1. Jeffersonianism and the Era of Good Feelings, 1801-1824
Chapter 8
Jeffersonianism and the Era of Good Feelings,

2. Introduction
On March 4, 1801, Thomas Jefferson walked to the Capitol and took the oath of office as president.
His actions reflected his belief that the “pomp and circumstance” in which Washington and Adams had engaged ill-fitted republican govt.
Despite the partisan bitterness of the election of 1800, Jefferson, in his inaugural address, attempted to conciliate Federalists by emphasizing the principles on which most Americans agreed: federalism and republicanism
JEFFERSON PLANNED ON CUTTNIG BACK ON THE GROWTH OF THE GOV’T

3. Introduction (cont.)
The period of 1801 to 1823 would see major changes:
1.) The Federalist Party would slowly die out
2.) the Republicans would be rent by factionalism
3.) United States would double in size
4.) sectional strife over statehood for MO would nearly tear that expanded nation apart

4. Introduction (cont.)
1.) How did Jefferson’s philosophy shape policy toward public expenditures, the judiciary, and LA?
2.) What led James Madison to go to war with Britain in 1812?
3.) How did the War of 1812 influence American domestic politics?
4.) To what extent did Jefferson’s legacy persist into the Era of Good Feelings?

5. The Age of Jefferson, 1801-1805 Jefferson and Jeffersonianism
Thomas Jefferson; intellectual, scientist, architect, inventor, and statesman, was a complex, contradictory, and gifted individual
Author of the DOI’s bold statement about the equality of all men, he, nevertheless, doubted that blacks and whites could live side by side on terms of equality
Despite his opposition to racially mixing black and white blood, his political enemies charged that he himself had fathered the children of his slave Sally Hemings.
Recent DNA evidence from Sally’s male heir appears to support the story

7. Jefferson and Jeffersonianism (cont.)
Jefferson distrusted power concentrated in the federal govt.
a danger to republican liberty
preferring that state govts.
he saw as closer and more responsive to the people
Republican liberty could best be retained by a virtuous and vigilant citizenry that put the public good ahead of selfish private interests- FEDERALISTS!!
Educated small farmers
Cities and their landless inhabitants were a potential menace to the republic

8. Jefferson’s “Revolution”
Jefferson attempted to repeal Federalist measures that he felt were a danger to the simple republic
Parts of Alexander Hamilton’s economic program
The Alien and Sedition Acts
He reduced taxes and the national debt
Primarily by slashing expenditures for the army and for the diplomatic establishment
In these ways he felt that he was lifting an economic burden form hardworking farmers

9. Jefferson and the Judiciary- Midnight Appointments
Jefferson demanded that Congress repeal the Federalist-sponsored Judiciary Act of 1801 and remove the partisan Federalist judges that President Adams had appointed in his last hours as president
Jefferson had little success with impeachment of Federalist judges
Only one conviction and removal from the bench
The majority in Congress viewed impeachment process as an inappropriate way to solve the problem of partisan judges

10. Jefferson and the Judiciary (cont.)
Jefferson’s drive to keep additional Federalists out of the judiciary led to the Marbury v. Madison (1803)
The Supreme Court said presidents could appoint federal judges

11. Jefferson and the Judiciary (cont.)
Marshall used the case to significantly strengthen the power of the judicial branch
He claimed that federal courts had the right to review laws passed by Congress
Judicial review
For the 1st time, the Supreme Court declared a portion of a law passed by Congress unconstitutional
Jefferson did not oppose the concept of judicial review, but he believed that judges should not use it for partisan purposes

12. The Louisiana Purchase
Napoleon Bonaparte forced Spain to cede the Louisiana Territory to France
The French action alarmed Jefferson
it placed a major European power on the U.S. border
It blocked the gradual expansion of the U.S.A.

13. The Louisiana Purchase (cont.)
The problem became especially pressing in 1802, when Spanish authorities (just before the territory’s transfer to France) denied western farmers use of the port of New Orleans
Jefferson sent James Monroe and Robert R. Livingston to France with a request to buy the city
Napoleon countered with an offer to sell the entire Louisiana Territory for $15 million
He was frustrated with uprisings in French Caribbean colonies and needed money to help build the losing European (French) Empire!!

14. The Louisiana Purchase (cont.)
Since the Constitution did not explicitly give the federal govt. the power to acquire new territories and since Jefferson was wedded to strict interpretation, he briefly thought of first seeking an enabling amendment to the Constitution

15. The Louisiana Purchase (cont.)
His political acumen and desire to make land available to small farmers, the “backbone of the nation”, won out
He submitted the purchase treaty to the Senate
It was quickly ratified
April 30, 1803 officially U.S.A. territory

17. The Election of 1804 Republicans
renominated Jefferson for president and dropped Aaron Burr in favor of George Clinton for VP
The Federalist
Charles C. Pickney and Rufus King
The successes of Jefferson’s first term
Doubling the size of U.S.A., maintaining peace, reducing taxes, reducing national debt
Won over many former Federalist voters
Overwhelming Republican victory
162 to 14 electoral votes

18. The Election of 1804 (cont.)

19. The Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis Meriwether
William Clark
Jefferson requested funding from Congress for an expedition across the continent to explore the new Louisiana Purchase

20. The Lewis and Clark Expedition (cont.)
They were charged with the difficult task of opening trade relations with unknown numbers of Indian tribes across the plains and northwest
Brought Americans into contact for the first time with the Mandan, Hidatsas, Arikaras, and Sioux tribes
Left St. Louis in 1804

21. The Lewis and Clark Expedition
Followed the Missouri, Snake, and Columbia rivers
Crossed the Rockies and reached the Pacific in 1805
They would not have returned safely if not for the priceless guidance and comfort offered by numerous Indian nations along the trail- Sacagewea
The Corps of Discovery returned with a wealth of scientific information (and some misinformation), descriptions, and maps that stimulated interest in the West

22. The Gathering Storm, 1805-1812 Introduction
Jefferson’s second term as president was beset by problems caused by the breakdown of Republican Party unity and the renewal of the Napoleonic Wars

23. Challenges on the Home Front
Aaron Burr, Jefferson’s first-term VP, stirred up factionalism within the Republican party
Jefferson believed that Burr was the chief plotter in a conspiracy to separate the western states from the Union
The president had Burr arrested and tried for treason
At the trial, over which John Marshall presided, the jury found the charges “not proved”

24. Challenges on the Home Front (cont.)
Jefferson also was attacked by another faction of Republicans known as the Quids and led by John Randolph
They criticized the president’s handling of the Yazoo (present-day AL and MS) land scandal (GA legislature had sold the land at a fraction of its worth to land companies. The land companies bribed the GA legislatures.) and other actions that they saw as compromising “republican virtue”

25. The Suppression of American Trade and Impressment
The British and French, at war with each other, forbade American ships from entering each other’s ports and trading with the other side.
Both powers seized U.S. ships
Actions of the British caused greater harm because they had the larger navy and their warships often hovered just off the U.S. coast
The British also removed sailors on American ships and forced (or pressed) them into service in the Royal Navy

26. The Suppression of American Trade and Impressment (cont.)
When the British warship HMS Leopard attacked the American frigate USS Chesapeake near the VA coast and impressed 4 of its crewman
the country was outraged
Jefferson still sought to avoid war

27. The Embargo Act of 1807
Jefferson persuaded Congress to pass an embargo as a means of “peaceable coercion”
He hoped that U.S. refusal to export any goods or to buy any products from abroad would put sufficient economic pressure on GB and France to make them respect U.S. neutral rights

28. The Embargo Act of 1807 (cont.)
Unfortunately, the cutoff of trade did not hurt them enough to change their actions
It proved disastrous to the U.S. economy
Seamen were unemployed; merchants and farmers who depended on foreign sales were ruined
The impact was hardest on New England
An unintended consequence of the embargo was to encourage the transfer of capital into domestic manufacturing, a development Jefferson had initially opposed

29. James Madison and the Failure of “Peaceable Coercion”
The unpopularity of the embargo revived the Federalist Party
1808 election
Federalist=Charles C. Pinckney
Republican=James Madison

30. James Madison and the Failure of “Peaceable Coercion” (cont.)
Federalist carried much of New England
Madison carried most of other sections of the country

31. James Madison and the Failure of “Peaceable Coercion” (cont.)
Just before Jefferson left office, Congress repealed the embargo and replaced it with the weaker Non-Intercourse Act
This law worked no better then the previous one
For the next year and half, President Madison tried variations on the them of peaceable coercion (Macon’s Bill No. 2)
all failed to change British and French behavior

32. James Madison and the Failure of “Peaceable Coercion” (cont.)
By 1810, Madison faced increasing pressure from Republican congressional representatives from the South and West
Demanded a more aggressive policy toward Britain and France
“war hawks”
resented the insults to American honor
Blamed the interference in trade for the economic recession hitting their home states

33. Tecumseh and the Prophet
The war hawks wanted the British to get out of Canada
They believed that the British were arming and inciting the Indians on the American frontier

34. Tecumseh and the Prophet (cont.)
Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa (the Prophet) were 2 Shawnees attempting to unite the tribes of Ohio and Indiana against white settlers
Initially they had no connections with the British
William Henry Harrison attacked the Prophet’s town and won the battle at Tippecanoe, Tecumseh did join forces with England

35. Congress Votes for War
June 1, 1812, Madison asked Congress to declare war on England
The vote reflected party and sectional splits
Most of the “no” votes came from New England Federalists
The majority of Republicans passed the declaration

36. Congress Votes for War (cont.)
Reasons U.S.A. declared war in 1812
Britain’s incitement of the Indians
The belief that continuing British restrictions on U.S. shipping was causing the recession in the South and West
Madison’s view that England intended to ruin America as a commercial rival

37. The War of 1812

38. The War of 1812 (cont.) On to Canada
In 1812, American attempts to conquer Canada failed
The British took Detroit
American victories:
Oliver H. Perry’s victory on Lake Erie
William Henry Harrison’s at the Battle of the Thames

39. The British Offensive
In 1814, the British landed on the shores of Chesapeake Bay and marched to Washington
Captured Washington and burned it
After they failed to take Baltimore, they broke off the campaign

40. The Treaty of Ghent
U.S. and British commissioners met at Ghent, Belgium
Dec. 1814
The British demanded territory from the U.S.A.
The U.S.A. refused
British backed down

41. The Treaty of Ghent (cont.)
Dec. 24, 1814, they signed the treaty
The U.S.A. was restored to prewar status quo
Battle of New Orleans
Fought 2 weeks after the Treaty was signed
U.S. had a resounding victory
Had no bearing on the terms of the Treaty of Ghent
Provided an uplifting ending for Americans

42. Treaty of Ghent (cont.)

43. Battle of New Orleans

44. The Hartford Convention
The unpopularity of the war in the Northwest contributed to the revival of the Federalists
In the election of 1812, antiwar Republicans and Federalists supported DeWitt Clinton for president against Madison
Madison won reelection (128 to 89)
Clinton carried most of the Northeast

45. The Hartford Convention (cont.)
American military losses intensified Federalist discontent
Fall of 1814
Group of Federalists convened at Hartford, CT
Passed resolutions aimed at strengthening their region’s power within the Union

46. The Hartford Convention (cont.)
Their timing could not have been worse
Coincided with the end of the war and news of Jackson’s victory in New Orleans
Silenced Federalist criticism
Public disapproval of the Hartford Convention led to the rapid demise of the Federalist Party

47. The Hartford Convention (cont.)
In the election of 1816, James Monroe (the Republican nominee) scored an easy victory
In 1820, Monroe won reelection with every electoral vote but one

49. The Awakening of American Nationalism
Madison’s Nationalism and the Era of Good Feelings,
Era of Good Feelings was the name given to the postwar time period
Heightened spirit of nationalism
New political consensus
Federalist party disappeared

50. Madison’s Nationalism and the Era of Good Feelings, 1817-1824 (cont.)
Republicans wanted to make the country more self-sufficient
Enacted many measures that the Federalists had earlier supported
Chartering of a new national bank
Protective tariff (help domestic manufacturing)
Sectional harmony started to break down because of the issue of slavery and its spread westward

51. John Marshall and the Supreme Court
Chief Justice Marshall wrote opinions that strengthened the power of the federal govt. at the expense of state sovereignty
Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819)
Forbade state interference with contracts
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
Prohibited states from interfering with the exercise of federal powers

52. The Missouri Compromise, 1820-1821
National harmony crumbled in the 1819 controversy over Missouri’s application for statehood
For the 1st time, bitter sectional debate took place over the issue of the spread of slavery because the institution had become embroiled in political and economic issues dividing North and South

53. The Missouri Compromise, 1820-1821 (cont.)
Admitting MO as a slave or free state would upset the balance of 11 free and 11 slave states that existed in 1819
1820 the Missouri Compromise was approved by Congress

54. The Missouri Compromise, 1820-1821 (cont.)
1.) MO entered the Union as a slave state
2.) ME entered as a free state
3.) in the remainder of the Louisiana Territory, slavery would be permitted only south of latitude
The southern boundary of MO

56. Foreign Policy Under Monroe
Under the leadership of President James Monroe and his able secretary of state, John Quincy Adams, the U.S. achieved several foreign-policy successes

57. Foreign Policy Under Monroe (cont.)
Good relations with the British were cemented through agreements
Rush-Bagot Treaty (1817)
British and U.S.A. agreed to eliminate their fleets from the Great Lakes
British-American Convention (1818)
Clarified the western border between Canada and the United States “as a line from the farthest northwest part of Lake of Woods to the 49th parallel and thence west to the Rocky Mountains.”
1819 Adams-Onis Treaty
Spain ceded East Florida to the U.S.A. and renounced its claims to West Florida

58. The Monroe Doctrine December 1823 Mostly written by John Quincy Adams
Purpose was to discourage European powers from helping Spain regain her lost colonies in the Americas
Also, reserving the right of the U.S. to expand further in the Western Hemisphere

59. The Monroe Doctrine (cont.)
The Monroe Doctrine stated:
1.) the U.S.A. would not become involved in strictly European affairs
2.) the American continents were not available for further European colonization
3.) the U.S. would look upon any attempt by European countries to regain lost colonies or to interfere in the Americans as an “unfriendly act.”

60. Conclusion
In the election of 1800, the Republicans gained control of the federal govt.
President Jefferson in his first term cut govt. spending and taxes.
He also protested Federalist stacking of the judiciary
And he purchased Louisiana

61. Conclusion (cont.)
Jefferson’s second term was beset by factionalism within his party and foreign difficulties as Britain and France were again at war (and violated U.S. neutral rights)
When the policy of “peaceable coercion” initiated by Jefferson and followed by Madison, failed, Congress declared war on Britain (War of 1812)

62. Conclusion (cont.) The War of 1812 caused sectional divisions
Federalist denunciation of the war at the Hartford Convention hastened the demise of the party
The remaining Republicans wanted to make America economically self-sufficient
They passed many of the nationalist measures once advocated by Hamiltonian Federalist
A new national bank; federally supported internal improvements; protective tariffs

63. Conclusion (cont.)
Even U.S. foreign policy, especially the Monroe Doctrine, reflected assertive nationalism
National harmony shattered as Congress battled over the spread of slavery and Missouri’s admission as a slave state