Bell Ringer• Determine if each modern day example would be supported by

Federalists or Democratic-Republicans. If you believe the Federalists would have supported the concept, write an “F” beside it. If you believe the Democratic-Republicans would have supported it, write a “DR” next to the concept.

• Socialized Medicine (Obamacare)• Common Core• State speed limit laws

The Jefferson Era

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: WHAT DID THE ELECTION OF 1800 SHOW ABOUT THE NATURE OF POLITICS?

WHAT DID JEFFERSON WANT TO ACCOMPLISH DURING HIS PRESIDENCY?

Election of 1800• Federalists- John

Adams/Thomas Pinckney

• Democratic-Republicans- Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr

• Each side made personal attacks against one another

• Federalists accused Jefferson of being “godless”

• D-R’s said that Federalists would bring back a monarchy

The Vote Is Tied• Electoral College- Voters in a presidential election are

really electing a group of people called “electors.”• At this time, electors casted two ballots: one for

president and one for vice president• 73 electors cast their ballots for Jefferson and Burr• This tie meant the House of Representatives had to

decide the election• In the House, Federalists supported Burr to try and

keep Jefferson from becoming president• In 1803, Congress passed the 12th Amendment to

prevent a future tie between a presidential and vice presidential candidate.

Jefferson’s Inauguration

• Jefferson dressed in everyday clothes

• Outlined his plan for “a wise and frugal government”

• He believed individual states could protect freedom better than a powerful federal government

Jefferson as President• Reduced national debt

and military expenses• Limited government

workers to a few hundred people

• Cut most federal taxes• Collected customs duties-

taxes on imported goods• Government’s income

would come from customs duties and the sale of land in the west

Judiciary Act of 1801• Passed after the election, but

before Jefferson took office• Adams used this act to make

hundreds of appointments (Chief Justice John Marshall)

• Congress was controlled by Federalists who would block Jefferson’s appointments

• This made sure that Federalists controlled the courts

• “Midnight judges”- Judges appointed by Adams just before Jefferson took office

• Area west of the Mississippi River

• Stretched from South of New Orleans to west of the Rocky Mountains

• Pioneers searched for land and adventure

• Pioneers traveled in Conestoga wagons

• Many pioneers set up farms along the rivers that fed into the Upper Mississippi River

The Louisiana Territory

• Spain had allowed Americans to move through their territory

• In 1802, they changed their policy

• Spain and France made a secret agreement to transfer the Louisiana Territory to France

• Napoleon Bonaparte planned to use the territory to create an empire

• Congress gave Robert Livingston the authority to offer 2 million dollars for New Orleans and West Florida in order to gain control of the territory

The French Threat

• Napoleon needed money for his war with Great Britain

• He had lost the island of Santo Domingo therefore had little use for the territory

• A French official told Robert Livingston and James Monroe that the territory was for sale

An Expanding nation

Lewis and Clark Expedition

• Americans knew little about the west

• Jefferson persuaded Congress to sponsor and expedition to gather information about: people, plants, animals, and sites for future ports.

• Another goal: mapping the NW passage (water route across N. America)

• After 18 months, Lewis and Clark reached the Pacific Ocean

• They had gathered lots of information and inspired others to move West.

American Ships on the High Seas

• Empress of China went to China to get profitable items like tea and silk

• American ships sailed to places like China, India, South America, and the Mediterranean

• American ships took advantage of the French/British war because most of their ships stayed at home to avoid being captured

Piracy on the Seas• “Piracy” means robbery• The Barbary Pirates from

North Africa terrorized European ships in the Mediterranean

• Pirates demanded a “tribute” or money for protection in order to pass safely

• Jefferson refused to pay the tribute, causing the ruler of Tripoli (in North Africa) to declare war on the U.S.

War with Tripoli• Jefferson sent ships to

blockade Tripoli• After seizing the warship,

Philadelphia, Stephen Decatur (Navy captain) took action

• He slipped through the harbor and burned the captured ship to prevent Tripoli from using it

• The war ended in 1805• Tripoli agreed to stop

demanding tributes• U.S. had to pay for the release

prisoners

Violating Neutral Rights

• U.S. was trading with both Great Britain and France

• Great Britain was using “impressment”

• By 1805, both Britain and France were trying to block the other from trading with the U.S.

Leopard/Chesapeake Incident

• British often boarded and searched American ships

• British ship, Leopard stopped American ship, the Chesapeake

• Captain of the Chesapeake refused to allow a search for British deserters

• British responded by firing and killing three crew members

• Caused a lot of anti-British feelings in America

Embargo Act• Congress passed this

law which banned ALL trade with other countries

• Jefferson and Congress did not want other countries to be go-betweens for trade with Britain

• The economy crumbled because of the act