Download Jefferson Era Outline

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The Jefferson Era
Test Date:
Jefferson Becomes President
THE ELECTION OF 1800
-In 1800, John Adams and Charles Pinckney campaigned against Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr.
-Republicans also insinuated that Adams would use the newly created permanent army to limit
American’s rights. (This was some of the beginnings of political “mudslinging”)
-Jefferson and Burr each had won 73 electoral votes. The decision to break the tie was left up to
the House of Representatives.
-Jefferson finally won the tiebreaker. This election was the first time that one party had replaced
another in power in the United States. This was the first peaceful transfer of power.
Jefferson’s Policies
-These problems with the system of voting led Congress to propose the Twelfth Amendment, which
called for a separate ballot for president and vice president.
-Jefferson made it clear that he supported the will of the majority as he stressed the need for a
limited government and the protection of civil liberties.
-He chose James Madison as Secretary of State and Albert Gallatin as Secretary of Treasury.
-Jefferson urged the Democratic-Republican Party’s newly controlled Congress to allow the hated
Alien and Sedition Acts to expire.
-Jefferson also lowered military spending and reduced the size of the navy to 7 active ships, in
hopes that these cuts would allow the government to repay the national debt.
-Jefferson also asked Gallatin to find ways to abolish domestic taxes, like the tax on whiskey. (He
was trying to protect civil liberties)
- Jefferson believed that the primary functions of the federal government were to protect the
nation from foreign threats, make sure the mail was delivered, and collect custom duties.
MARBURY V. MADISON
-Although Republicans controlled the presidency and Congress, the federal judiciary was dominated
by the Federalists.
-Shortly before their terms of office ended, Federalist legislators passed the Judiciary Act of 1801.
This act created 16 new federal judgeships, which President Adams immediately filled with
Federalists before leaving office. They were known as the “Midnight Judges”.
-Some of these appointments were initiated so late that the documents that authorized them had
not been delivered by the time Adams left office. This led to controversy once Jefferson took
office.
-William Marbury was named as a justice of the peace by President Adams; however, he did not
receive his documents before Adams left office. When Jefferson took office, Marbury demanded
the documents.
-Jefferson advised the new secretary of state, James Madison, not to deliver them because they
were not valid.
-Marbury sued, demanding the Supreme Court to order Madison to deliver the appointment papers.
-John Marshall, a Federalist appointed by John Adams, was the current Chief Justice of the United
States.
-Marshall wrote the Court’s opinion in Marbury v. Madison, a case that helped establish the
Supreme Court’s power to check the power of the other branches of government. (checks and
balances)
-In denying Marbury’s request, the Court was able to avoid a direct confrontation with Jefferson’s
administration. However, more importantly, it did establish the Court’s power of judicial review
which was the power to declare an act of Congress unconstitutional.
-Marshall and other federal judges would later use this power of judicial review to make the
judiciary a much stronger part of the national government.
The Louisiana Purchase
-By the early 1800s, thousands of Americans had settled in the area between the Appalachian
Mountains and the Mississippi River.
-As the region’s population began to grow, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio were admitted to the
Union.
-New Orleans, located at the mouth of the Mississippi, was a very important port. Its busy docks
handled settlers’ farm supplies and valuable furs brought from American Indians.
-Spain controlled both New Orleans and Louisiana. This region expanded west from the Mississippi
River to the great Rocky Mountains.
-Under a treaty veiled in secrecy, Spain agreed to trade Louisiana to France.
-In 1802, prior to handing over Louisiana to France, Spain closed New Orleans to American
Shipping.
-President Jefferson asked the U.S. ambassador to France, Robert Livingston and James Monroe to
attempt to purchase New Orleans.
-Jefferson sent James Monroe to help Livingston.
-They had a $2 million budget to buy as much of the Gulf coast as they could.
-France was lead by Napoleon, a powerful ruler who had conquered most of Europe. He had
dreamed of rebuilding France’s empire in North America.
-Napoleon sent 20,000 troops to try to regain control of the island of Haiti from a slave rebellion,
but they were unsuccessful.
-Without Haiti, Napoleon could not build an empire for France in North America.
-When the Americans tried to buy New Orleans, Napoleon told Charles Talleyrand, the French
foreign minister, offer to sell them the entire territory of Louisiana.
-Napoleon wanted to sell Louisiana to fund his war with Great Britain.
-The Constitution did not mention the power of the president to purchase foreign lands. Jefferson
worried that it was cost public money and add to the national debt.
-On October 20, 1803, the Senate approved the agreement of the Louisiana Purchase, which
practically doubled the size of the United States and gave the US control of the Mississippi River.
Explorers Head West
-Americans knew very little about western Native Americans or the land they lived on.
-In 1803, the president asked Congress to appropriate funds for an expedition to explore the West.
-He chose Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to lead the expedition.
-Lewis was a former army captain and Clark was a friend of his.
-Their group was named Corps of Discovery. The journey began in 1804
-They used interpreters to communicate with the leaders of the Native American that they met.
-The explorers relied on the goodwill of people they met such as Sacagawea. She helped guide
Lewis and Clark from 1804-1806.
-Her knowledge was very valuable to the expedition.
-In November 1805, Lewis and Clark reached the Pacific Ocean.
-They did not find a river route across the West to the Pacific Ocean (aka NW Passage), but they
had learned much about Western lands and other paths across the Rocky Mountains.
Pike’s Expedition
-In 1806, Zebulon Pike was sent to find the beginning of the Red River.
-This was important because the United States considered it to be part of the Louisiana Territory’s
western border with New Spain.
-He tried to reach the summit of the mountain known as Pike’s Peak.
-In 1808, the traveled into Spanish lands and was arrested. They thought he was a spy.
-Records of his journey gave many Americans their first description of the Southwest.
The Coming of War
Violations of Neutrality
-Great Britain began stopping and searching American ships for sailors who ran away from the
British navy. This was interfering with American shipping.
-U.S. citizens were often captured and were forced into impressment by the British navy. This
continued even after Americans protested.
-In June 1807, British forced sailors off the Chesapeake, a U.S. navy ship.
-This was a violation of U.S. neutrality.
-Because of Great Britain's violations of U.S. neutrality some people favored going to war while
others favored an embargo (banning trade with Great Britain).
-In late 1807, Congress passed the Embargo Act which banned trade with all foreign countries
-Congress hoped that he embargo would punish Britain and France and protect American merchant
ships from capture.
-Without the benefit of foreign trade, America lost money.
-Northern states were heavily impacted by the Embargo Act because they relied on trade.
-Furious merchants sent Jefferson hundreds of petitions and demanded the repeal of the Embargo
Act.
-In 1809, Congress replaced the Embargo Act and only banned trade with Britain, France, and their
colonies.
-The Embargo Act failed. It caused merchants to lose money and had little effect on Great Britain
and France.
Conflict in the West
-American settlers began to move into areas gained by the Treaty of Greenville which was an
agreement between Native American leaders and the U.S. government that gave the U.S. Indian
lands in the Northwest Territory and guaranteed U.S. citizens could safely travel through the area.
-British agents from Canada began to provide arms to Native Americans living along the western
frontier.
-This made American settlers scared and angry.
-Tecumseh was a Shawnee Chief who warned the other Native Americans about the dangers they
were facing from white settlers.
-He hoped to unite Native Americans from the northwestern frontier, the South and the eastern
Mississippi Valley.
-In 1810, Tecumseh met with William Henry Harrison, the governor of the Indiana territory.
-Harrison urged him to follow the Treaty of Greenville.
-Fighting broke out between the Native American’s and Harrison’s soldiers in November 1811.
-Tecumseh’s village was destroyed.
-Tecumseh and his followers were defeated at the Battle of Tippecanoe.
-American’s believed that the British had encouraged Tecumseh to attack western settlers.
-Some members of Congress called for war with Britain (War Hawks).
-These legislators were led by Henry Clay of Kentucky and John Calhoun of South Carolina.
-These War Hawks wanted to invade Canada to gain more land.
-New England Federalists were the strongest opponents of the War Hawks and wanted to renew
friendly business relations with Great Britain.
Declaring War
-Republican James Madison was elected president in 1808.
-In 1812, Congress voted to declare war on Great Britain. This was the first time Congress had
declared war.
-Madison was re-elected to a second term and would serve as President through the War of 1812.
The War of 1812
Causes of the War
-Impressment of American Sailors
-Interference with American shipping
-The presence of British soldiers – aiding Native Americans
Early Battles
-At the start of the war, the British navy had hundreds of ships. (The U.S. Navy had fewer than 20)
Although, they were scattered around the globe.
-Although small, the U.S. Navy had well-trained sailors and powerful new warships including the
USS Constitution.
-Many times, the British navy was embarrassed as the American vessels defeated British ships in
one on one duels.
-Harrison’s victory combined with Tecumseh’s death ended British control in the Northwest.
The Creek War
-Creek Indians were angry with American settlers for trespassing into their lands. (1813)
-Andrew Jackson enlisted about 2000 volunteers to move against the Creek nation.
-The Treaty of Fort Jackson ended the Creek War forcing the Creek to give up millions of acres of
their land.
The War of 1812 moves to our nation’s capital
-President Madison was forced to flee when British troops set fire to the White House, the Capitol,
and other government buildings.
- Dolly Madison, his wife, retrieved artifacts from the White House including the famous painting of
George Washington.
-The British marched on to Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland and fired on it for 25 hours.
-Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the Star Spangled Banner as he watched the American
victory at Fort McHenry.
-However, the Americans stood their ground and the British were forced to retreat.
-After the attack on Washington and Baltimore, the British moved on to New Orleans where they
attempted to capture the city and gain control of the Mississippi River.
The Battle of New Orleans (Actually in Chalmette, LA)
-Andrew Jackson was commanding forces around New Orleans. His troops were made up of a mix
of free African Americans, a group of Choctaw Indians, state militia, and pirates led by Jean
Lafitte.
-This battle began on the morning of January 8, 1815.
-11,000+ British troops attacked Jackson’s force of 5,500+ soldiers.
-The British were stopped when they were caught on an open field.
-Casualties: 2,000 British - 70 Americans
-The Battle of New Orleans made Andrew Jackson a hero and was the last major conflict of the War
of 1812.
Effects of the War
-Increase sense of national pride
-American manufacturing boosted
-Native American resistance weakened
-Slow communication at the time meant that Andrew Jackson did not know about the Treaty of
Ghent that had been signed on December 24, 1814, which ended the War of 1812.
Summary
-Andrew Jackson was a war hero after the Battle of New Orleans
-Increased national pride
-The interruption of trade boosted the production of American made products
-American Indians were losing their stronghold on their land