
• as a result of campaign, Burr challenged Hamilton
  to a duel and killed him

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• Lewis and Clark
• in 1803, Jefferson sent an expedition under
  Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore
  Louisiana Territory
• expedition left St. Louis in Spring of 1804 and
  traveled up Missouri River
• they eventually made it to Pacific coast and
  returned to St. Louis in 1806
• Lewis and Clark located passes through Rocky
  Mountains, established friendly relations with
  several Indian tribes, and brought back a wealth
  of information about territory and inhabitants

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• Jeffersonian Democracy
• Jeffersons policies and talents created
  Jeffersonian democracy
• he proved that a democrat could maintain a stable
  administration
• by accepting Federalist ideas on public finance,
  he contributed to prosperity among all classes,
  all of this eroded support for Federalists
• Domestic Concerns Vex Jefferson
• Despite his popular support, factionalism within
  his party disrupted Jeffersons second term

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• John Randolph, a fanatic supporter of states
  rights, resented Jeffersons accommodations to
  Federalist policies
• Randolph first clashed with Jefferson over a bill
  providing federal relief to victims of the Yazoo
  land fraud

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• The Burr Conspiracy
• Jeffersons political assaults on Burr
  contributed to the latters decision to flirt
  with treason
• his intent was to carve out a western empire for
  himself
• Burrs expedition failed when a confederate
  betrayed him, Burr was captured and charged with
  treason
• Marshalls narrow construction of treason led to
  Burrs acquittal and increased animosity between
  Jefferson and Chief Justice

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• Napoleon and the British
• until 1806, the war between Britain and France
  stimulated the American economy Americans
  provided goods and vessels to the combatants
• Napoleon resorted to economic warfare against
  Britain, British retaliated with the Orders in
  Council, which blockaded most continental ports
  and barred foreign vessels from them unless
  vessels first stopped at a British port and paid
  customs duties

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• Napoleon then declared that any vessel submitting
  to British rules became English property and
  therefore subject to seizure
• when war first broke out, the danger of capture
  convinced merchant vessels from belligerent
  countries to abandon colonial trade, which fell
  into American hands
• Americans tried to circumvent restrictions by
  transshipping and reexporting colonial goods as
  American goods carried on American ships,
  British declared such practices illegal, and
  thereby threatened American prosperity

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• The Impressment Controversy
• British practice of impressment threatened
  Americas rights as a neutral country
• Jefferson and his administration conceded Britain
  right to impress British subjects from American
  ships
• British also impressed naturalized Americans and
  even native-born American citizens
• Jefferson believed in standing up for ones
  rights but hated the thought of war

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• moreover, as a southerner, he was probably less
  sensitive to New Englands interests than he
  might have been
• in addition, the tiny navy Jefferson maintained
  could do little to enforce American rights on
  high seas

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• The Embargo Act
• when the British fired on an American warship and
  impressed three deserters from it, Jefferson
  ordered all British warships out of American
  waters and Congress passed the Embargo Act, which
  prohibited all exports
• Jefferson hoped embargo would put economic
  pressure on Britain and France, but act severely
  damaged American economy
• American merchants resented act and frequently
  violated it

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• in Jeffersons last months as president, Congress
  repealed the Embargo Act and replaced it with the
  Non-Intercourse Act, which forbade trade only
  with Britain and France and authorized president
  to end the boycott against either power if it
  stopped violating rights of Americans