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5.pptxThomas Jefferson: His Thoughts, Experiences, and Presidency
Jefferson was a monumentally influential American statesmen. Not only did he pen the Declaration of Independence and a slew of treatise on liberty and democracy, he pioneered the belief in agrarian democracy, the idea that the US needed to be comprised of an electorate of land owning farmers who did not need to rely on the market for survival.
Though often regarded as one of our greatest presidency, his presidency was ultimately a controversial one. While he doubled the land size of the United States and commissioned an expedition to explore and catalog the new territory, he did so by expanding the power of the executive branch in a way that some found hypocritical.
In spite of his writings in favor of democracy and liberty, he turned his back on the second American republic, Haiti, largely due to political ties and its beginning as a slave revolt.
Finally, his attempts to punish Britain and France for not respecting American sovereignty and neutrality prompted him to pass a disastrous embargo bill.
Before the Presidency
Jefferson was a member of the Second Continental Congress and a close friend of future president John Adams.
While serving on the Congress, he was tasked with writing the Declaration of Independence, which was then reviewed and changed by other committee members.
Before the Presidency
He later served on the Virginia legislator and as the US Minister to France. During the Washington administration he served as Secretary of State.
During this time, his ideas that stood in opposition to federalism came into conflict with Alexander Hamilton’s support of a strong central government.
This initial conflict of opinions led to his resignation in 1793 and the creation of the Democratic-Republic Party by Jefferson and James Madison, which ran in opposition to the Federalists Party.
These were the first true political parties of the United States.
Before the Presidency
Jefferson ran for president in the 1796 election, but came in second to the Federalist John Adams.
Instead, he served as Vice President in the Adams Administration.
This was a very awkward arrangement, considering the two men did not like each other.
Before the Presidency
A major point of contention between Jefferson and President Adams was the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts as a response to the Quasi War against Britain and France.
The Acts targeted foreign nationals and dissenters against the war; the President was given the power to arrest alien residents without due process and speech critical of the government was restricted.
Before the Presidency
In response to this expansion of power, Jefferson and Madison secretly penned the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions respectively.
These documents, while bordering on treason due to their call for armed revolts, aimed to check the power of the executive branch.
Election of 1800
Jefferson defeated John Adams in the 1800 election, taking office in 1801.
The election process was marred by a flaw in the old Electoral College system that left Aaron Burr (Jefferson’s running mate) and Jefferson tied for the presidency.
This was resolved through a long voting process within the House of Representatives in which Alexander Hamilton eventually convinced his Federalist allies to favor Jefferson over Burr.
Though Hamilton and Jefferson may have been ideological opponents, Hamilton simply detested Burr.
Barbary Wars
One of the first major problems facing the new administration was the First Barbary War.
While the US had previously paid a tribute to the Barbary States (North African Kingdoms) to stop them from pillaging American merchant ships.
Jefferson was opposed to this system and the cost it accrued, so he dispatched the navy and marines to subdue the Barbary states in the same way that Adams dispatched the navy during the Quasi War.
Barbary Wars
This was the first war fought by the US on foreign soil.
After 4 years of war and the capture of the USS Philadelphia, Jefferson agrees to pay $60,000 for the ship to be returned.
The Barbary States would later continue their activities, prompting a Second War.
Presidency
Many of Jefferson’s most controversial decision were over situations that existed as the byproduct of the Napoleonic Wars.
When situations arose to enhance the size of the United States or potentially foster new republics in the Americas, Jefferson was forced to pit his ideals against political expediency.
Haitian Revolt
The French colony of Haiti underwent a bitter civil war that ended with independence and emancipation of the predominantly enslaved population of the island in 1804.
Regarded as one of the most successful slave revolts to ever occur, the Haitians established a republic and hoped the US would support them.
However, the Jefferson administration was not responsive, choosing not to alienate the French or the slave owning states (they were fearful of the implications a successful slave revolt would have in their state.)
Louisiana Purchase
In the wake of the successful Haitian Revolution, a cash strapped Napoleon, seeking to fund his wars in Europe and having lost his appetite for colonial holdings, looked to sell French holdings in central North America.
Napoleon was looking to sell the Louisiana Territory
Louisiana Purchase
This left President Jefferson with a crucial dilemma: taking Napoleon’s deal would double the size of the United States and help facilitate his agrarian democracy ideal, however, his authorizing the purchase would also go far beyond the limit he envisioned the president to have.
Ultimately, in January 1803 Jefferson authorizes the purchase of the land by pushing Congress to ratify the treaty with the French, in spite of there being no provisions in the constitution for purchasing land.
Marbury v. Madison
Arguably the most important decision made by the Supreme Court in US history, Thomas Jefferson ordered his Secretary of State, James Madison, to withhold a federal appointment to William Marbury in spite of it being issued to him by the previous president, John Adams.
In response, Marbury sued Madison and the case was brought to the Supreme Court.
Marbury v. Madison
While rejecting the idea that the court had the power to command the executive branch to accept Marbury’s claim, the Supreme Court did assert its right to review laws and treaties passed by the executive and legislative branch, declaring them unconstitutional if necessary.
This process is known as judicial review, and is a powerful tool of the judicial branch that was not explicitly given to them in the constitution.
The Jefferson Presidency: First Term
A year after the acquisition of the Louisiana territories by the Jefferson administration, an expedition headed by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark was dispatched.
Known as the Corps of Discovery, this unit’s mission was threefold:
explore and trail blaze a route to the western end of the continent so as to establish an American presence in the region,
study the ecology, geography, and native populations encountered along the way
check out how many French and/or other Europeans were residing out West
Twelfth Amendment
Seeking to avoid the problems encountered during the 1800 election and ensure solidarity within the executive branch, in 1804 Congress passed the Twelfth Amendment which streamlined the electoral process by requiring members to cast one vote for President and one for Vice President.
Jefferson was reelection in 1804, though Aaron Burr was replaced by George Clinton, with Burr and Jefferson growing apart ideologically.
Samuel Chase
Alarmed by the results of the Marbury v. Madison case and the assertion of judicial review, Jefferson aimed to reduce Judicial power and Federalist influence in the judicial branch.
The prime focus of this campaign was the impeachment of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase.
Impeached by a Democrat-Republican controlled Congress, Chase was accused of acting in an unfair manner due to his affiliations with the Federalist party.
Samuel Chase
The cases in question were related to violations of the Alien and Sedition Act, which he reportedly took on a combative manner while presiding over.
Though he was eventually acquitted, the case helped to set a precedent on how to handle cases against the judicial branch and establish a limit of power over the judicial branch by the other two.
Napoleonic Wars
With the Napoleonic Wars escalating in Europe, American trade became immersed in the conflict, eventually leading to Jefferson’s Embargo Act.
Napoleon’s Berlin Decree (1806) and Milan Decree (1807), asserted the Continental System, thereby blockading Britain, and the authorization for French ships to capture neutral ships leaving British ports, respectively.
Napoleonic Wars
The Chesapeake-Leopard Affair was an international incident in which the British ship, HMS Leopard, fired upon, boarded, and captured crew members of the USS Chesapeake.
Seeking to capture deserters from the British navy, this event constituted a continuation of the policy of impressment.
Though Jefferson attempted to exploit the affair against the British, Congress stifled any attempt for reparations out of fear of war.
Napoleonic Wars
Six months after the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair, Jefferson signed the Embargo Act of 1807.
This act closed all American trade until the French and British recognized America’s neutrality. They did not concede to America’s demands and the bill was disastrous to the American economy.
Napoleonic Wars
Two years later, at the end of Jefferson’s tenure, Congress passed the Non-Intercourse Act of 1809.
This legislation allowed trade with nations other than France and Britain, with whom trade would resume should they agree to lift their restrictions against the US.
Tecumseh and the Prophet
A growing religious movement among the Shawnee Natives involved the Shawnee Prophet Tenskwatawa.
He proclaimed that the white settlers were evil and that their ways should be rejected.
Eventually gaining a substantial following, he led his followers to settle at Prophetstown (Tippecanoe) in 1808, which had both spiritual and political significance, being located at the center point of a larger confederation being amassed by Tenskwatawa’s brother Tecumseh.
Tecumseh and the Prophet
Chief Tecumseh’s ultimate aim was the creation of a Native American Confederacy that would halt the advance of the Americans.
This issue would come to a head during the War of 1812, in which the Americans confronted the Natives.
