Jefferson

• 3rd President of the US

• Two main things:

  1. Barbary Coast Pirates in North Africa → Embargo Act of 1807

  2. Louisiana Purchase

First Barbary War (1801-1805)

• Off the coast of North Africa

• Jefferson refused to pay tribute so they declared war on the US

  → They surrendered and signed a peace treaty

Embargo Act (1807)

• France and England were in the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815)

  • They both seized American ships and kidnapped soldiers

→ In response, Jefferson signed the Embargo Act into place

• Prohibited American ships form leaving their ports until France and Britain stopped seizing them

  • Jefferson believed that by cutting off trade it would harm the economies of France and Britain so that they would stop the seizing to gain back America as a trading partner

  • Harmed US more

    • Farmers couldn’t sell goods overseas and seaport cities faced massive unemployment

• Jefferson later signed the Non-Intercourse Act of 1808 to lift the embargoes

Louisiana Purchase (1803)

• Doubled the size of the US

• Made it fit his strict view of the Constitution by signing a treaty

Election of 1800

Democrat-Republican: Thomas Jefferson

Federalist: John Adams

• Jefferson won

The War of 1812

• Created around issues with the seizing of American ships and the Embargo Act

  • They forced Americans into the British military

  • Britain allied with natives in the Northwest Territory

  • Imposed trade restrictions against the US

• Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun supported the war (“War Hawks”)

• Federalists opposed it because it would disturb trade (which the North relied on)