Jefferson's Administration Ch.11

Jefferson’s persona of equality and liberty for the state’s rights caused him to win the election against Adams. However, during his presidency he runs into problems with foreign nations, land, natives, etc.

Before Presidency

  • Constitution gave Jefferson bonus (because of being a white southerner) to help him win

    • caused northerners to critic

  • Election caused the same spirit of Revolution rise

  • Jefferson’s mission: restore republican experiment, growth of gov. power, and to halt the decay of goodness that had happened in Federalist rule

    • caused him to win

  • Jefferson never lost common touch

    • was a characteristic people were attracted to in a president

Term 1

Jefferson on Acts

  • Alien and Sedition Acts were hated, so Jeffersonians enacted the Naturalization Law of !802

    • it reduced requirement of 14 years of residence to 5 years

      • displayed more control people were given

  • Judiciary Act of 1801: made by Adams, created 16 new federal judgeships and other judicial offices

    • caused resentment and Jeffersonians stated it ws defiance of people’s will

  • Marshall’s deciison of “Marbury v. Madison” case sparker revenge ideas to Jeffersonians

    • they didn’t like that Supreme Court had final say

Territory and Exploration

  • by 1810 there were 7 million Americans

    • 20% black (most enslaved)

  • sectionalism develops

    • southerners, new Englanders..etc

  • western migration

    • Ohio and Mississippi rivers are especially important

    • waterways were used as transportation because reliable

With a Catch or Two

  • conflicts with native Americans

  • 84% of population engaged in agriculture

  • shipping becomes a highly lucrative industry

    • however it is dependent upon friendly relations with foreign powers

Or Maybe Three or Four

  • about 7% of people lived in urban areas (city), 93% rural (farmers)

  • separation between urban and rural populations is pronounced

    • lack of railroads and canals

    • roads are poor

Advancements

  • Robert Fulton

    • first steamship to sail on Hudson river in 1807

    • (changes transportation)

  • Samuel Slater

    • brings textile machinery to US

    • were first built up in Great Britain

Jefferson’s Cabinet

  • Secretary of State: James Madison

  • Secretary of Treasury: Albert Gallatin

    • encourages states to use their own banks

  • Secretary of War: Henry Dearborn

    • in charge of Native American repairs during this time

  • Attorney General: Levi Lincoln

  • Secretary of Navy: Robert Smith

Barbary Pirate Showdown

  • At first, Jefferson saw little point in creating military that would end in costly wars and entangling alliance with Europe

  • North African pirates had long demanded tribute or else blackmail and stolen merchant ships would occur

    • reluctantly paid because didn’t want ships destroyed

  • The pasha of Tripoli informally declared war on the US in 1801 (he wanted more $)

  • Jefferson responded by sending our navy and troops to “the shores of Tripoli” USMC

  • Led to a peach treaty in 1805

  • war creates new role models to look up to

The Louisianna Purchase

  • Jefferson made the purchase in 1803

    • the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans were key to Western farmers and traders

    • Spain closes the port to Americans in 1802

    • we prepare to negotiate with the French who were allied with the Spanish

      • Napoleon is tired of the W Hemisphere and of losing troops in Haiti while attempting to stop a revolution

  • The Constitution never stated you can buy land from countries, and Jefferson’s interpretation is usually very strict

We Bought It

  • we purchase the territory for 15 million

  • Lewis and Clark Expedition-explore Mississippi river and collect samples

  • end of Jefferson’s first term widely respected and licked

Term 2

The Burr-Hamilton Duel

  • Aaron Burr ran for governor of NY in the 1804 election

  • during the campaign Hamilton discredits him for choosing the Dem-Rep party just for votes, so Burr challenges him to a duel in summer 1804

  • dueling was considered archaic and illegal in most states

  • July 11, 1804-duel occurs, Burr kills Hamilton, indicted for murder in NY and NJ

    • people believe Hamilton is better at killing

  • Burr runs away after

Silly Burr

  • Burr’s political career is over after the duel

  • he escapes murder changes by going out West (no one wants to put a founding father on trial because it’s a bad look for a new nation)

  • Out west he leads a conspiracy to have New Orleans secede from the Union

  • He’s put on trial for treason, not convicted, but exiled to Europe

Bill of 1807

  • prohibited the importation of slaves into the US (as agreed at the constitutional convention)

    • never ended having slaves themselves

  • slightly angers Southern states, but remember Jefferson himself is a slave owner

  • number of slaves in the US continues to grow (naturally by reproducing)

  • Jefferson was well-liked and a Southerner so it was easier for people to adjust to ending the importation of slaves

Once Again

  • France and Great Britain are at war and the US is trying to remain neutral

  • Jefferson decides not to intervene but asserts the rights of American merchants on the seas (impressment and seizure of cargo)

War in Europe

  • 1803 war erupts between France and Britain

  • Napoleon is mostly land-grabbing the continent’

  • The US wants to trade with both sides (but France and Britain only want them to trade with one of them)

  • Both sides want US to trade only with them

Laws

  • 1806-British “rule” in the Orders of Council that US cannot trade with France. They begin to impress sailors and seize our ships

  • Napoleon closes Continental ports to British and US trade, and seized ships

  • Neither nation respects our rights

The Leopard-Chesapeake Affair

  • in 1807 a British ship (leopard) stops the American ship demanding 4 deserters

  • the British fire at the ship, killing 3 and dragging 4 (thinking those are the deserters)

  • the ship made it to port, but this was clearly an act of war

  • Jefferson hesitates but could have had war if he wanted to

Embargo Act of 1807

  • created a complete stoppage of trade with Europe

  • it seemed as if it was the right thing to do at the time

  • Jefferson believed that if the US deprived the European powers of much-needed American goods they would negotiate in good faith and stop harassing American ships

    • however Europe didn’t really need American trade, it was the other way around

Problems with That

  • the American people must support the embargo

    • would hurt many merchants and upset them

  • Jefferson and the gov. must enforce this policy

    • causes smuggling to reoccur

    • the “Cursed Ograbme”

Results

  • smuggling, anger, resentment, loss of money

  • huge divisions within the dem-rep party

  • British economy was not adversely effected by the Embargo Act so the only real damage was done to America

Election of 1808

  • james madicson DR 122

  • Charles Pinckney F 47

  • madison inherits same foreign policy issues

    • neither Great Britain or France would respect American neutral rights

  • Embargo Act of 1807 was repealed in 1809

Triangle

  • the non-intercourse Act is put into effect in 1809 and it authorized the resumption of trade between America and all nations except France and Britain

  • until france and Britain agreed to respect the rights of neutral carriers, the US would not restore commercial relations