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2.2: Early Presidents: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe

Early Presidents

thomas jefferson

background

  • 1770s: enters political scene with law background

  • 1176: helps write Declaration of Independence

  • 85-96: Minister to France, Secretary of State, Vice President under Adams

  • 1801-1809: US President

  • the election of 1800

  • Democratic-Republican Jefferson v. Incumbent Federalist Adam

  • Jefferson presented himself as a moderate, which attracted a lot of voters

  • republicans → people's party (people had a president in Jefferson)

  • Jefferson lost popular vote but won Electoral College

  • technically tied, House of Representatives voted 30+ times; Alexander Hamilton throws support behind Jefferson

  • campaign

  • states rights > strong federal government

  • common people

  • farmers, laborers, workers

  • federalists: wealthy elites in cities

  • unconventional; saw himself as more than just a president

foreign affairs

military

  • did not think an army was necessary unless they were at war (peace president)

  • distrusted large armies; preferred forces similar to militias

  • downsized military to 2,500 troops, viewed navy as pointless (and didn't want to spend money on it)

  • neutral + friends with all nations, not necessarily allies

  • similar to Washington's view

north africa

  • "Barbary pirates" → paid off to stop harassing US ships

  • more convenient than fighting, still embarrassing

Tripolitan war

  • leader of Tripoli declared war by cutting down an American flag

  • from this came the Marine Corps - Jefferson sent navy to "take care of business"

  • following this, Jefferson started trying to strengthen the navy → built 200 small, quick gunboats ("mosquito fleet")

  • ended up being a waste - larger, armored sea boats better for warfare

US/British relations

  • the chesapeake affair

  • US can trade with any side in the war

  • 1806 - London issues/passes Orders in Council → any ships headed to France must check-in at a British port for inspection

French-British war

  • embargo act (1807)

  • passed by Jefferson

  • forbid all US exports to any [European] nation

  • cut off all trade with essentially everyone - what did he anticipate?

  • hit NE hardest - merchants in trouble (ships just sitting in ports)

  • S+W - crops pile up, not exported

  • smuggling returned

  • congress repeals - passed Non-Intercourse Acts (1809 - prevents shipping only to England and France)

  • essentially same effect - main trade partners

  • neither the embargo or non-intercourse act was successful

  • Jefferson overestimated US' importance to England

  • unexpected benefit: forced American industry to start on its own → benefited Jefferson's rival, Hamilton - vision of industrial country

domestic policy

Repeal of Federalist Laws

  • alien and sedition acts - personally pardoned 10 victims of these

  • excise tax on whiskey - $1mil/year, still unfair

  • judiciary act of 1801 - Adams packed the court with Federalists, Jefferson replaces this with judiciary act of 1802 - restored some elements of Adams' plan, reorganized court system

Marbury v Madison

  • Marbury → Justice of Peace - commission not delivered

  • petitioned Supreme Court to compel Sec of St8 to push him through as a judge

  • for the first time, the Sup C struck down a decision as unconstitutional

  • caused Judicial Review - power of court to review constitutionality of laws, the Supreme power of the court system

  • decision angers republicans, wanted to take down Federalist Judge Samuel Chase

Louisiana Purchase

  • Jefferson sent Robert R Livingston to make a deal with Napoleon

  • only supposed to buy a small piece for $10 mil - France offers the entirety for $15 mil

  • made this offer due to a slave revolt in Haiti (Napoleon decided American endeavors weren't worth it)

  • planning war in Europe - needed quick cash, couldn't maintain land

  • Presidents not allowed to purchase land - too good to refuse, passed by Senate

  • constructionism returns

  • if it's not clearly outlined in the Constitution, you can't do it

  • 1804: Lewis and Clark Expedition

  • made it all the way to the Pacific ocean

  • encountered many Indigenous tribes, some peaceful, some not

  • Sacagawea

Aaron Burr

  • just wanted to be in charge of something,,, Fs in the chat

  • VP for first term

  • tried to get NY and NE to break away and become their own federalist country so that he could rule them

  • Hamilton reveals this to Jefferson → Burr is furious

  • dual, Hamilton dies (more dumb luck than anything)

  • tried to create new nation between E+W America → invade Spanish lands in Western America so that he could rule them

  • Jefferson again alerted, arrested + tried Burr with treason (found not guilty because he never did it, but disgraced)

  • shows Jefferson that governing such a large, new nation would not come without its disputes

james madison

4th President

  • attended Princeton University

  • 1789: wins seat in House of Representatives

  • helped write Federalist papers with Hamilton and Jay

  • instrumental to ratification of Constitution

  • against Federal bank - unconstitutional

  • then, he and Jefferson leave the Federalist party and join the Dem-Reps

  • 1800: becomes Jefferson's secretary of state

  • Dolley Madison becomes first "first lady"

  • ie. Abigail Adams was called Mrs. President

  • redefined role of President's wife → dedicated self to common good

  • established state dinners → White House becomes a place of social life; gives james some personality + flavor

presidential election

  • 70% of Electoral votes in 1808

  • campaigned for hugely unpopular Embargo Act of 1807

  • "economic disaster" for American merchants

  • quiet, small, light, intellectual + unassuming

other

  • active member of American Colonization Society

  • supported freeing enslaved people, returning to “homes” in Africa (would send all of them back to present-day Liberia, not their actual places of geographic origin)

  • 5'4"... yikes

  • was once opposed to the Bill of Rights

  • lost a House of Delegates election because he didn't give the voters alcohol

domestic policy

  • not a priority of the Madison administration

northwest Indigenous peoples

  • Madison believed the reason for their loss of land was a lack of unity, separate tribes

rechartering the bank

  • 1816

  • viewed as a stronghold of Hamiltonian power by old Republicans

  • viewed as holding too much British stock by anti-British Republicans

  • support showed Madison's pro-federalist sympathies

foreign affairs

war of 1812

  • Jefferson's Embargo Act of 1807 forced Madison to pass Macon's Bill No. 2

  • this new bill proposed to allow trade with other nations, exclusively reinstate trade with either England or France, whichever pledged to drop its trade restrictions

  • France ends up dropping them first - only ambition was self-serving

  • reasons for the war

  • "freedom of seas" → US wanted to trade and sail without fear of other countries

  • land expansion → wanted to expand into Canada, Florida

  • resolve issues with Indigenous peoples → British provided some tribes with guns to fight americans

  • make a statement to world powers that they were capable of fighting off England

  • divides

  • South + West: pro-war; wanted land

  • New England: anti-war; wanted trade with Britain

  • warfare

  • after losing a surprising battle in Canada, Americans began to win

  • Oliver Hazard Perry beat the British on Lake Erie, forced them out of Detroit

  • Tecumseh killed at battle of the thames → American victory, lead by William Henry Harrison

  • British still planned to attack New York → Americans almost defeated, US halted British plan + saved New York (prevented New England separation from the rest of the nation)

  • Washington DC was burned to the ground, stopped at Fort McHenry (where the Star Spangled Banner was written)

  • New Orleans defended

  • British troops targeted it - put entire Mississippi Valley at risk

  • Andrew Jackson led an army of 7,000; British were confident with their 8,000

  • largest battle of the war, American victory

  • Treaty of Ghent

  • delegates met in Belgium to make a peace deal

  • just a ceasefire, despite Britain's initial unreasonable demands

  • impact

  • Americans → won and gained respect to the world, gained credibility

  • end of Federalist party; now only Dem-Reps

  • high nationalism - heroes eg. Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison

Hartford convention

  • delegates decide what to do about war

  • from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island

  • discuss secession

  • bad timing - seen as crybabies opposing this because they arrived just as news broke of Andrew Jackson's victory in New Orleans

  • essentially the "nail in the coffin" for the Federalist party

war hawks

  • younger men > older men elected in Congress

  • became known as "war hawks" → pushed for war against Indigenous peoples to move them out to the West and steal their land

  • these men hadn't been part of a revolution, seek conflict but need governmental support

  • Shawnee tribe opposed to this; lead by Tecusmeh and the Prophet (brothers)

  • encouraged traditional Indigenous clothes and culture

  • urged Indigenous people to not give up their land and organized a coalition of Indigenous tribes

  • US viewed them as a threat

james monroe

  • won all electoral college votes except one - deliberately votes against so that only George Washington would have the distinction of a unanimous electoral vote

  • looked and carried himself like Washington

  • last of "Virginia dynasty" - all 5 except Adams were Virginians

background

  • from Virginia

  • revolutionary - Monroe at Trenton

  • studied law under Thomas Jefferson, "the most immediate rewards" → fastest path to wealth and power

  • tried to run for president in 1808, didn't get nomination

  • temporarily secretary of war during war of 1812 - decent

election of 1816 + first term

  • won in a landslide in 1816 against William H Crawford (fall of Federalists)

  • took a goodwill tour in 1817

  • all the way around the country

  • Boston (federalist stronghold) - agreed that he was a good guy, lead to Era of Good Feelings

  • made effort to connect with everyone

  • internal improvement → states or federal government?

  • fate of BUS

election of 1820

  • lost one vote again (reserved for Washington)

  • unopposed - only president to be reelected after a financial crisis (1819) - Federalists suck

  • dispute Missouri compromise, "dirty bargain"

  • fun facts

  • ranked as above average president

  • 17 US counties named after him

  • his 3rd child married her cousin - first marriage in the White House

  • took part in storming of Governor's palace in Virginia

  • fought in continental army

domestic policy

Westward Expansion + the financial panic of 1819

  • era of good feelings following war of 1812 → ready for Westward expansion

  • land act of 1820 - 80 acres of land for $1.25/acre; promoted expansion

  • people were buying too much land on credit from banks → economic panic

  • BUS loaned money to Western banks, who soon went bankrupt

  • Western farmers lost land, blamed Eastern banks (esp BUS)

  • last straw for Federalists - most support Jacksonian democracy

Missouri

  • territory wanted to join as a slave state - disrupts balance

  • Missouri Compromise - Missouri is slave state, Maine is a free state (12 of each); South views their influence as decreasing and fears abolition

  • tallmadge amendment

  • goal: limit # of enslaved people in Missouri

  • congress ruled that: no more enslaved people could be imported in Missouri, all must be freed at ~25

  • voted down in south

  • Southern reaction: upset - didn't want freedom/abolition

  • enslaved population decreases = less representatives

supreme court cases

  • highly contested - 5 major cases

  • john marshall was a justice - shifted toward judicial nationalism

  • fed government more powerful than state

  • all complaints based on rights of states governments

  • decision/outcome: federal government has ultimate power over states' affairs

  • rules in favor of federal government (reestablishing/reaffirming power of federal government every time) - John Marshall stops

  • bank, charter, boundaries, etc.

foreign affairs

rush-bagot treaty of 1817

  • demilitarized Great Lakes

  • US + Britain

  • each only have one warship on Great Lakes (much of war of 1812 fought on Great Lakes)

treaty of 1818

  • with France

  • resolved fort disputes after war of 1812

  • drew Canada line - 49th parallel

  • allowed joint occupation and settlement in Oregon country

Andrew Jackson in Florida

  • told to occupy areas in Florida; acted within authority of instructions - did not have any specific instructions to invade

  • hung ~10 people loyal to Britain + Spain

  • Jackson took a fort at St. Marks, took control over Pensacola, and disposed of Spanish governor

Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819 (aka Transcontinental Treaty)

  • Spain sells all of Florida territory to US

1822

  • recognized Peru, Argentina, Colombia, and Chile as countries in Aguirre mission

  • Monroe doctrine

  • reiterated policy on neutrality on European wars and conflicts

  • wouldn't accept recolonization by any country to its foreign European master

  • stated that European countries shouldn't consider Western hemisphere as open to colonization

  • mainly addressed to russia

  • no more colonization by Europeans in Latin America + no more intervention in Latin American affairs/Western Hemisphere; in return, Americans agree to remain uninvolved in the Eastern Hemisphere - esp conflict in Greece

  • Washington's farewell address → American foreign policy

  • Britain signs on, puts navy behind - this makes other European nations agree

Russo-American treaty of 1824

  • gives Russia claims of NW Pacific coast of North America (Oregon territory)

  • signed by representatives in St. Petersburg, Russia on April 17, 1824

2.2: Early Presidents: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe

Early Presidents

thomas jefferson

background

  • 1770s: enters political scene with law background

  • 1176: helps write Declaration of Independence

  • 85-96: Minister to France, Secretary of State, Vice President under Adams

  • 1801-1809: US President

  • the election of 1800

  • Democratic-Republican Jefferson v. Incumbent Federalist Adam

  • Jefferson presented himself as a moderate, which attracted a lot of voters

  • republicans → people's party (people had a president in Jefferson)

  • Jefferson lost popular vote but won Electoral College

  • technically tied, House of Representatives voted 30+ times; Alexander Hamilton throws support behind Jefferson

  • campaign

  • states rights > strong federal government

  • common people

  • farmers, laborers, workers

  • federalists: wealthy elites in cities

  • unconventional; saw himself as more than just a president

foreign affairs

military

  • did not think an army was necessary unless they were at war (peace president)

  • distrusted large armies; preferred forces similar to militias

  • downsized military to 2,500 troops, viewed navy as pointless (and didn't want to spend money on it)

  • neutral + friends with all nations, not necessarily allies

  • similar to Washington's view

north africa

  • "Barbary pirates" → paid off to stop harassing US ships

  • more convenient than fighting, still embarrassing

Tripolitan war

  • leader of Tripoli declared war by cutting down an American flag

  • from this came the Marine Corps - Jefferson sent navy to "take care of business"

  • following this, Jefferson started trying to strengthen the navy → built 200 small, quick gunboats ("mosquito fleet")

  • ended up being a waste - larger, armored sea boats better for warfare

US/British relations

  • the chesapeake affair

  • US can trade with any side in the war

  • 1806 - London issues/passes Orders in Council → any ships headed to France must check-in at a British port for inspection

French-British war

  • embargo act (1807)

  • passed by Jefferson

  • forbid all US exports to any [European] nation

  • cut off all trade with essentially everyone - what did he anticipate?

  • hit NE hardest - merchants in trouble (ships just sitting in ports)

  • S+W - crops pile up, not exported

  • smuggling returned

  • congress repeals - passed Non-Intercourse Acts (1809 - prevents shipping only to England and France)

  • essentially same effect - main trade partners

  • neither the embargo or non-intercourse act was successful

  • Jefferson overestimated US' importance to England

  • unexpected benefit: forced American industry to start on its own → benefited Jefferson's rival, Hamilton - vision of industrial country

domestic policy

Repeal of Federalist Laws

  • alien and sedition acts - personally pardoned 10 victims of these

  • excise tax on whiskey - $1mil/year, still unfair

  • judiciary act of 1801 - Adams packed the court with Federalists, Jefferson replaces this with judiciary act of 1802 - restored some elements of Adams' plan, reorganized court system

Marbury v Madison

  • Marbury → Justice of Peace - commission not delivered

  • petitioned Supreme Court to compel Sec of St8 to push him through as a judge

  • for the first time, the Sup C struck down a decision as unconstitutional

  • caused Judicial Review - power of court to review constitutionality of laws, the Supreme power of the court system

  • decision angers republicans, wanted to take down Federalist Judge Samuel Chase

Louisiana Purchase

  • Jefferson sent Robert R Livingston to make a deal with Napoleon

  • only supposed to buy a small piece for $10 mil - France offers the entirety for $15 mil

  • made this offer due to a slave revolt in Haiti (Napoleon decided American endeavors weren't worth it)

  • planning war in Europe - needed quick cash, couldn't maintain land

  • Presidents not allowed to purchase land - too good to refuse, passed by Senate

  • constructionism returns

  • if it's not clearly outlined in the Constitution, you can't do it

  • 1804: Lewis and Clark Expedition

  • made it all the way to the Pacific ocean

  • encountered many Indigenous tribes, some peaceful, some not

  • Sacagawea

Aaron Burr

  • just wanted to be in charge of something,,, Fs in the chat

  • VP for first term

  • tried to get NY and NE to break away and become their own federalist country so that he could rule them

  • Hamilton reveals this to Jefferson → Burr is furious

  • dual, Hamilton dies (more dumb luck than anything)

  • tried to create new nation between E+W America → invade Spanish lands in Western America so that he could rule them

  • Jefferson again alerted, arrested + tried Burr with treason (found not guilty because he never did it, but disgraced)

  • shows Jefferson that governing such a large, new nation would not come without its disputes

james madison

4th President

  • attended Princeton University

  • 1789: wins seat in House of Representatives

  • helped write Federalist papers with Hamilton and Jay

  • instrumental to ratification of Constitution

  • against Federal bank - unconstitutional

  • then, he and Jefferson leave the Federalist party and join the Dem-Reps

  • 1800: becomes Jefferson's secretary of state

  • Dolley Madison becomes first "first lady"

  • ie. Abigail Adams was called Mrs. President

  • redefined role of President's wife → dedicated self to common good

  • established state dinners → White House becomes a place of social life; gives james some personality + flavor

presidential election

  • 70% of Electoral votes in 1808

  • campaigned for hugely unpopular Embargo Act of 1807

  • "economic disaster" for American merchants

  • quiet, small, light, intellectual + unassuming

other

  • active member of American Colonization Society

  • supported freeing enslaved people, returning to “homes” in Africa (would send all of them back to present-day Liberia, not their actual places of geographic origin)

  • 5'4"... yikes

  • was once opposed to the Bill of Rights

  • lost a House of Delegates election because he didn't give the voters alcohol

domestic policy

  • not a priority of the Madison administration

northwest Indigenous peoples

  • Madison believed the reason for their loss of land was a lack of unity, separate tribes

rechartering the bank

  • 1816

  • viewed as a stronghold of Hamiltonian power by old Republicans

  • viewed as holding too much British stock by anti-British Republicans

  • support showed Madison's pro-federalist sympathies

foreign affairs

war of 1812

  • Jefferson's Embargo Act of 1807 forced Madison to pass Macon's Bill No. 2

  • this new bill proposed to allow trade with other nations, exclusively reinstate trade with either England or France, whichever pledged to drop its trade restrictions

  • France ends up dropping them first - only ambition was self-serving

  • reasons for the war

  • "freedom of seas" → US wanted to trade and sail without fear of other countries

  • land expansion → wanted to expand into Canada, Florida

  • resolve issues with Indigenous peoples → British provided some tribes with guns to fight americans

  • make a statement to world powers that they were capable of fighting off England

  • divides

  • South + West: pro-war; wanted land

  • New England: anti-war; wanted trade with Britain

  • warfare

  • after losing a surprising battle in Canada, Americans began to win

  • Oliver Hazard Perry beat the British on Lake Erie, forced them out of Detroit

  • Tecumseh killed at battle of the thames → American victory, lead by William Henry Harrison

  • British still planned to attack New York → Americans almost defeated, US halted British plan + saved New York (prevented New England separation from the rest of the nation)

  • Washington DC was burned to the ground, stopped at Fort McHenry (where the Star Spangled Banner was written)

  • New Orleans defended

  • British troops targeted it - put entire Mississippi Valley at risk

  • Andrew Jackson led an army of 7,000; British were confident with their 8,000

  • largest battle of the war, American victory

  • Treaty of Ghent

  • delegates met in Belgium to make a peace deal

  • just a ceasefire, despite Britain's initial unreasonable demands

  • impact

  • Americans → won and gained respect to the world, gained credibility

  • end of Federalist party; now only Dem-Reps

  • high nationalism - heroes eg. Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison

Hartford convention

  • delegates decide what to do about war

  • from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island

  • discuss secession

  • bad timing - seen as crybabies opposing this because they arrived just as news broke of Andrew Jackson's victory in New Orleans

  • essentially the "nail in the coffin" for the Federalist party

war hawks

  • younger men > older men elected in Congress

  • became known as "war hawks" → pushed for war against Indigenous peoples to move them out to the West and steal their land

  • these men hadn't been part of a revolution, seek conflict but need governmental support

  • Shawnee tribe opposed to this; lead by Tecusmeh and the Prophet (brothers)

  • encouraged traditional Indigenous clothes and culture

  • urged Indigenous people to not give up their land and organized a coalition of Indigenous tribes

  • US viewed them as a threat

james monroe

  • won all electoral college votes except one - deliberately votes against so that only George Washington would have the distinction of a unanimous electoral vote

  • looked and carried himself like Washington

  • last of "Virginia dynasty" - all 5 except Adams were Virginians

background

  • from Virginia

  • revolutionary - Monroe at Trenton

  • studied law under Thomas Jefferson, "the most immediate rewards" → fastest path to wealth and power

  • tried to run for president in 1808, didn't get nomination

  • temporarily secretary of war during war of 1812 - decent

election of 1816 + first term

  • won in a landslide in 1816 against William H Crawford (fall of Federalists)

  • took a goodwill tour in 1817

  • all the way around the country

  • Boston (federalist stronghold) - agreed that he was a good guy, lead to Era of Good Feelings

  • made effort to connect with everyone

  • internal improvement → states or federal government?

  • fate of BUS

election of 1820

  • lost one vote again (reserved for Washington)

  • unopposed - only president to be reelected after a financial crisis (1819) - Federalists suck

  • dispute Missouri compromise, "dirty bargain"

  • fun facts

  • ranked as above average president

  • 17 US counties named after him

  • his 3rd child married her cousin - first marriage in the White House

  • took part in storming of Governor's palace in Virginia

  • fought in continental army

domestic policy

Westward Expansion + the financial panic of 1819

  • era of good feelings following war of 1812 → ready for Westward expansion

  • land act of 1820 - 80 acres of land for $1.25/acre; promoted expansion

  • people were buying too much land on credit from banks → economic panic

  • BUS loaned money to Western banks, who soon went bankrupt

  • Western farmers lost land, blamed Eastern banks (esp BUS)

  • last straw for Federalists - most support Jacksonian democracy

Missouri

  • territory wanted to join as a slave state - disrupts balance

  • Missouri Compromise - Missouri is slave state, Maine is a free state (12 of each); South views their influence as decreasing and fears abolition

  • tallmadge amendment

  • goal: limit # of enslaved people in Missouri

  • congress ruled that: no more enslaved people could be imported in Missouri, all must be freed at ~25

  • voted down in south

  • Southern reaction: upset - didn't want freedom/abolition

  • enslaved population decreases = less representatives

supreme court cases

  • highly contested - 5 major cases

  • john marshall was a justice - shifted toward judicial nationalism

  • fed government more powerful than state

  • all complaints based on rights of states governments

  • decision/outcome: federal government has ultimate power over states' affairs

  • rules in favor of federal government (reestablishing/reaffirming power of federal government every time) - John Marshall stops

  • bank, charter, boundaries, etc.

foreign affairs

rush-bagot treaty of 1817

  • demilitarized Great Lakes

  • US + Britain

  • each only have one warship on Great Lakes (much of war of 1812 fought on Great Lakes)

treaty of 1818

  • with France

  • resolved fort disputes after war of 1812

  • drew Canada line - 49th parallel

  • allowed joint occupation and settlement in Oregon country

Andrew Jackson in Florida

  • told to occupy areas in Florida; acted within authority of instructions - did not have any specific instructions to invade

  • hung ~10 people loyal to Britain + Spain

  • Jackson took a fort at St. Marks, took control over Pensacola, and disposed of Spanish governor

Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819 (aka Transcontinental Treaty)

  • Spain sells all of Florida territory to US

1822

  • recognized Peru, Argentina, Colombia, and Chile as countries in Aguirre mission

  • Monroe doctrine

  • reiterated policy on neutrality on European wars and conflicts

  • wouldn't accept recolonization by any country to its foreign European master

  • stated that European countries shouldn't consider Western hemisphere as open to colonization

  • mainly addressed to russia

  • no more colonization by Europeans in Latin America + no more intervention in Latin American affairs/Western Hemisphere; in return, Americans agree to remain uninvolved in the Eastern Hemisphere - esp conflict in Greece

  • Washington's farewell address → American foreign policy

  • Britain signs on, puts navy behind - this makes other European nations agree

Russo-American treaty of 1824

  • gives Russia claims of NW Pacific coast of North America (Oregon territory)

  • signed by representatives in St. Petersburg, Russia on April 17, 1824

robot