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R epublican A scendancy: The Jeffersonian Vision. Chapter 11. America in Transition. To many Americans, Jeffersonian Republicanism represented new opportunities that previously had not existed. Population increased dramatically due to natural reproduction.
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America in Transition • To many Americans, Jeffersonian Republicanism represented new opportunities that previously had not existed. • Population increased dramatically due to natural reproduction. • Black made up one-fifth of the American population • Tensions with Native Americans were on the rise
The Growing American Economy • American prosperity in the early 1800s was based on: • Agriculture and commerce • (Jefferson thought the economy was absolutely dependent on successful farmers) • American cities began to grow as well • The chief function of the growing cities was to serve as ports for international trade.
Who was Thomas Jefferson? • Thomas Jefferson • Was a man of great intellectual ability • (Author of the Declaration of Independence) • He created the military academy at West Point • (although, he opposed America having a standing Army) • He hated the national debt and made it his mission to get it under control • He was a major proponent of States’ rights and wanted to limit the power of the Federal Government. • Strict Constitutionalist • (The letter of the law was the last word)
The National Debt Problem • Under the Federalists, the Federal Government had grown in power substantially, but so had the national debt. • Albert Gallatin (Jefferson’s Secretary of Treasury) • Tasked with the responsibility of taking care of the ever growing national debt • He did so by scaling back various functions of the national government.
Napoleon Bonaparte • 1800 • Napoleon had risen to Emperor of France • His goal was to establish a French empire in Europe that was larger than the Empire of Alexander the Great • France’s North American Empire • Equaled about 1/3 of what we now call the United States of America • The purpose of the land: • Trap beaver for fur • Use the land to grow food for the island of Haiti
Napoleon’s Problems • The people of Haiti start a revolution against the French occupation and win. • France no longer needed the land in North America to grow food for Haiti • Napoleon began to view colonizing in North America as a lost cause. • Napoleon’s conquests in Europe were depleting France’s national treasury • To continue his European conquests, Napoleon needed some quick cash
Jefferson Seizes the Opportunity • In 1803 • Thomas Jefferson saw France as a threat to the United States of America • When he realized Napoleon was in a tough spot, he seized the opportunity: • Jefferson sent James Monroe to France with $10 million, and tells him to buy as much of the land around New Orleans as they could.
The Louisiana Purchase • April 30, 1803 • The purchase treaty was signed by James Monroe, and Louisiana was sold to the U.S. for $15 Million (3 cents an acre) • Jefferson had some conscience issues with the purchase because he considered it unconstitutional • (There is no provision in the Constitution permitting the Federal Government to purchase land from another country) • Mapping the land: • Meriwether Lewis and William Clark are sent to explore and map the newly acquired land (all the way to the Pacific)
The Tripolitan War • During Jefferson’s Presidency • Pirates from the Barbary states of North Africa began to seize American commerce ships in the Mediterranean • Jefferson declared war on the Barbary states • created the American Navy • set up a naval blockade around the Barbary states. • In 1805, a peace treaty was signed with the promise that no more American ships would be seized
Jefferson’s Reelection • 1804 • Thomas Jefferson – Democratic-Republicans vs. • Charles Pinckney – Federalist • Jefferson wins easily.
Challenging the Judiciary Act of 1801 • Judiciary Act of 1801 • Passed by the Federalists (John Adams) on the last days of his presidency • Created almost 2-dozen new federal judgeships (midnight judges) • It was an attempt to pack the courts with Federalist judges that would oppose Thomas Jefferson’s administration.
The New Chief Justice • John Marshall (Appointed Chief Justice of the SCOTUS by John Adams) • A strong Federalist • Served for 34 years as the Chief Justice • Did more than any other individual in American history to establish SCOTUS precedents • Most of his rulings were based on Federalist ideals and worked to expand the role of the federal government.
The Supreme Court Case • Marbury v. Madison (1803) Supreme Court Case • James Madison (Jefferson’s Secretary of State) • Refuses to appoint William Marbury to the position he was granted by John Adams. • Marbury sues Madison to get appointment to his new position.
The Ruling • Marbury v. Madison (Supreme Court Case) • Chief Justice Marshall stated that part of the Judiciary Act of 1787 and the Constitution conflicted • Marbury was not granted his position because the Judiciary Act was ruled “unconstitutional” • Why is the ruling so important? • The ruling seemed to be against the Federalists, but it actually expanded the size and scope of the federal government because it established the precedent of Judicial Review. • Judicial Review is the right of the Supreme Court to rule acts of congress“constitutional” or “unconstitutional”
Other Cases Presided Over by John Marshall • Fletcher v. Peck • Dartmouth College v. Woodward • Both cases upheld the sanctity of contracts • States cannot negate a contract without the approval of the Federal Government • Gibbons v. Ogden • States cannot grant commercial rights that conflict with Federal Law • McCulloch v. Maryland • Used an “implied powers” interpretation of the Constitution to establish Federal power of individual state powers.
The Burr Conspiracies • Aaron Burr • First term Vice President for Thomas Jefferson • Joins an extremists group of Federalist who plan the secession of the American west from the rest of the country. (They were going to form a new country that followed Federalist ideals) • Hamilton exposes Burr’s plot to break up the country.
The Duel • After Hamilton spoils the plot of Burr • Burr challenges him to a duel • Hamilton accepts • The Duel • Hamilton is shot in through the liver and killed.
Jefferson on Slavery • For many of the founding fathers, slavery was an issue that great confliction • America was founded on the principle that “All men are created equal” and “are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights” • From the Declaration of Independence, penned by Thomas Jefferson himself. • James Madison (The Father of the Constitution) on slavery • “as great an evil as slavery is, the dissolution of the Union would worse.” • Thomas Jefferson, and many of the founding fathers, supported the outlawing of the slave trade, but not the outlawing of slavery (Jefferson was a slave owner) • The thought by most was that the issue of slavery would tear the new country apart and the divide would be irreparable. • If they slave trade was outlawed, the institution of slavery would eventually die off naturally.
The Napoleonic Wars • The Napoleonic Wars • Between the two European superpowers: France and England • Jefferson keeps the U.S. Neutral • 1806 – England issues the “Orders in Council” • Set up a naval blockade on all French ports • Forbade America from participating in neutral commerce (we could only trade with England)
Response to the Orders in Council • French response to the Orders in Council • Ordered the seizure of all merchant ships that enter British ports (Including American ships). • American Response to the both Britain and France: • Jefferson decides to use peaceable coercion • The use of economics as a diplomatic tool
The Hated Embargo • The Embargo Act of 1807 • Bans the exportation of any goods to any country to try to protect Americans • Signed into law by Jefferson in an attempt to protect American merchants • The Embargo backfires: • It hurts American business and slows the economy down dramatically • The Embargo was hated by the American people
Repealing the Embargo • 1809 - The Embargo Act is repealed • Jefferson underestimated how economically dependent America really is on France and Britain • Britain and France however, did not depend on America the same way • Jefferson’s foreign policy was more harmful to America than it was helpful
