The Republicans Take Power Chapter 9, Lesson 1

The Election of 1800 A bitter election ensued between John Adams (running for a second term) along with Charles Pinckney and Thomas Jefferson with Aaron Burr. The election was vastly different from those today. It was considered distasteful to travel around the country campaigning and instead the candidates and their allies would write letters to leading citizens and newspaper to publicize their views. Federalists (believing in freedom of religion) referred to Republicans as being “godless” while Republicans said Federalist would bring back a monarchy.

Election Deadlock When the electoral voted were tallied both parties had 73. This resulted in the House of Representatives breaking the tie. In this time period, President and Vice President did not run as a team, they were voted for individually. Hamilton convinced a Federalist to change his vote and results in Jefferson becoming president with Aaron Burr being his vice-president. To prevent this from happening the Congress passed the 12th Amendment (1804) requiring electors to vote for president and vice president separately.

Jefferson’s Inauguration Jefferson is inaugurated on March 4, 1801 in everyday clothes. Adams did not attend, leaving the city so he would not have to watch Thomas Jefferson become president. He states his goals which included “a wise and frugal government” and “the support of the state governments in all their rights.” Jefferson believed in reducing the power and size of the federal government taking a laissez-faire (leh-say-FEHR) approach (let people do as they choose)

Jefferson’s Policies Jefferson believed that the strength of the United States was its independent farmers. If people owned their own property, they would want to protect their rights and preserve the republic. Jefferson favored expanding west. Jefferson believed the federal government should be small. Jefferson distrusted standing armies and wanted to reduce the size of the military.

Jefferson’s Cabinet Secretary of State – James Madison Secretary of the Treasury – Albert Gallatin Had a grasp of financial matters that equal Alexander Hamilton. The new government ended two unpopular Federalists measures. Allowed the Alien and Sedition acts to expire. Repealed the Naturalization Act. For Republicans both were symbols of a federal government that threatened individual liberties.

Cutting Costs Jefferson and Gallatin wanted to reduce the national debt that the Federalists left. They did so by reducing the size of the army by one-third and the Navy from 25 to 7 ships. As a result, the national debt significantly lowered within a few years. Jefferson and Gallatin persuaded congress to repeal the hated whiskey tax. With this, funding would only come in from: custom duties (taxes on foreign imported goods) Sale of western lands Jefferson reduced the federal government to only a few hundred people thinking the national government should only be responsible for delivering the mail, collecting custom duties, and conducting a census every 10 years.

Judiciary Act of 1801 Judiciary Act of 1801 – set up courts for the United States with 16 judges and many other judicial officials. Adams in his last days appointed hundreds to these positions, and the Federalist-controlled congress approved them. This went on into final hours of the last day calling many of these appointments “mid-night judges” Adams also set up John Marshall (Adams’s secretary of state) to be chief justice. This was all done so the Federalists could control the courts. When Jefferson becomes president on March 4, he finds out about some of the commissions not yet delivered and instructs Madison not to deliver them. William Marbury had not yet been processed.

Marbury v. Madison Marbury takes his care directly to the Supreme Court, claiming they had jurisdiction thanks to the Judiciary Act of 1789 (Federal court system with 13 district courts and three circuit courts to serve the nation) John Marshal argued that the Constitution did not give the courts jurisdiction to decide Marbury’s case. John Marshall sets out three principles of Judicial Review: The Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Lands. When there is a conflict between the Constitution and another law, the Constitution must be followed. The Judicial Branch has a duty to uphold the Constitution.

Marbury v. Madison The Supreme Court needed to acknowledge when a federal law was unconstitutional (conflicts with the constitution.) Marshall further extends the powers of the federal government at the expense of the states with: McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) – the courts held that the elastic clause allows congress to do more than the constitution expresses. Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) - federal law takes precedence over state law in interstate transportation.