Transcript Thomas Jefferson’s America

Thomas Jefferson’s America
Mr. Phipps
American History
The Federalist Demise
The Federalists, quickly losing touch with the
changing demographics within the U.S.,
elect Thomas Jefferson, a spokesman for
strict Constitutional interpretation and
limited government.
The End of the Federalists
The Alien and Sedition Acts
– Instituted by John Adams, who refused to support
France during the French Revolution
– Bad politics, targeting Francophiles and French
supporting Anti-Federalists
– Used to imprison and deport those suspected of
betraying national security
– Excuse: to ensure national security by targeting
those who spoke ill about the U.S.
– Reason: to eliminate political opponents
The Mudslinging Begins:
The Anti-Jefferson Campaign
Thomas Jefferson
– Accused of robbing a trust fund
– Reneged on a promise to disburse the estate of a
prominent Eastern European Revolutionary War hero
(because of a clause to free slaves)
– Had fathered numerous children with his slave, Sally
Hemings, a clear indication of his hypocrisy
• Espouser of human rights
• Willing to have children
• Unwilling to emancipate slaves, even at the risk of facing total
bankruptcy (TJ would be forced to sell his personal library to offset
the expense, becoming the foundation for the Library of Congress)
– Supported the separation of church and state (=athiesm)
The Election of 1800
• Aaron Burr: Major political player, turned
states like NY against the Federalists
– Angered Alexander Hamilton
• Support in election derived from the opened
territories in the West and the South, which
granted universal white suffrage
• The Problem: Aaron Burr and TJ tied, swing
votes favored TJ because he was perceived as
more moderate
A So-Called Revolution
• Peaceful transition of political power, between
political parties
• Indicated to the world, and the international
community, the viability of the new U.S.
government
• Proved that the Federalists had provided an
established bureaucracy and brilliant leadership
at the most critical time in America’s early life
• Suggested that the Federalists were increasingly
out of touch with the realities of the new country
The New President
• Sloppy, ill-attired, a widower, often wore slippers to
state meetings
• Uncomfortable with the pomp of the Federalist
regime
– Eliminated ranking at state dinners
– Refused to attend State of the Union addresses
– Used personal secretary to communicate with Congress
• Major “foodie”: first American to import pasta and
French wine, had gained culinary appreciation
while ambassador to France during the Revolution
• Master of informal politics
Jefferson’s Status Quo
• Repealed the Alien and Sedition Acts
(technically, allowed them to lapse)
• Reduced naturalization requirements (from 14
years to 5 years)
• Repealed Hamilton’s excise tax, costing over a
1million in lost revenue
• Maintained the Hamilton’s basic financial
structure
• Kept the structure of the Cabinet and much of
the federal bureaucracy
The Marshall Court
John Marshall
– Nominated as Chief Justice to the Supreme Court by
the Adams (Federalist) presidency
– Had experience in the Revolutionary War
– Supported the principles of a strong centralized
government
– Advocated for judicial activism: using the court to
shape the political future of the United States by
looking at context, precedent, values while judging
– Considered the most lasting consequence of the
Federalist party
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
• Established the principle of “judicial review”
• Judgment:
– Marshall doesn’t attack the validity of Marbury’s
appointment, but the Constitutional validity of the law
granting the authority appoint him
– Elevated the Supreme Court as the final arbitrator for ALL
things Constitutional
– Marbury kept his position, forcing the Anti-Federalists to
impeach Samuel Chase for “high crimes and
misdemeanors” as revenge
– Impeachment failed in the Senate
– Ended any retaliation against the courts, and ensured its
stature as an equal, above political parties
Jefferson’s Foreign Policy
Ideologically driven to narrowly interpret the
Constitution, TJ was presented with numerous
opportunities that challenged his politics.
Advocating a flexible navy of gunboats and
severely reduced army, Jefferson contended
that the blessings of liberty were secured by a
well-armed militia.
The Barbary Pirates
The Dey of Algiers, North Africa
– Had blackmailed, extorted, plundered, and
forced tribute from British, Spanish, French, and
American merchants
– U.S. couldn’t afford tribute payments, war
remained a cheaper alternative
– Forced TJ to hastily construct a navy
– 1801 began an informal, undeclared war against
the Dey of Algiers and the Barbary Pirate
Confederation, which would last over 4 years
Napoleon: The Louisiana Issue
The Background:
– Napoleon had purchased New Orleans from Spain,
changing the warehousing contracts with the U.S.
– Threatened U.S. commerce along the Mississippi
River Basin, requiring diplomatic intervention
– TJ sent James Monroe to Paris to buy New Orleans
OR threaten to make an alliance with Britain
The Louisiana Purchase
Napoleon:
• Had failed to conquer the sugar-rich West
Indies
• Had become embroiled in a failed war with
the ex slave Toussaint L’ Ouverteure in Santo
Domingo
• Didn’t want the Americans allied with England
• Needed money for his conquests in Europe
The Louisiana Territory
• Purchased for $15 million
• Solidified control over the entirety of the
Mississippi River, including the port of New Orleans
• Doubled the size of the United States
• Got the other half of the riches river valley in North
America
• Demonstrated diplomatic savvy
• After Lewis and Clarke expedition, proved the
viability of an overland route to the Pacific
The World Wars Continue
• By selling Louisiana to the U.S., Napoleon
provoked outright war with Britain, with the
rest of Europe caught in the crossfire
• Battle of Trafalgar: Horatio Lord Nelson
crushes the Spanish and French navy, securing
British naval dominance
• Battle of Austerlitz: Napoleon destroys
Austrian and Russian forces, securing land
dominance
“Hey, Sailor!!!”
• British impressment of American sailors force
undeclared war with Britain
• Over 6,000 sailors are forced into service
• The Chesapeake Incident:
– Violation of American sovereignty
– Ship fired upon in American coastal waters, in
order to demand the return of 4 British sailors
– Highlighted American inability to protect itself
against even minor threats
Jefferson’s Response
• The Embargo Act of 1807
– Forbade American trade to any country
– Completely halted the American economy, forcing
merchants, producers, and farmers to lose
business
– Plan backfired: The British had other sources of
raw materials, although none as cheap as the
American colonies (esp. cotton)
– New England threatened secession because of
financial loss
Jefferson’s More Moderate Response
• The Non-Intercourse Acts
– Rough compromise
– Forbade trade only with Britain and France
– Collapsed after 15 months, because it was more
expensive (3x more) to monitor and regulate than
to build a navy
– The “long view”
• Could have been successful if maintained longer
• British merchants had rebelled against the lack of raw
materials and had publicly protested British naval policy
The Second War for
Independence
Unable to enforce the terms of the Treaty of
Paris, the American government was victimized
by British harassment along the frontier, in the
Atlantic, and along the Canadian border. A
byproduct of a larger European dispute, the
War of 1812 provided a much needed boost to
American nationalism.
A Hotheaded Congress
The 1812 Congress
• Reflected the new demographic changes within
the U.S.
• Consisted of young men, originating from the
South and the West, areas with the fastest
growing population
• Population had doubled in 20 years
– 1790 (pop. 3.9 mil.); 1810 (pop. 7.2 mil)
– Largest growth in Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee: the
Western “frontier”
• Henry Clay, of Kentucky, emerged as major
political leader
The Demands
The West and South:
• Wanted LAND, LIBERTY, and FREE TRADE
• Were outraged at the violation of American sovereignty
by British impressment of sailors
• Were angered by the increasing threat of Indian
incursions (incited by the British) along the frontier
• Were the spokespeople of a new American nationalism
• Included the largest, most vocal contingent of warhawks
– New England had the fewest, as trade would be disrupted by
war
– New England, though, would make the most money during
the war through war profiteering, smuggling, and black
market trading with the English
The Indian Wars
• Desperate to maintain free access to land,
Native Indians formed loose confederation to
force white Americans from spreading
• Led by Tecumseh and the Prophet
• Began a domestic war that would set standard
for Native-American relations for the rest of
American history
• Indicated the level of savagery the U.S. would
resort to in order to ensure domestic “safety”
Tecumseh’s Last Stand
• Battle of Tippecanoe (1811)
– William Henry Harrison burns Shawnee villages to the
ground
– Complete rout
• Battle of Thames (1813)
– Tecumseh, fighting alongside the British along the
Great Lakes, is killed resulting in the splintering of the
Native confederation
• Battle of Horseshoe Bend (1814)
– Andrew Jackson crushed the last of Indian resistance
– Forced relocation from Georgia to Florida
The Ending of an Era
• Momentum from Indian Wars used to declare
war on England (1812)
• War vote won slim majority from Southern
and Western delegates
• Showed how divided the country was
• Showed the power shift from New England to
the West
A Bad War
• Outbreak of war was not caused by surge of
nationalistic fervor, not backed by sound political
ideology
• U.S. had no trained, standing army
• U.S. had only small fleet of “flexible response”
mosquito gunboats
• U.S. had no military leadership, generals were
mostly senile holdouts from the Revolution
• U.S. had poor strategy, especially the threepronged invasion of Canada
A Three Pronged Attack
• Battle of Lake Erie (1813): Commodore Oliver Perry
engaged the British and pushed them out of Lake Erie, said
“We have met the enemy and they are ours.”
• Battle of Thames (1813): Wm. Henry Harrison took Detroit
and killed Tecumseh
• Battle of Lake Champlain (1814): British pushed out of
New York
• Burning of Washington, D.C. (1814): White House and
Capitol Building burned, inspired Francis Scott Keyes to
write “Star Spangled Banner”
• Battle of New Orleans (1815): Andrew Jackson’s largely
unnecessary slaughter of British, over 2,000 killed
• Treaty of Ghent (1814): Formally ended the war, restored
lost territories and retained existing borders
The Results
• New Englanders band together at Hartford Convention to
demand compensation for lost money
• Demonstrated that the U.S. could resist, protect, and
defend its territory
• Earned the reputation of Perry, MacDonough, Jackson,
and Harrison
• Earned diplomatic respect
• Indicated the growing political strength of the west
• Forced the Indians to make treaties with the American
government (rather than the British)
• Rush-Bagot Treaty: Created a mutually agreed
demilitarized zone along Canadian border
The Era of Good Feelings
Following the War of 1812, the United States
began a period of unprecedented geographic
growth, economic growth, and nationalism,
the spirit of which was crushed by the Panic
of 1819, the first great American recession.
The Era of Good Feelings
Cultural Nationalism
• Intense flowering of uniquely American culture,
literature, and art
– James Fenimore Cooper: The Leatherstocking Tales, The
Last of the Mohicans
– Washington Irving: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Tale
of Rip Van Winkle
– Themes: Conquering the Wilderness, Indians, Man v.
Nature, the changing values of “modern” America, folk
traditions
• Reconstruction of Washington, D.C. by Pierre L’Enfant,
modified later by Benjamin Latrobe
– In Greek Revival style, a nod to Greco-Roman
republicanism
Economic Nationalism
The American Plan:
– Build a strong centralized banking system
– Institute a protective tariff (Tariff of 1816) making
imports more expensive than domestic goods
– Revenue from tariff used to build roads, canals, and
infrastructures
– Routes would facilitate trade, communication, unify the
country through flow of raw materials and manufactured
goods, and promote new business growth
– Logical progression of Hamilton’s financial system
– Opposed by New England, who feared the drain of power
and influence to the Qest
Judicial Nationalism
• McCullouch v. Maryland (1819):
– Context: Maryland wanted to strike down a branch of the B.U.S.
– Ruling: B.U.S. is under jurisdiction of the federal government
(an implied power), government is the custodian of the law,
speaks for the people, and is derived by consent of the
governed
• Cohens v. Virginia (1821):
– Ruling: Supreme Court can review lower courts decisions for
Constitutionality
• Gibbons v. Ogden (1824):
– Only Congress can regulate interstate trade, not individual states
(like NY, which tried to form a monopoly on river rates)
• Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819):
– Upholds the sanctity of contract law, even contracts that
preexist the United States
– Allowed for free enterprise, through contract negotiations
The End to Good Feelings
The Panic of 1819
– Massive wave of bankruptcies, foreclosures, and
unemployment
– Caused by:
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Widespread over-speculation in western real estate
Lack of solid currency
High debt, with skyrocketing interest rates on credit
B.U.S. forced repayment of debt and froze credit
– First major American recession
Westward Expansion and Slavery
Caused by:
– The application of Missouri to the Union as a slave
state, the first state in the Louisiana Territory
– Agricultural expansion (tobacco and cotton) required
fresh soil and a labor source to cultivate it
– South challenged by the increased wealth and political
power of the North
– Popular sovereignty granted the right of people to
decide slave status
– Slave status upset the balance in Congress (11 Free
States: 11 Slave States)
The Missouri Compromise
• Crafted by Henry Clay, Senator from Kentucky
• Admitted Missouri into the Union as a slave
state
• Maintained balance in Congress by making
Maine a free state
• Prohibited slavery north of the 36° 30”, the
so-called Mason-Dixon Line
James Monroe’s Foreign Policy
• Fixed the northern border of the U.S. at the 49th
Parallel
• Maintained joint custody and occupation of
Oregon
• Shared fisheries of Newfoundland with Britain
• Allowed Gen. Andrew Jackson to rout outlaws,
Indians, and Spaniards out of Florida
– Spanish released control of Florida and Oregon to U.S.
– U.S. promised to stay out of Spanish occupied Texas
– Started the Trail of Tears: germ warfare and relocation
program of Indians
Diplomatic Nationalism:
The Monroe Doctrine
• Caused by:
– Increased aggression by national super powers in
Europe
– Napoleonic Empire divided by Congress of Vienna,
redrawing Europe
• Russia had pushed South into California (as far
as San Francisco)
• British had consolidated trade monopoly
The Monroe Doctrine
• A statement to the Czar of Russia warning him, and
the rest of European leaders, to stay out of the
Western Hemisphere
• Pushed two points:
– No European colonization in Western Hemisphere
– No European intervention in Western Hemisphere politics
(e.g., Latin American revolutions)
• The Results:
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Never law
Mostly symbolic
Totally unenforceable
Remained a lasting statement of American foreign policy,
that would be updated by the Roosevelt Corollary in 1902