thomas jefferson’s notable presidency
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Thomas Jefferson’s Notable Presidency
Brandon Chang Ryan Fitzpatrick
Joanna LiBrian Shen
The Early Life
❖ Born on April 13, 1743 in Shadwell, Goochland County, Virginia
❖ Son of Peter Jefferson, a planter and surveyor, and Jane Randolph, the daughter of a ship captain
❖ Attended the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg where he met George Wythe, his first law professor and influential mentor
❖ Studied writings of British Empiricists, including John Locke, Francis Bacon, and Isaac Newton
The Early Life (Cont.)❖ Became a lawyer in Virginia and represented
members of Virginia’s elite families
❖ Besides law, Jefferson represented Albemarle County in the Virginia House of Burgesses
❖ Secretary of State under George Washington (1790-1793) & Vice President under John Adams (1797-1801)
John Adams
Previous Political Affiliations❖ Founding Father and principal author of the
Declaration of Independence❖ Served in the Constitutional Congress
representing Virginia and later served as wartime Governor of Virginia (1779-1781)
❖ Served as diplomat in Paris, soon becoming the United States Minister to France (1785)
❖ First United States Secretary of State, organized the Democratic-Republican Party w/ James Madison
❖ Wrote A Summary View of the Rights of British America, belief that people had right to govern themselves
First: Presidential Election of 1800
❖ Republican presidential candidate Thomas Jefferson ran against John Adams who led Federalists
❖ Ugliest election in American history→both candidates’ supporters showed no restraint
❖ Aaron Burr = Republican vice presidential candidate
❖ Burr organized Republican “political machine”, the Tammany Society, to win New York’s vote
First: Presidential Election of 1800 (Cont.)
❖ Jefferson and Burr tied with 73 votes, so vote was passed to House of Representatives where each state delegation cast one vote to break tie
❖ New Republican congress that was elected in the 1800s would not convene until after the inauguration, so the old Federalist congress voted
❖ T. Jefferson → President, A. Burr → vice president.
First Term as President ❖ “Revolution” of 1800, the dominant political party shifted
from the Federalists (Adams) to the Republicans (Jefferson)
❖ Both executive and legislative branches controlled by republican party but judiciary was left in Federalist hands
❖ Jefferson and Republicans looked to a future greatly different from “tyranny” under Federalists
❖ In reality, Jefferson, like his Federalist predecessors, also used his powers of appointment as a political weapon
Thomas Jefferson
Aaron Burr
First Term as President (Cont.) ❖ Mindset of democratic simplicity → appearance
was plain and disregarded courtly and sophisticated etiquette
❖ After Louisiana Purchase, Jefferson commissioned Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore and map the newly acquired land
❖ Their Journey known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Meriwether Lewis
William Clark
Domestic Issues (First Term)
❖ Government was previously too large and expensive → cut size of army + navy
❖ Federalists possessed too much power in Supreme Court due to Judiciary Act of 1801 passed under John Adams
❖ Congress attempted to impeach obstructive Federalist judges
❖ Republicans targeted Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase but did not succeed in removing him from office
Samuel Chase
Domestic Issues (First Term Cont.)
❖ Despite treaty between U.S + Cherokee people, Jefferson made deal w/ Georgia to “expel” them
❖ Jefferson believed Natives should assimilate to American culture, more dependent on trade → eventually giving up their land → no cultural/religious differences
❖ Some argue Jefferson did not have the right to accept the Louisiana Purchase for it was not stated in the Constitution
❖ Vice president Aaron Burr rumored to support Federalist plans for secession in New England
Foreign Issues (First Term)❖ Barbary states of North Africa demanded protection
money from U.S whose ships sailed the Mediterranean, ❖ Conflict arose and led to the First Barbary War between
the U.S and Northwest African Berber Muslim❖ Napoleon gained interest in restoring French power in
the New World❖ France beginning to take control of New Orleans, the
most important outlet of western produce, closing port to U.S. ships
❖ Napoleon offered to sell Louisiana Territory to the U.S. to help pay French debt and b/c his campaign in N.A. had failed → continue his rampage in Europe
First Term Issues: Solved?❖ Secretary of Treasury Gallatin reduced government spending and
cutting members of the executive department
❖ Reduction of military → Greater risk of foreign threats
❖ Eliminated whiskey tax and other internal federal taxes
❖ Jefferson reduced national debt from $83 million to $45 million
❖ 1802, Congress pass “Act for the Protection of Commerce and seamen of the United States against the Tripolitan cruisers”
Albert Gallatin Secretary of Treasury
First Term Issues: Solved? (Cont.)❖ Authorized protection of commerce + seamen of American
vessels, allowed them to seize vessels belonging to Bey of Tripoli
❖ Due to blockades/raids, leader Yusuf Karamanli signed a treaty ending hostilities on June 10, 1805 →America still pay $60,000 ransom to free American sailors
❖ Jefferson pays Napoleon $15 million for the Louisiana Territory
❖ Gives America huge part of Midwest including access to Mississippi River and port of New Orleans
Mississippi River
Second: Presidential Election of 1804❖ Republican presidential candidate Thomas
Jefferson ran for a second term against Federalist Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
❖ Jefferson had overwhelming victory, 162 electoral votes to 14, almost 93% of total votes conducted
❖ Jefferson gained popularity after Election of 1800, and Louisiana purchase which heavily contributed to his immense victory
❖ Both houses of Congress dominated by a Republican majority
Second Term as President
❖ Jefferson Victory in 1804 Election → Ratification of Twelfth Amendment
❖ Twelfth Amendment: Presidential electors specify their choice in votes for President and Vice President instead of electing only president
❖ George Clinton would be elected as Vice President instead of Federalist Rufus King
❖ Clinton would serve under both Jefferson and James Madison (1805-1812) making him the only vice president in history to serve under two presidents
GeorgeClinton
Thomas Jefferson
Domestic Issues (Second Term)❖ March 1806: Political split occurred within Jefferson’s party b/c
of his support to ban British imports as a form of retaliation against the British
❖ Albert Gallatin, Secretary of Treasury proposed spending $20 million on the construction roads and canals to improve infrastructure
❖ John Randolph of Roanoke thought Jefferson had gone too far in Federalist direction and called for a purity of republican principles
❖ 1807, Jefferson tried former V.P Aaron Burr for treason→Burr was charged with trying to levy war against the U.S in attempt to establish a separate confederacy consisting of Western states
❖ Following Revolution, all states abolished the international slave trade, but soon after, South Carolina re-opened it
John Randolph of Roanoke
Foreign Issues (Second Term)❖ Relations strained between U.S and Britain, partly
from the personal hatred between Jefferson and British Ambassador, Anthony Merry
❖ After victory at the Battle of Austerlitz (1805), Napoleon → more aggressive over trading rights
❖ European navies seized American merchantmen and their cargo as contraband of war→rationalized the plunder of U.S shipping as necessary for their victories
❖ Chesapeake-Leopard Affair: American frigate U.S.S Chesapeake was unknowingly pursued, attacked and boarded by British warship HMS Leopard
Napoléon Bonaparte
Second Term Issues: Solved?❖ 1807, Jefferson convinced Congress to pass the Act Prohibiting
Importation of Slaves + condoned the I.S.T as a “violation of human rights”
❖ No new slaves imported into the states, established punishment for international trade but did not regulate domestic slave trade
❖ After attack of USS Chesapeake, Jefferson issued proclamation banning armed British ships from entering
❖ Due to violations of U.S neutrality during Napoleonic War, Jefferson responded with Embargo Act of 1807 preventing American ships from leaving to foreign ports
❖ Embargo to end conflicts with American shipping, turned out to be impractical and a failure diplomatically and economically→devastating on US economy→Non-Intercourse Act
❖ Non-Intercourse Act: Congress passed law that reopened trade w/ all nations except for Britain and France
An Astute Quote From Yours Truly...
“In matters of style, swim with the current;In matters of principle, stand like a rock.”
-Thomas Jefferson
Works Cited1. Autumn Scenery. N.d. Photograph. Mr. Wallpaper. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.mrwallpaper.com/wallpapers/Autumn-scenery-1920x1200.jpg>.2. "Barbary Wars." Barbary Wars. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2013.
<http://history.state.gov/milestones/1801-1829/barbary-wars>.3. Jefferson, Thomas, and Merrill D. Peterson. Thomas Jefferson:
Writings. New York, NY: Literary Classics of the U.S., 1984. Print.4. Louisiana Purchase. N.d. Photograph. Mr. Nussbaum. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
<http://mrnussbaum.com/history1/images/la.png>.5. Malone, Dumas. Jefferson and His Time. Charlottesville:
University of Virginia, 2005. Print.6. "Miller Center." American President: Thomas Jefferson: Campaigns
and Elections. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://millercenter.org/president/jefferson/essays/biography/3>.
7. Rainbow Scenery. N.d. Photograph. First HD Wallapapers. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.<http://www.firsthdwallpapers.com/uploads/2013/07/scenery-wallpaper_1920x1200_90202.jpg>.
8. Swiss Alps. N.d. Photograph. Autolux Puzzles. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. <http://autoluxpuzzles.com/practice_image/Swiss%20Alps.jpg>.
9. "Thomas Jefferson." The White House: Thomas Jefferson. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/thomasjefferson>.
10. U.S Constitution. N.d. Photograph. Wise Geek. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. <http://images.wisegeek.com/usconstitution.jpg>.
11. Waterfall Scenery. N.d. Photograph. Desktopas. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. <http://www.desktopas.com/files/2013/06/Waterfall-Scenery-Wallpaper-1680x1050.jpg>.
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