HISTORY 1DD3 Chapter 8: Chapter08Notes
22 Jun 2018
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Chp 8 Identifications
President III: Thomas Jefferson
● After the French Revolution passed, Jefferson took office and believed what
Americans needed was to recognize they agreed on essentials and that they were all
federalists (federal union) and republicans (representative govt.).
● Jefferson quickly saw his popularity rise in his first term and loosened Federalists’
grip on the federal stage. Jefferson was guided by not only political calculations, but
also by his philosophy of government, which became known as Jeffersonianism.
● Jefferson could read French, Latin, Greek, and several Native languages!
● He served as president of America’s greatest scientific association, the American
Philosophical Society. He designed his mansion, oversaw its construction, and
invented a device for duplicating letters as well as an improved revolving book-
stand.
● Furthermore, he was the main author of the Declaration of Independence,
governor of Virginia, ambassador to France, Secretary of State under Washington,
and Vice President under John Adams.
● On the other hand, he was a controversial figure. He was portrayed as a radical for
his early support of the French Revolution. Federalists named Sally Hemings, a
house slave, as a slave mistress, pointing out the critical timing of his visits. It is
likely at least one of her four sons was his son. Because he condemned “race-
mixing” he was charged as a hypocrite.
● Jefferson believed blacks and whites could not permanently live side by side. He
believed high taxes, standing armies, and corruption could destroy American liberty,
and to prevent tyranny, he gave state govts. considerable amounts of power.
● Finally, he believed that the most virtuous people were edeucated farmers who could
act independently. Cities were the place of mobs and menaces to liberty as people
would become dependent on one another and “become corrupt as in Europe.”
Lowering expenditures
● Background Info: Hamilton’s economic program and Adams’ Alien and Sedition Acts
increased national debt by $10m.
● Jefferson condemned Hamilton’s policy, stating even interests were taking money
from farmers and putting them in the hands of the rich.
● Jefferson and Secretary of State, Gallatin, slashed expenditures by urging Congress
to repeal many taxes, closing some embassies overseas, and reducing the army.
● They placed economy ahead of military, and concluded 16 years would make the
administration debt-free.
● While lowering expenditures, Jefferson was ready to use the navy to gain respect.
● In 1801, he ordered a naval squadron to fight the Tripolitan (or Barbary) pirates
in the Mediterranean. For centuries, these people had solved their economic
problems by piracy and extorted tribute in exchange for protection. Jefferson
calculated going to war would be cheaper, and although the US suffered, they came
away with a peace treaty in 1805. The war cost about half of what US had been
paying annually.
Judiciary Act of 1801
● Background Info: Washington and Adams had appointed only Federalists, and not a
single Republican sat on the federal judiciary level when Jefferson came to office.
Also making Jefferson bitter were the Alien and Sedition Acts.
● Before Jefferson became president, Federalists implemented the Judiciary Act of
1801 reducing the number of Supreme Court justices from 6 to 5, and adding 16
new federal judges. This ended an early opportunity for Jefferson to appoint a
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justice. Also, John Adams, in “midnight appointments”, filled the 16 new spots
with Federalists by last-minute.
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
● John Adams appointed William Marbury as justice of the peace in the District of
Columbia, but failed to deliver his commission before the midnight deadline.
● Jefferson’s secretary of state, James Madison, refused to release the commission.
● Marbury petitioned the Supreme Court for a writ. Chief Justice John Marshall (who
was a Federalist) declared that although the Judiciary Act of 1789 granted the
Court to issue such a writ, this act was unconstitutional.
● This event is significant as it was the first time the Supreme Court had declared an
act of Congress to be void on the ground that it was unconstitutional.
John Pickering and Samuel Chase
● The Republicans took an offensive against the Federalist-dominated judiciary by
trying to impeach John Pickering, an insane alcoholic judge, and Samuel Chase, a
partisan Federalist justice known for jailing several Republican editors.
● These cases raised the question: Was impeachment, specially reserved for “high
crimes” a proper solution for judges insane or excessively partisan?
● Pickering was impeached, but the Senate narrowly voted down Chase’s
impeachment, in part because moderate Republicans doubted impeachment as a
solution.
● Jefferson’s skirmishes on the judicial branch ended as Jefferson achieved his main
goal of making the judiciary more responsive to popular will and law, rather than
partisan beliefs. No other federal judges were impeached for the next 50 years.
Louisiana Purchase (1803)
● Background Info: As long as Louisiana had belonged to Spain, there was little threat
to the US. But in 1800, a weakening Spain ceded it’s massive Louisiana Territory
(size of US then) and Florida to a fast emerging France and Napoleon.
● French control meant that if France struck a partnership with Canadian England,
America would be sandwiched. If Britain refused, they could use their navy to seize
Louisiana before the French arrived, trapping the US between British forces.
● In reality, Napoleon had a different goal. He dreamt of a new French empire around
the Gulf of Mexico. He wanted Louisiana as an important part of a Caribbean
empire, not to threaten the US.
● Jefferson described that whoever has control of NO has to be “our natural enemy”
because of it’s vital location to the western states. Napoleon, failed to re-conquer
Saint Domingo and concluded that his Caribbean empire was not worth the cost. He
also need money for war in Europe.
● Jefferson sent Monroe and Livingston to negotiate with France for the purchase of NO
and Florida. Napoleon’s minister, Talleyard, and American commissioners settled on
a price of $15m for the whole of Louisiana (Miss. R. to Rocky Mtns.). The purchase
was a bargain, costing only 13.5 cents an acre.
● Jefferson was a believer in strict interpretation. He drafted an amendment that
would allow territorial expansion. However, he soon began to worry that ratification
of an amendment might take too long, and Napoleon would change his mind.
● He quietly dropped the amendment and the Senate quickly ratified the treaty.
● The US doubled in size, gained control of the crucial NO, and remained in peace.
● The Louisiana Purchase also secured Republicans and Jefferson a smooth path for the
Election of 1804.
Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1805)
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● Jefferson was dazzled by Louisiana, which no one really knew anything about.
● Jefferson had planned an exploratory expedition even before the purchase, and sent
Meriwether Lewis to PA for training and education. Above all Jefferson wished to
find a water route across the continent, making the China trade more lucrative.
● Lewis and his second-in-command William Clark set out in May 1804 from St. Louis.
● On the way, L&C hired a French-Canadian fur trader, Charbonneau, who turned out
to be a mixed blessing.
● Charbonneau’s wife, Sacajwea, a Shoshone Native, showed L&C how to forage for
food. On one occasion, she clutched her baby in her arms and rescued most of the
expeditions’ scientific instruments after a boat capsized on the Missouri River.
● The group finally reached the Pacific Ocean in Nov 1805, and then returned to St.
Louis having collected a mass of information. The expedition’s drawings of the
geography led to more accurate maps and heightened interest in the West.
Aaron Burr
● Background Info: After losing narrowly in 1800 and being dumped by the Republican
Party in 1804, he sided with a despairing High Federalist faction in New England.
● Senator Timothy Pickering led the group of High Federalists and plotted to split the
Union by forming a pro-British Northern Confederacy which would include NE, NY,
Nova Scotia, and even PA. Most Federalists disdained the plot.
● Pickering and other High Federalists settled on Burr as their leader. Hamilton foiled
Burr again (first in Election of 1800) by publishing his negative opinions of Burr.
Burr lost the NY’s governor election, and challenged Hamilton to a duel, murdering
him.
● Burr had a scheme so radical and bold that it actually gained momentum as his
political opponents doubted that even Burr could commit such treachery.
● (continued below)
Aaron Burr and James Wilkerson conspiracy
● Aaron Burr allied himself with Gen. James Wilkinson of the Louisiana Territory and
planned to separate western states south of the Ohio R. into an independent nation.
● They told Westerners that this plan had the covert support of the govt., to the British
as a way to attack Spanish-owned areas, and to the Spanish as a way to divide the
United States.
● By fall 1806, Burr and about 60 followers made their way down the Ohio and Miss. R.
to join up with Wilkinson. In Oct 1806, Jefferson denounced the conspiracy.
Wilkinson abandoned the conspiracy and proclaimed himself loyal to Jefferson.
● Burr failed to escape to West FL, was put on trial, but failed to be convicted for
“treasonable acts” (he had only shown intentions).
● Under indictment in 2 states for his murder of Jefferson, he fled to England, tried to
persuade Napoleon to make peace, and returned in 1812 to the US. He fathered 2
illegitimate children in his 70s, divorced for adultery in his 80s, and died in 1836.
John Randolph and the Yazoo land scandal
● Jefferson faced internal challenges from a group of Republicans led by Randolph and
known as Quids. Randolph was still frozen in the 1770s ideology which celebrated
the wisdom of farmers. Jefferson, once in power, compromised. In contrast,
Randolph denounced every change as a decline.
● Randolph turned on Jefferson, most notably in the Yazoo land scandal.
● Begun when the Georgia legislature sold a huge Yazoo tract in a scandal in 1795,
Jefferson decided to compensate those who purchased in good-faith without
knowledge of the scandal, making a compromise instead of the original legislature
cancelling the sale.
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Document Summary
After the french revolution passed, jefferson took office and believed what. Americans needed was to recognize they agreed on essentials and that they were all federalists (federal union) and republicans (representative govt. Jefferson quickly saw his popularity rise in his first term and loosened federalists" grip on the federal stage. Jefferson was guided by not only political calculations, but also by his philosophy of government, which became known as jeffersonianism. Jefferson could read french, latin, greek, and several native languages! He served as president of america"s greatest scientific association, the american. He designed his mansion, oversaw its construction, and invented a device for duplicating letters as well as an improved revolving book- stand. Furthermore, he was the main author of the declaration of independence, governor of virginia, ambassador to france, secretary of state under washington, and vice president under john adams. On the other hand, he was a controversial figure.
