HERE WAS BURIED THOMAS JEFFERSON AUTHOR OF THE
DECLARATION OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE OF THE
STATUTE OF VIRGINIA FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND
FATHER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
BORN APRIL 13, 1743
DIED JULY 4. 1826
1. Background and Education
• Father: Peter Jefferson
• Like most sons of land owners, he
studied land surveying
• Graduated from William and Mary
University in Williamsburg, VA
• Tall, red-headed, quiet
2. Political Beliefs
• The government which governs least,
governs best
• Strongly favored States Rights as
opposed to a strong national
government
• Believed in a strict construction, or
strict interpretation, of the U.S.
Constitution
• Wanted to end all taxes of any kind
paid by U.S. citizens
3. Accomplishments Prior to
becoming President
• Wrote the first draft of the Declaration
of Independence
• Wrote the Statute of Virginia for
Religious Freedom
• Created the University of Virginia
• Served as an ambassador to Europe
from the United States
4. The Election of 1800
• Democratic-Republican Candidates:
Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr
4. The Election of 1800
• Federalist Candidates:
John Adams and Charles C. Pinckney
4. The Election of 1800
• Adams would have won re-election, perhaps
easily, had Alexander Hamilton not split the
Federalist Party
4. The Election of 1800
• Instead, the Democratic-Republicans
won the election
• Both winning candidates, Jefferson and
Burr, received 73 electoral votes
• Election was settled the House of
Representatives after 35 votes
• Hamilton swings the election to
Jefferson and angers Burr
4. The Election of 1800
• The messed up election pointed out the
need for a Constitutional amendment
regarding the Presidential election
process.
• The 12th Amendment modified the
Constitution so that the President and
the Vice-President are elected using
separate ballots.
4. The Election of 1800
• John Adams, the 1st President to live in
Washington, D.C., leaves before
Jefferson’s inauguration
• Jefferson’s Inauguration takes place on
March 4, 1801 in Washington, D.C.—the
1st done there
• The unfinished White House and
Capitol were just about the only
buildings in town
4. The Election of 1800
• Federalists fear what Jefferson will
say—will he start a new revolution?
• Jefferson, surprisingly, calls for unity—
he states “We are all Republicans, we
are all Federalists.”
• Jefferson DOES NOT propose to
change or destroy the structure of the
federal government.
5. Accomplishments made
during early part of Jefferson’s
1st term • Appointed Albert Gallatin as Secretary of the
Treasury
• Cut military spending
• Reduced the army from 4000 to 2500 men
• Reduced the navy from 25 to 7 ships
• Reduced national debt from $83 million to
$45 million
• Cut ALL internal taxes
5. Accomplishments made
during early part of Jefferson’s
1st term
• Only source of government income:
tariffs and sales of Western land
• Let the Alien and Sedition Acts expire
6. Issues with the Courts
• Marbury vs. Madison: Does William Marbury, one of John Adams’ last minute “midnight judges,” receive his commission to be judge or not?
• Jefferson had James Madison refuse to give the commission to Marbury
• Issue went before the Supreme Court
• Ruling became a precedent—an example for future court cases
6. Issues with the Courts
• With Marbury vs. Madison, the Supreme
Court established the concept of “Judicial
Review” of laws
• Judicial Review means that the Court may
decide if a law is constitutional or not.
• If a law is judged to be unconstitutional, or
goes against the U.S. Constitution, then the
law ceases to be a law.
7. The Louisiana Purchase
• By 1800, the western boundary of the U.S. was the Mississippi.
• The Louisiana Territory, that is all lands west of the Mississippi River which drained into the river, was originally controlled by France.
• As part of losing the French-Indian War, France ceded, or gave, the Louisiana Territory to Spain
7. The Louisiana Purchase
• The Louisiana Territory continued to be
controlled by Spain until 1800.
• A war fought in Europe between Spain
and France ended with a victory for
Napoleon and the French.
• Secretly, the Louisiana Territory was
transferred from Spain to France as a
result of that European war.
7. The Louisiana Purchase
• Jefferson learned that Louisiana Territory was now controlled by France
• French ownership of the Louisiana Territory posed several problems for the U.S.—mainly the French were popular with the Indians and the French presence blocked any sort of westward movement by U.S. citizens into the Louisiana Territory
7. The Louisiana Purchase
• The other major problem involved the
city of New Orleans. New Orleans
controlled all river trade. River trade
came from not only the Louisiana
Territory, but also from the United
States. If France decided to close the
city of New Orleans to U.S. trade, then
the U.S. would suffer great economic
hardship.
7. The Louisiana Purchase
• Jefferson realized the problems
involved with France owning the
Louisiana Territory.
• Jefferson sends Robert Livingston and
James Monroe to buy New Orleans and
West Florida for $2 million from France.
• Livingston and Monroe may spend UP
to $10 million.
7. The Louisiana Purchase
• Despite being more money and more
land than expected, both Livingston
and Monroe quickly agree to the deal.
• The deal poses a personal problem for
Jefferson—is this small government?
Still, Jefferson agrees to the deal.
• Congress debates the issue—lots of
money involved—still, they agree to it.
7. The Louisiana Purchase
• Napoleon experiences slave rebellion
trouble in the French colony of Saint
Domingue located in the Caribbean.
• Napoleon also needs money for
another war with Great Britain. He
decides to sell ALL of the Louisiana
Territory. His price: $15 million ( about
3 cents per acre).
7. The Louisiana Purchase
8. Lewis and Clark
• For a variety of reasons, Jefferson decides to send a military expedition to explore the Louisiana Territory.
• Jefferson’s personal secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis, is placed in charge of the expedition. The men on this expediton are called the Corps of Discovery.
• Lewis was to explore the territory, map it, find a water route to the Pacific, make friends with the Native Americans, and drive out all French and/or British traders if possible.
Meriwether Lewis
10. Jefferson’s Reelection
• By 1804, Jefferson was unquestioned success as a President. He was easily reelected.
• Burr decided to run for governor of New York. Hamilton criticized Burr; Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel; Burr shoots and kills Hamilton. Burr’s term as Vice President was not quite over at the time of the duel.
11. Jefferson’s 2nd Term
• Pirates from the Barbary Coast States
in the Mediterranean Sea demand
tribute from U.S. trade ships.
• Jefferson refuses to pay the tribute
• The Barbary pirates from Tripoli
declare war on the U.S.
• Jefferson does not want to fight;
instead, he orders a blockade of the
port of Tripoli.
11. Jefferson’s 2nd Term
• The blockade eventually works. The U.S. forces the pirates to sign a peace treaty which ends all tribute payments.
• The military action is popular in the U.S., but shows the need for a U.S. navy.
• Jefferson puts aside his own personal problems with the government paying for a navy, and the country develops a stronger defense.
11. Jefferson’s 2nd Term
• Great Britain continues its policy of
impressment.
• Impressment is when the British kidnap
U.S. sailors and force them to work as
British sailors.
• The impressment issue becomes a big
deal with the Chesapeake-Leopard
Affair in June 1807.
11. Jefferson’s 2nd Term
• Jefferson deals with the impressment issue by asking for an embargo, or block of trade, against both Great Britain and France.
• Congress passes the Embargo Act of 1807. The main victim of the law was neither Great Britain nor France—it was the U.S. merchants who could no longer trade with either country.
11. Jefferson’s 2nd Term
• The Embargo Act proves EXTREMELY
unpopular and Jefferson’s popularity suffers
as a result.
• Eventually, Congress repealed the Embargo
Act and replaced it with the Non-Intercourse
Act.
• The Non-Intercourse Act was no more
successful than the Embargo Act. American
merchants and shipowners suffered greatly.
• Jefferson leaves office with a loss of respect.
12. Jefferson after the
Presidency
• James Madison, the
author of the
Constitution, a
Democratic-Republican,
and Jefferson’s hand-
picked successor
becomes the next
President.
• Madison leads the
country during the War of
1812.