1. Thomas Jefferson’s Presidency
Unit 2, Lesson 4

2. Essential Idea
Thomas Jefferson’s domestic policies were largely successful, though he faced tough foreign policy challenges.
*major domestic failure—Embargo Act

3. Jefferson as President
Unconventional
Patronage
Alien and Sedition Acts
Unconventional- Jefferson did not always act in according to behavior of rulers. He received callers sometimes wearing his night gown, and at official dinners did not seat people according to rank (“pell-mell”).
Patronage- Jefferson, to the dismay of many Jeffersonians (Democratic Republicans), did not grant many jobs in exchange for political support (patronage)
Alien and Sedition Acts- Jefferson pardoned those who had been punished under the Alien and Sedition Acts and reduced the naturalization process from 14 years (as it has been under the Alien Acts) down to the previous level of five years.

4. Jefferson as President
Moderation
Principles vs. Political Reality
Two Jeffersons
Moderation- Jefferson ended up being a fairly moderate president. He reduced the size of the military, elimited many federal jobs (which reduced the size of government, a Democratic Republican ideal), and he repealed the exicse tax on whiskey.
Why repeal the tax on whiskey? (led to government bureaucracy and it hurt the Southern and Western farmers, who were Democratic Republicans)
He ended up maintaining many of the Hamiltonian institutions that had been established during Federalist rule. He kept the National Bank. He did not tamper with funding at par or the assumption of state debts.
Was the Revolution of 1800 really a revolution? Do revolutions have to change everything or just some things?
Principles vs. Political Reality- Jefferson was confronted with the fact that sticking to his principles was often difficult in the face of political realities (example: Louisiana Purchase, maintaining a National Bank). Though sometimes perceived as inconsistent, Jefferson was trying to balance these two opposing forces.
Two Jeffersons- this dichotomy forced Jefferson to act almost as if he had an evil twin

5. Marbury v. Madison Judicial Act of 1801 The Midnight Judges
Democratic-Republican Reactions
Judiciary Act of this was one of the last laws to be passed by the Federalists before Jefferson took office. It created positions for over 16 new judicial offices
“Midnight Judges”- John Adams stayed up late into the evening on his last day in office finished up his judicial appointees.
Why did the Federalists do this? (keep influence in the judicial branch, judges serve for life, serve as a check on the Democratic Republican held branches)
Democratic Republican reactions- angry, saw this as a ploy by the Federalists to keep power that the will of the people had taken from them

6. Marbury v. Madison John Marshall Marbury v. Madison Judicial Review
John Marshall- one of the last appointees of Adams, Marshall was appointed as chief justice of the Supreme Court (he was also a cousin of Jefferson’s—a ruling class? Hmm)
Marshall had served in Valley Forge, where the ineffectiveness of a strong government under the Articles of Confederation had turned him into a lifelong Federalist
Marbury v. Madison- the Supreme Court, headed by Marshall, dismissed a Federalist judge (William Marbury) and declared part of the Judiciary Act of 1789 (why not 1801, Sarah?) to be unconstitutional.
Judicial Review- the ability of the Supreme Court to declare a law unconstitutional
Why is Judicial Review important? (gives strength to the Judicial branch as a check and balance against the other two branches, helps keep the Constitution from being broken, ensures that the Constitution indeed is the highest law in the land)
Was there a time prior in which judicial review would have been useful? (Alien and Sedition Acts)

7. Samuel Chase Samuel Chase Impeachment Ruling Precedent
Samuel Chase- many Jeffersonians were unhappy with the Marbury v. Madison ruling by Marshall because it strengthened the power of the federal government
The Jeffersonians decided to go after the partisan Federalist Supreme Court Justice, Samuel Chase
Impeachment- Chase was impeached in 1804 by the House of Representatives and then the case was sent to Senate for trial.
According to the Constitution, impeachment and conviction should be as a result of “high crimes and misdemeanors”
Ruling- the Senate acquitted Chase, saying that he was guilty only of partisanship (and an arrogant attitude).
Precedent- This set the precedent against “judge-breaking” by the Congress and President and assured independence for the judiciary branch.
The “power grab” over the judicial branch was halted.

8. Relations with France Napoleon Mississippi River
Louisiana Purchase (1803)
By 1800, the King of Spain had ceded the Louisiana Territory to Napoleon (who led France)
Why might this be a problem for the United States? (Pinckney’s Treaty, which had given the United States access to the Mississippi River and the right of deposit (storage of trade goods), had been made with Spain, who now no longer owned the territory)
The Mississippi River, along with New Orleans, were vital for American trade. Many Americans were willing to fight to keep rights to the river and port city (especially New Orleans), but Jefferson knew that a war with France with Napoleon at the helm would be long and bloody.
Also, the United States was becoming more and more threatened—France, Spain, and England all had land that bordered the United States
Louisiana Purchase- in 1803, Jefferson sent James Monroe to Paris to attempt to negotiate a peaceful deal. The United States offered to buy New Orleans and as much land as it could get for 10 million dollars
Why might Jefferson fear failure in this proposition? (if the deal couldn’t be made, the United States might have to ally with Britain against France, which was not something the Democratic Republicans would have wanted)
Surprise! Napoleon essentially decided to concentrate his efforts in Europe and didn’t want to add the United States to his list of enemies. He offered to sell New Orleans and ALL of the Louisiana Territory for 15 million dollars (about 3 cents per acre)

11. Louisiana Territory Constitutionality Future implications
The Louisiana Purchase
Constitutionality- again, the two Jeffersons were opposed. The idealistic Jefferson knew that the purchase was not allowed (not disallowed either) by the Constitution, and to make the purchase would go against his strict constructionist Constitutional philosophy.
What clause would Jefferson need to use to allow this? (elastic clause, a favorite of his old buddy Hamilton)
Jefferson would have to act as a Federalist to make this purchase and interpret the Constitution loosely.
Also, there were many French, Spanish, black, and Indian inhabitants on this land—what to do with them?
However, the deal was too good to pass up, and the Louisiana Purchase was made in 1803, doubling the size of the country
Future implications: the United States now owned all rights to the Mississippi River and New Orleans
Jefferson, a promoter of agrarianism, now had nearly a million square miles of land on which farmland could be used
Jefferson believed the ideal citizen to be a farmer, and so the Louisiana Purchase would produce more “ideal citzens”
Neutrality would be easier to pursue now that France no longer had a presence in the New World (Spain did, but they were on the decline and the country was many years away from getting the American Southwest). The United States had no more “next door neighbor” to really worry about.
As the land became states, one question would rise again and again: will the new state be a free state or a slave state?

12. Lewis and Clark Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806)
Corps of Discovery
Sacajawea
In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were commissioned by Congress to explore the Louisiana Territory. Their primary objective was the find a water route to the Pacific Ocean
What was the name of this route? (Northwest passage, which had been searched for since the early days of European exploration)
Why? (a water route would boost trade, the Missouri River could become the Mississippi River of the West, it would give us access to emerging markets in Asia)
Corps of Discovery- this team was led by Lewis and Clark. They explored the Territory and brought back specimens of flora and fauna from the West.
What might they have found? (open discussion)
Sacajawea- a Shoshone Indian, she served as a guide and interpreter for the expedition
Why was she important? (she helped ensure safe passage through the territory, her presence made the corps less likely to be attacked by natives)

13. Lewis and Clark Oregon Territory Future implications
The Lewis and Clark Expedition
Oregon Territory- the Lewis and Clark expedition never found a water route (Continental Divide in the way) but the expedition did boost claims to the Oregon Territory, which would be “shared” with Britain for the next 40 years or so.
Future implications- America would eventually claim ownership of the Oregon Territory (by building a fort there) and use the phrase “54-40 or fight” to make this claim.
The expedition helped improve relations with natives, map out the area (real map in the slide shown) for future settlers and fur trappers, and expanded geographic and scientific knowledge.
Video: What was the purpose of the journey? What difficulties were met?

14. Analyze (open discussion)

15. Problems: Piracy The Barbary Pirates Should America fight?
Tripolitan War ( )
Fighting the Barbary Pirates
The Barbary Pirates- Jefferson’s first real foreign policy problem was the Barbary Pirates on the North African coast, who attacked American merchant ship that frequented the Mediterranean Sea.
In the past, Washington and Adams had paid tribute (bribes, basically) to the pirate to allow safe passage. When Jefferson took power, the Pasha of Tripoli demanded a higher sum of payment
Should America fight? Jefferson tried to stay neutral, but his hand was forced when the pirates attacked an American ship. Jefferson sent a small navy fleet to the Mediterranean
This fleet was nicknamed the Mosquito Fleet due to its size and agility (a large number of tiny boats)
Tripolitan War- sporadic fighting took place over four years, with the eventual signed of a peace treaty by Tripoli, giving the Americans a measure of protection in the Mediterranean Sea
*None of this would have been possible if Adams had not expanded the Navy during his presidency (earning the nickname “Father of the Navy”)
It was JEFFERSON who got credit for this victory even though he had pushed so hard for a smaller navy in the past

16. The Tripolitan pirates had captured the U. S. ship Philadelphia (see p
The Tripolitan pirates had captured the U.S. ship Philadelphia (see p. 216) and were preparing to use it against the Americans. In a daring exploit that ensured his lasting fame, twenty-four-year-old U.S. naval officer Stephen Decatur slipped into the harbor of Tripoli and burned the frigate to the waterline, denying it to the pirates.

17. Election of 1804 Landslide victory
Analyze (Jefferson won in a landslide)
Why? (Louisiana Purchase, maintained neutrality, everyone was hating the Federalists)

18. Problems: Aaron Burr The Federalist Conspiracy Duel with Hamilton
Trial for Treason
Aaron Burr
The Federalist Conspiracy- after being dropped from Jefferson’s second term cabinet, Aaron Burr joined with a group of radical Federalists who plotted the secession of New England and New York from the United States (perhaps due to Jefferson’s Democratic Republican ruling?)
However, Alexander Hamilton uncovered and exposed the plot, infuriating Burr
Duel with Hamilton- Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel (not just because of this; the two had been quarreling for a long time).
Though illegal, declining a duel devastated a person’s honor. Hamilton agreed to attend, but he intentionally missed, hitting a tree branch above Burr’s head. Gentlemen generally “threw away” the first shot like this.
Burr, who was not a gentleman, shot and killed him.
The leader of the Federalist Party was dead, and Burr fled to the West.
Trial for Treason- Burr allegedly attempted to lead the western territories of the United States in secession, form a new government, and attack Spanish holdings in present day Mexico and Florida.
Burr was arrested and tried. He was acquitted by John Marshall, who differentiated between treason and “treasonous intention.”
Burr then fled to Europe and tried to convince Napoleon to attack America, but to no avail. (what a jerk!)

19. Problems: Maintaining Neutrality
Britain vs. France
British impressment
Chesapeake-Leopard Affair
(A cartoon by “Peter Pencil” shows Jefferson being victimized by both Britain (left) and France (right))
Britain vs. France- Britain and France continued to fight as the Napoleonic Wars dragged on, and the United States struggled to maintain neutrality. Why is this a struggle? (American has commercial relations with both countries)
In an effort to hurt each other, Britain and France attempted to block each other’s ports using naval blockades. They also captured ships from neutral nations and confiscated their cargo.
British Impressment- impressment continued to be an issue, as the British began to capture American sailors and force them to serve in the British navy
Chesapeake-Leopard Affair- this incident almost led to war. In 1807, only a few miles off the coast of Virginia, the British warship Leopard fired on the U.S. warship (not a merchant ship, making this more of war action) Chesapeake. Those who weren’t killed were captured and impressed.
Were there any non-military options? (diplomacy, or economic sanctions)

20. Problems: Maintaining Neutrality
Embargo Act of 1807
The “Damnbargo”
Secession?
Positive unintended consequences
The Embargo Act of 1807
Embargo Act of to avoid war and maintain neutrality, Jefferson convinced the Congress to pass the Embargo Act of This law cut off ALL foreign trade.
Why would this be a good idea? (Jefferson believed that Britain, being America’s biggest trade partner, would stop attacking neutral American ships in order to maintain good economic ties…ALSO, Jefferson had reduced the navy so much that he couldn’t have fought back even if he had wanted to)
Jefferson thought this economic incentive would cause Britain and France to stop fighting.
Jefferson overestimated the American position in this regard.
Damnbargo- however, the embargo backfired. Britain began trading with South American nations, and the American merchants were left out to dry. The American economy tanked.
Secession?0- Conditions were so bad in New England that secession was considered (again)
Positive unintended consequence? (the embargo forced the United States to be more self sufficient, and helped spur the industrialization of the North as it attempted to make up for the loss of Britain as a manufacturing trade partner) Jefferson may have done more to spur the national economy (accidentally) than Hamilton! Ha!
Analyze the cartoon (open)

21. Analyze (In this anti-Jefferson satire criticizing his negotiations for the purchase of West Florida in 1804, Napoleon, in the form of a hornet, stings Jefferson and makes him “cough up” $2 million in gold coins— the amount of the secret appropriation that Jefferson sought from Congress. The negotiations eventually failed.)

22. Election of 1808 James Madison War on the horizon?
James Madison- Madison, the “Father of the Constitution,” won in a landslide despite the declining popularity of the Democratic Republicans and a new surge of Federalist (anti-British and anti-embargo) sentiments. The Federalists were able to gain back many seats in Congress, however
War on the Horizon?- since the Embargo Act and failed (and was being repealed around the time of the election), the “Britain problem” persisted. Would war become the ultimate solution? (yes, War of 1812)