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The Jeffersonian Era
Brinkley Text Chapter 7
The Jeffersonian Era
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Jeffersonian ideals:
A small republic, composed of small states
The ideal citizen – a “yeoman” farmer
(yeoman means experienced, skilled)
All males “trained for democracy,” i.e., literate
All females trained to be “Republican
Mothers,” to raise their children ready for
democracy
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The new “Cultural Americanism”
American-style spelling, simplified and
standardized by Noah Webster
American-style literature, reflecting American
urban and rural life in its ideal vision
(Washington Irving, Charles B. Brown, etc.)
American painters, glorifying the American
landscape and people
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American religion; the “Second Great
Awakening”
Renewed piety (like first “Great Awakening”)
Shows effects of expansion on traditional
religion.
People in frontier communities were isolated
from big churches in large towns; formed
their own
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Resistance to slavery among slaves
Gabriel Prosser – slave rebel
Growth of abolitionism
Puritan-based religions rejected slavery on
moral grounds
Rise of Indian cultural pride
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The Industrial Revolution in Europe (began
ca. 1750) comes to America.
Plans for the “spinning Jenny” smuggled into
the US (why was this smuggling necessary?)
Rise of American inventors and inventions:
most notable, Eli Whitney
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Whitney’s most lasting contribution to
American manufacturing: interchangeable
parts
Whitney’s most famous (and most
controversial) invention: the cotton engine,
called “cotton ‘gin’” for short
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Cotton gin’s effects:
Eliminated the tedious task of hand-combing
seeds and hulls out of “short staple” cotton
(the easiest kind to grow, hardest kind to
harvest)
Enabled cotton farming on vast plantations
with fewer skilled laborers
Contributed to the rise of plantation slavery
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Slavery probably would have died out without
the cotton gin
Founding Fathers had hoped it was dying
out; had postponed any legal action on
slavery until 1808
Foreign import of slaves banned in 1808; no
need to import new slaves, due to “natural
increase” in slave population
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Transportation innovations in America during
the period
Steam locomotives
Better paving of roads
Turnpikes
Complex road systems INSIDE of states,
often (but not always) connecting to road
systems of other states
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Deficiencies in the American transportation “system”
Lack of a “system”
Each state built its own roads, with no government
assistance
Most existent roads went E-W, not N-S (Why?)
This resulted in further connections between the
East and the West, and further isolation and division
between North and South
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Thomas Jefferson as president: strong
Republican ideals
Strict construction of the Constitution, at least
early on.
Jefferson eventually acted in several issues
in a way that showed him to be a strong
executive, capable of pressuring Congress if
needed.
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Marbury v. Madison
President Adams had appointed a number of
new federal judges under the Judiciary Act of
1799.
Jefferson’s Secretary of State, James
Madison, refused to follow through on
Adams’ “midnight appointments.”
Was Madison’s duty; why would he not do it?
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William Marbury was one of these judges.
Marbury demanded a “writ of mandamus”
A paper (“writ” = court order) forcing a
government official to perform his duties
Case heard by The United States Supreme
Court, since it involved a personal suit
against a high federal official.
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Justice John Marshall new Chief Justice
Marshall was also a “midnight appointment,”
and should probably have recused himself
from the case. He did not.
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Jefferson hoped that The Court would decide
in favor of Madison
But he expected that the verdict would come
out in favor of Marbury, since both Marbury
and Marshall were both strong Federalists.
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To Jefferson’s (and Madison’s) great surprise,
verdict came in favor of Madison, not Marbury.
Jefferson was pleased that his side “won,” but
was NOT pleased with Marshall’s reasoning
Marshall, a Federalist, had urged the other Court
members to “grant cert” (issue a writ of certiorari,
agreeing to hear Marbury’s case) because he
felt an important principle – not politics – was at
stake.
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Marshall believed that a large country
required a strong central government –
including a Supreme Court – that could use
its authority
Jefferson, as a Republican, saw the
American ideal quite differently
Marbury was first decision to overturn a law
of Congress (Judiciary Act of 1799)
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Marshall was 2nd Chief Justice
First Chief Justice, John Jay, had done very
little to push the Court’s role
Marshall more active
Marshall sought to increase Court’s role
Sought to establish that Court had the right to
review laws of Congress
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Marshall changed many procedures
Insisted that the Court issue only ONE
opinion in each case it took, instead of 5
separate opinions
Vowed to show the country that the Court,
and only the Court, could decide which acts
of Congress were proper and Constitutional.
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 Marshall
Court’s opinion issued in
1802
 Marbury’s complaint was
understandable but was not valid.
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Reason: Judiciary Act of 1799, under which
Adams had made the appointment, was
“unconstitutional.”
That word had not been used before
It was the first time the Supreme Court made
this declaration about an Act of Congress.
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Created what has become known as “judicial
review”
Judicial review is the legal right of the
Supreme Court to examine and overturn Acts
of Congress.
This principle is implied in the Constitution,
but not stated outright.
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 An
example of “loose
construction”
 Generally, Thomas Jefferson
believed in “strict construction”
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Jefferson “won the battle, but lost the war.”
Jefferson feared an increase of power for any
branch of the federal government except for
the Congress.
But he had no choice but to accept
Marshall’s (and The Court’s) opinion.
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However, Jefferson was open to use of loose
construction with the purchase of Louisiana
Territory in 1803.
Jefferson sought to purchase only the city of
New Orleans, to guarantee American farmers
that the Mississippi River would remain open
for shipment of their crops.
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Napoleon’s ambassador offered to sell all of
Louisiana (see map next slide)
The agreed-on sale price was $15,000,000 –
just over $15 per ACRE.
Adjusted for today’s dollars, the price would
be nearly $300,000,000, and would still be a
bargain!
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Jefferson doubted that he had the authority
to make the purchase (why?)
But he asked Congress for permission and
quickly got it.
Jefferson seems to have temporarily
abandoned both his strict constructionism
AND his desire for a small republic.
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New land was good for strengthening the
country.
Jefferson sent American explorers
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to map
the new territory and to learn about the
Indians, geography, and plant and animal life
of the new acquisition.
Lewis and Clark called their expedition “The
Corps of Discovery.”
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Why had Napoleon been so eager to sell the
land so quickly?
Napoleon wanted to launch an all-out war
against the nations of Europe, planning to
conquer the entire continent and make it
“The French Empire.”
Napoleon needed cash, and realized he
couldn’t spare troops to guard Louisiana.
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 War
between France and Great
Britain was once again
threatening
 Once again, each of those
countries attempted to draw the
United States into the center of
their conflict.
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Jefferson began quietly to boost the
nation’s military forces.
 Set up a military academy (West
Point).
 But he worked to avoid war, which
would be disastrous for the new
country.
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Jefferson attempted to use trade as a
“weapon”
Urged Congress to order an embargo of ALL
goods going to and from either France or
Great Britain.
His hope: this pressure would cause the two
countries to stop pressuring the US to take a
side in their struggle.
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The strategy backfired
It hurt the United States, particularly shippers
in New England. France and Great Britain
just traded with other countries.
New England merchants were angry with
Jefferson.
The US settled into economic depression.
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Early political cartoon
shows Jefferson choking
the United States
Caption has “embargo”
spelled backwards
Caption reads “O grab
me!”
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Great Britain’s navy began to seize American
merchant ships in order to kidnap American sailors.
Britain officially denounced this practice of
impressment.
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See also “Billy Budd, Foretopman” by Herman Melville
Many Britons felt that American sailors were “really”
British and that the practice was justified.
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Jefferson unhappy and unpopular
Served two terms, decided not to
run again in 1808 (continuing twoterm custom)
But there was no strong Federalist
to run, either.
Jefferson’s successor in the 1808
election was his Secretary of State,
James Madison.
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Jefferson and Madison had each served a
president as Secretary of State
This started a popular idea among
Americans that Secretary of State job was
“stepping stone to the presidency”
Madison as President
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Madison tried Jefferson’s strategy of
“peaceable coercion” in 1809
Urged Congress to OK trade with all of
Europe EXCEPT for Britain and France
This new law called “Non-Intercourse”
Replaced in 1810 with “Macon’s Bill #2”
Madison as President
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Macon bill had a “catch”
President could allow trade with France or
Britain IF they agreed to accept neutral US
Madison said US would trade with either
nation if the other kept stopping ships
France ceased the interference, and war with
Britain seemed likely
Madison and the War of 1812
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Other “side causes” of war:
Britain urging Indians in west to make war on
Settlers
Some land-hungry Americans hoped to “win”
Canada by defeating Britain again
Southerners hoped to expand this war to
Florida, acquire more land there
Madison and the War of 1812
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“War Hawks” (urged war with England) were
regional
Tended to be Southerners and Westerners
Tended to be younger, ambitious
Congressmen
Typical: Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, John
C. Calhoun
Madison and the War of 1812
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Northeasterners resisted call to war
Would hurt shipping, hurt their region most
War Hawks got control of Congress in 1810
election
Declared war summer of 1812
Madison and the War of 1812
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William Henry Harrison became well-known
hero after defeating Indians in West
British briefly captured Washington DC,
burned much of the town
New US Navy helpful in defeating British
Peace treaty: Treaty of Ghent
“status quo ante bellum”
Madison and the War of 1812
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Close to end of war, “Hartford Convention” in
New England sought to secede, create a
new country, “Dominion of New England”
Plan became known just as war ended
Federalists who led Hartford Convention
seemed treasonous
Death of Federalist Party
Madison and the War of 1812
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After shooting ended, but before peace was
announced, Andrew Jackson led great British
defeat at New Orleans
Made Jackson a war hero (even though war
was technically over at the time)
Possible that Jackson had been informed of
cease fire, chose to ignore
Madison and the War of 1812
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International outcomes of war:
No land lost or gained
Great Britain finally accepted status of USA
as forever an independent country
Great Britain and USA from then on solved
all difficulties by treaty (e.g., Rush-Bagot
setting boundaries in Great Lakes area)