The Jefferson Presidency�1801-1809

							The Jefferson Presidency—1801-1809




        “The Splendid Misery”
          A Terrific Resume
• Delegate to Second     • Ambassador to
  Continental Congress     France—Sally
• Principal Author of      Hemmings
  the Declaration of       accompanied him.
  Independence           • Secretary of State
• Wartime governor of      under Washington
  Virginia               • Vice President under
                           John Adams
The Irony of the Election of 1800
• Clearly the Republicans didn’t manage the
  Election well—73 electoral votes for Burr and for
  Jefferson—led to 12th Amendment
• The enigma of Aaron Burr
• There would have been no controversy without the
  3/5 clause—Adams would have won handily had
  only whites been counted for determining the
  Electoral Vote.
• Jefferson is the quintessential southern/American
  in matters of race and sex.
Election of 1800
   Jefferson’s Stated Principles
• “We are all Republicans—we are all
  Federalists”
• “Equal and exact justice to all men”
• “peace, commerce, and honest friendship
  will all nations; entangling alliances with
  none”
• “Freedom of religion . . . Press . . . Of
  person”
  Irony of Jefferson’s Presidency
• Rhetorical record of strict construction, but
  exigencies in office led him to support broad
  exercises of power
• Struggle with Federalists actually enlarged
  Federalists interpretation of national government
• Foreign policy imbroglios led him to acquiesce to
  suppression of civil liberties and the enlargement
  of governmental powers.
  Jefferson’s Domestic Agenda
• Struggles with Federalist Judiciary
• With Albert Gallatin’s prodding, Jefferson
  kept most of Hamilton’s fiscal apparatus,
  but got rid of his excise tax on whiskey
• Cut military spending
• Burr Conspiracy
• “Tertium Quids”
       Struggles with Federalist
              Judiciary
•   Marbury v. Madison
•   John Marshall and Judicial Nationalism
•   Impeachment of John Pickering
•   Impeachment of Samuel Chase
John Marshall, William Marbury & Samuel Chase
    Maintenance of Hamilton’s
            Schemes
• National Bank charter ran until 1811
• Funding and national debt schemes could
  not be undone
• “Wise and Frugal” government led to
  retrenchment
• Jefferson signed bill ending international
  importation of slaves
         Cut Military Spending
•   Standing armies lead to tyranny
•   Relied on militia
•   Jeffersonian gunboat program
•   Coastal forts—program resulted in Ft.
    McHenry (War of 1812) and Ft. Sumter
    (Civil War)
Fort McHenry
             Burr Conspiracy
• Burr’s duel with Alexander Hamilton ended
  Burr’s electability
• Intrigued with James Wilkinson and others to
  create western sovereignty
• United States v. Aaron Burr—neither Jefferson or
  Marshall looked good but established high
  standard of proof for treason and precedent of
  executive privilege.
Aaron Burr (1756-1836)
            Tertium Quids
• John Taylor of Caroline and John Randolph
  of Roanoke
• Not a real factor in national politics
  although they cast votes for James Monroe
  in 1808
• Yazoo land frauds—Fletcher v. Peck
• Florida Bribe scheme
John Taylor of Caroline
            Foreign Policy
• Jeffersonian Manifest Destiny—Empire of
  Liberty (Louisiana Purchase and attempts to
  acquire Florida) L. P. led to Lewis and
  Clark Expedition
• Struggles with Barbary Pirates
• Struggles with European Powers during
  Napoleonic Wars
  Jeffersonian Manifest Destiny
• Louisiana Purchase—Revolt in Haiti
• Lewis and Clark Expedition
• Filibustering in the Floridas
Louisiana Purchase
              Barbary Pirates
•   Bey of Tunis declared war in 1801
•   Philadelphia crew held hostage
•   Decatur burned Philadelphia
•   Decatur a hero but Jefferson paid $60,000
    for return of Philadelphia crew
Stephen Decatur & Burning of Philadelphia
Struggles with Britain and France
• Orders in Council; Berlin and Milan decrees
• Led to Embargo Act—Make “Justice in their
  interest”
• How to enforce act—enforcement acts led to great
  violations of the 4th amendment.
• Issue left for Madison and led to War of 1812.
• The difficulties here most likely led Jefferson to
  think that presidency was “Splendid Misery.”
U. S. S. Chesapeake
Europe-1815
“Lessons” of Jefferson Presidency
• Crowtherian thesis: All events are “sui generis”
  and don’t lend themselves to “silly
  generalizations.”
• Challenge of ideology versus practicality and
  contingency
• Second Crowtherian thesis: Presidencies are
  defined by events that follow the election.
  Temperament, not resume or ideology, tends to
  define whether a President can cope with the
  continegency. (Yeah, I know my generalizing
  contradicts thesis number one!!!)