Chapter 9: The Jefferson Era

1. Chapter 9: The Jefferson Era

2. The Republicans Take power • Election of 1800 • Adams and Pickney v. Jefferson and Burr • No speeches; letter writing to citizens and newspapers • Federalists said Jefferson was “godless” because he believed in freedom of religion • Republicans said Federalists would bring back monarchy and only represent the interests of wealthy landowners

3. House of Reps had to break the tie • Jefferson believed in Laissez-faire: “let the people do as they wish” • Jefferson’s two goals • Reduce the power of the federal government • Cut the army by 1/3 • Reduce Navy from 25 ships to 7 • Repeal all federal internal taxes (incl. whiskey) • Gov’t fund come from customs duties: taxes on imports and sale of western land • Expand the nation

4. Fight over the federal courts • Before Jefferson took the oath of office, Adams tried to flood the courts with Federalists • “midnight judges” • Literally stayed up through the night delivering commissions • Some didn’t get delivered • Marbury v. Madison

5. THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE • 1802 the Spanish decided they wanted Louisiana and the port of New Orleans back • They gave it to the French • America needed the Mississippi River to transport goods: this jeopardized trade • Jefferson was worried that the French leader Napoleon wanted to expand French empire • In the end, Jefferson bought Louisiana from the French for $15 million

6. Jefferson wanted to know more about the west • Convinced Congress to fund an expedition as a “scientific venture” • Meriwether Lewis, 28 y.o. was his private secretary, and a member of the militia since the Whiskey Rebellion • William Clark, 23 y.o. was Lewis’ friend from the military • Both knowledgeable amateur scientists and had done business with Native Americans

7. Left St. Louis spring 1804 • 18 months, 4,000 miles, finally saw Pacific, spent the winter there • Headed back east along separate routes • Returned September 1806 with valuable information on people, plants, animals, and geography of the west • Zebulon Pike led another expedition through the upper Mississippi Valley and through Colorado • Found a great snow-capped peak: Pike’s Peak

9. “Northern confederacy” • Many Federalists opposed the Louisiana Purchase • They thought the new territory would become Republican, and reduce their power • A group of Federalists in MA plan to secede the union and form the “Northern Confederacy” • Needed Aaron Burr as governor of NY

10. FIGHT TO THE DEATH! • Hamilton heard about the plan to secede • Accused Burr of plotting treason • Burr lost the election for governor • Blamed Hamilton and challenged him to a duel • Hamilton took the challenge, but swore he would not fire (he hated dueling) • Burr did fire, however, hit Hamilton, and he died the next day • Burr ran away to avoid arrest

11. A time of conflict • American merchants were benefiting from trade with foreign lands • Tea and silk from China; taking furs to India • War between French and British was beneficial because they didn’t travel by sea to avoid getting captured by the other • By 1800, US has about 1,000 merchant ships sailing around the world

12. Freedom of the seas • France and England were still at war, America tried to remain neutral and trade with both • By 1805 France and England eventually got tired of America being neutral • They blocked each other’s ports and said they would search and seize any ship they found intending to trade with the other country

13. British were desperate for sailors • Tried the impressment approach again • Brits intercepted the US ship Chesapeake in June1807 off the coast of VA, demanded to search the ship for “deserters” • Captain refused, Brits opened fire, killed 3, wounded 18, crippled ship • Many Americans demanded war, but Jefferson sought another course of action

14. December 1807 Embargo Act: no trade with any foreign country! (especially England) • Intended to hurt England, who was dependent on American goods • But it was a disaster! It wiped out American commerce with other nations, and the British just traded with Latin America • Embargo Act was repealed March 1809, and they tried the Nonintercourse Act, but it was just as bad

15. Jefferson leaves office • James Madison elected president (Rep.) • 1810 US said we’d trade with England OR France: whoever promised not to attack our ships • Napoleon jumped at the chance • But he lied: the French continued to attack, steal goods, and sell them for profit • US was on the verge of war

16. Frontier conflicts • Ohio became a state in 1803: Natives had given up millions of acres and colonists just kept coming • Shawnee chief Tecumseh built a Native confederacyamong tribes in the NW • He was hoping a strong alliance, backed by the British, would stop white movement

17. Tecumseh’s brother was known as “the Prophet” • He encouraged Natives to stop taking on customs of the whites, like clothes, using plows, and firearms • He founded a village of Natives where the Tippecanoe and Wabash Rivers meet (Indiana)

18. Governor Harrison (of Indiana Territory) was worried about these 2 brothers • He threatened them with war, that the US had more warriors than they did, and the British would not be able to protect them • 1811 Tecumseh was on a speaking tour in the south trying to band Natives together • Harrison attacked the Prophet’s village, and the Natives fled, and joined forces with the British • They proclaimed it a victory

19. People in Washington were demanding more aggressive action toward England • Young Republicans who wanted to go to war were called the War Hawks • They wanted more land; they urged military spending and quadrupled the army; Federalists remained opposed to war • By spring 1812, war was inevitable • June 1812 Madison asked Congress for a declaration of war against England • In the meantime, England decided to end their search and seizure of US ships, but it was too late

20. WAR OF 1812 • War started in July, Gen. Hull marched troops into Canada • They feared a massacre by Tecumseh, and US surrendered • British controlled Lake Erie and had the advantage • Com. Perry had orders to assemble a fleet and seize the lake • Sep. 10, 1813, British and US Navy fleets had a bloody battle: the US won

21. British and Natives tried to pull back from Detroit, but Harrison and troops cut them off • October 5 Battle of the Thames: Tecumseh was killed • Republicans had reduced the size of the Navy • But US still won many battles on the sea with privateers • Tecumseh’s death hopes for Native federation were sinking • Andrew Jackson killed 550 Creek Indians at Battle of Horseshoe Bend, forced them to give up their land

22. The british offensive • August 1814 British sail into the Chesapeake Bay to attack Washington • They marched into Washington and burned the capital to the ground • Then they headed north to Baltimore • But Baltimore was ready with barricaded roads, a blocked harbor, and 13,000 minutemen • Francis Scott Key watched the battle over night, saw the flag still flying, and wrote the Star Spangled Banner in September 1814

23. Americans blocked the British again at Lake Champlain, and the British decided it was too costly to continue • Signed the Treaty of Ghent in December 1814 ending the war • Restored territory borders to pre-war time: Americans got 10 millions acres near Great Lakes • Released prisoners • Returned warships • But before the treaty reached the US, the Brits fought one more battle at New Orleans • It was short and gruesome, and Andrew Jackson was a hero

24. While the battle raged, Federalists were still consumed with secession • They met in CT at the Hartford Convention and wrote new amendments to the Constitution • But news of Jackson’s victory made them look unpatriotic • Federalists were losing credibility • Americans were feeling a strong sense of patriotism