Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
I
Introduction
1. Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated third president of the United States on 4 March 1801. Surrounded by
friends, Jefferson walked to the Capitol from a nearby boardinghouse; at noon, without pomp or ceremony, he entered the crowded Senate chamber and took his place on the platform between Aaron Burr, his
successor as vice president, and John Marshall, the chief justice of the United States. The election that
brought Jefferson to the presidency had been bitterly contested by the two political parties, Federalists
and Republicans, and only finally terminated on 17 February in the choice by the House of Representatives between himself and his Republican running mate, Burr.
2. The address, an appeal for the restoration of "harmony and affection" with a brilliant summation of the
Republican creed: "We have called by different names brethren of the same principle. We are all republicans: we are all federalists." Believing that the mass of Americans, regardless of party, were fundamentally united in their political sentiments, Jefferson hoped to extinguish the strife, hatred, and fanaticism that
had rocked the Republic during its first decade.
3. The new president looked remove the political parties and "a perfect consolidation of political sentiments"
as the government was restored to its true principles. These principles he traced back to the American
Revolution. Equal justice to all men; freedom of speech, press, and religion; majority rule and minority
rights; supremacy of the civil over the military authority; economy in the public expense; the encourage-
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
ment of agriculture and commerce; peace and commerce with all nations, but entangling alliances with
none—these should be "the creed of our political faith," said Jefferson. He spoke of preserving "the whole
constitutional vigor" of the general government yet called for "a wise and frugal government, which shall
restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned." His
point was not to place liberty and government in irreconcilable opposition but, rather, to declare his conviction that a free and democratic government, for all its weakness by Old World standards, was, in fact the
strongest government on earth. I believe it is the only one where every man, at the call of the law, would
fly to the standard of the law, and would meet invasions of the public order as his own personal concern.
Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself.
4. Jefferson called the Republican ascendancy "the revolution of 1800." It was, he said, "as real a revolution
in the principles of our government as that of 1776 was in its form; not effected indeed by the sword, as
that, but by the rational and peaceable instrument of reform, the suffrage of the people."
II
Early Career
1. Born on 13 April 1743 in Virginia, and educated at the College of William and Mary, Jefferson rose to fame
as the draftsman of revolutionary state papers, first in Virginia and then in the Continental Congress,
where, of course, he became the author of the Declaration of Independence. In the Declaration's celebrat-
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
ed preamble, Jefferson reduced the "natural rights" philosophy of the age to a set of first principles that
had a profound influence on the course of the American Revolution. Proceeding from these principles,
Jefferson himself sought far-reaching reforms in his native state.
2. In 1784, after a brief turn in Congress, Jefferson was sent to Europe on a diplomatic mission. The following year he succeeded Benjamin Franklin as American minister to France.
3. In 1790, Jefferson was named secretary of state in the new national government. He had approved of the
Constitution, especially with the promised addition of a bill of rights, and accepted high office under President George Washington out of a sense of loyalty to him and responsibility to the new experiment.
4. Pursuing these goals, Jefferson was frustrated by events and also by the secretary of the treasury, Alexander Hamilton, whose fiscal system turned on British trade, credit, and power and who was as hostile to
the French Revolution as Jefferson was friendly. The conflict with Hamilton extended to domestic policy
and came to involve fundamentally different conceptions of republican government under the Constitution.
5. Elected vice president in 1796, Jefferson at first hoped for a restoration of political concord in the administration of his old friend John Adams. Instead, partisanship reigned as the nation was again plunged into
a foreign crisis growing out of the protracted war between the French republic and the monarchical coali-
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
tion headed by Great Britain. The administration was Federalist; and Jefferson, who had expected that
the vice presidency would be "honorable and easy," while the presidency was but "splendid misery,"
found himself thrust into the leadership of the opposition party. Passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts in
the war hysteria of 1798 brought the conflict between these infant parties to a head.
6. Considering the laws oppressive, unconstitutional, and designed to cripple the Republican party, Jefferson went outside the general government, fully controlled by the Federalists, to start "a revolution of
opinion" against them. The Virginia and Kentucky resolutions (1798–1799), authored respectively by
Madison and Jefferson, invoked the authority of these two state legislatures to declare the Alien and Sedition Acts unconstitutional. The resolutions were assertions of states' rights doctrine, and as such they
posed the issue on which the Civil War would later be fought. More important, however, they originated
in a desperate struggle for political survival and addressed the fundamental issue of freedom and selfgovernment descending from the American Revolution. By going outside the government, opening
peaceful channels of change through the agitation of public opinion, and building a party in the broad
electorate, the Jeffersonian Republicans rose to power in 1800.
III
Jefferson's Presidential Leadership
1. Jefferson's inaugural address was a commitment to ongoing change through the democratic process. He
named "absolute acquiescence in the decisions of the majority the vital principle of republics, from which
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
there is no appeal but to force." The principle demanded freedom of opinion and debate, including the
right of any minority to turn itself into a new majority. "If there be any among us," Jefferson said, "who
would wish to dissolve this Union or to change its republican form, let them stand undisturbed as monuments of the safety with which error may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it." This was the
authentic revolution of 1800. Because of it, the Constitution became an instrument of democracy, change
became possible without destruction, and government could go forward with the continuing consent of the
governed.
2. The new president named to his cabinet men known to be moderate Republicans. James Madison, the
secretary of state, had been Jefferson's political friend and partner for many years. Secretary of War Henry Dearborn and Attorney General Levi Lincoln were Massachusetts Republicans appointed, in part, to
nudge that important state into the Republican column. Robert Smith, the secretary of the navy, owed his
appointment to his brother, Samuel Smith, the influential representative of Baltimore's mercantile Republican interests. Albert Gallatin of Pennsylvania was the only controversial appointment. But Jefferson prized
Gallatin's abilities, and the new secretary, who had been a sharp critic of Hamilton's fiscal policies, proved
to be a force for moderation in the administration. The stability and harmony of this cabinet would never
be equaled. In the eight years of Jefferson's presidency, only the part-time office of attorney general
changed hands.
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
3. During the early months, Jefferson found the task of making appointments to office exceedingly irksome.
Not counting military officers, postmasters, and other minor civil functionaries, there were 316 major offices in the gift of the federal executive. They were monopolized by Federalists. Jefferson's preference was
to remove as few as possible, with a view to converting the mass of Federalists to the Republican cause.
He was repelled by the principle, already reduced to practice in New York and Pennsylvania, of making
party affiliation the sole or primary test of public appointment. The politics of spoils and proscription degraded republican government. Nothing more should be asked of civil servants, he said, than that they be
honest, able, and loyal to the Constitution.
4. He limited removals to two classes of officeholders. The first was Adams' "midnight appointments"—
indeed, all appointments except judgeships in good behavior made after 12 December 1800, when the
president knew he had been defeated.
IV
Fiscal and Judiciary Reform
1. Republican reform was grounded on fiscal policy. In the Jeffersonian scripture, public debt and taxes
were evils of the first magnitude. The debt drained money from the mass of citizens, diverted it from the
productive enterprise of individuals, and led to a system of privilege, coercion, and corruption that was
the bane of every government and fatal to a free one. The alternatives were clear: "Economy and liberty,
profusion and servitude." The debt, which had actually increased under the Federalists, stood at $83 mil-
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
lion and consumed in annual interest almost half the federal revenue. Gallatin developed a plan to extinguish the debt in sixteen years by large annual appropriations but, amazingly, to reduce taxes at the same
time. All the internal taxes—Hamilton's whiskey excise, the land tax of the Adams administration—would
be repealed. The government would depend entirely on the revenue of the customhouses. The plan required deep retrenchment: reductions in the army and navy, in foreign embassies, and in civil offices, beginning with the tax collectors.
2. The plan, which Jefferson outlined in his first annual message to Congress, was liable to two main objections. Moreover, the plan rested on a doubtful theory of political economy for a developing nation. The
theory looked to economic growth through release of the energies, talents, and resources of free individuals without the direct aid or favor of the government. The opposite theory, of which Hamilton was an early
practitioner, assigned to the government a positive role in economic development. It supposed that a nation might grow out of debt by going deeper into debt to promote development. The logic of this escaped
Jefferson, but he knew that Hamilton's system of debt and taxes involved powers and privileges that were
incompatible with republican government under the Constitution.
3. When the government was first established, it was possible to have kept it going on true principles, but the
contracted, English, half-lettered ideas of Hamilton destroyed that hope in the bud. We can pay off his
debt in 15 years, but we can never get rid of his financial system. It mortifies me to be strengthening prin-
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
ciples which I deem radically vicious, but the vice is entailed on us by the first error. What is practicable
must often control pure theory.
4. A clear case in point was Hamilton's Bank of the United States. Jefferson thought it an institution of "the
most deadly hostility" to republican government, yet the bank's national charter ran to 1811. Gallatin,
meanwhile, found the bank a highly serviceable institution and actually expanded its operations. The demand for credit in a thriving economy was insatiable. State-chartered banks multiplied, and a banking interest grew up in the Republican Party. Although it played havoc with his ideal of a plain and dignified republican order, Jefferson could neither injure nor ignore it. "What is practicable must often control pure
theory."
5. The federal judiciary furnished the principal political battleground of Jefferson's first term. There were
three battles and many skirmishes in the so-called war on the judiciary. The first was fought over the Federalist Judiciary Act of 1801. This eleventh-hour act of a dying administration created a whole new tier of
courts and judgeships; extended the power of the federal judiciary vis-à-vis the state courts; and reduced
the number of Supreme Court justices beginning with the next vacancy, thereby depriving Jefferson of an
early opportunity to reshape the court.
6. Republicans were enraged by the act because of its manifest partisanship and its wanton increase of judicial power. Jefferson promptly targeted the act for repeal. The Federalists had retired to the judiciary as a
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
stronghold, he said. "There the remains of Federalism are to be preserved and fed from the treasury and
from that battery all the works of Republicanism are to be beaten down and erased." The experience of
the Sedition Act had demonstrated, in his opinion, the prostration of the judiciary before partisan purposes.
7. Soon after assuming office, Jefferson took executive action to pardon victims of the Sedition Act, which
he condemned as null and void, and to drop pending prosecutions. He wished to make judges more responsible to the people, perhaps by periodic review of their "good behavior" tenure; and while conceding
the power of judicial review, he did not think it binding on the executive or the legislature.
8. The second battle centered on the case of Marbury v. Madison. William Marbury and three others alleged
that they had been appointed justices of the peace for the District of Columbia on 3 March 1801 but that
their commissions, complete in every respect, had been withheld by the incoming administration. They
sued Madison, in whose department the matter belonged, and the Supreme Court granted a "show
cause" order on delivery of the commissions. Finally, in 1803, Chief Justice Marshall ruled that the plaintiffs had a legal right to the commissions and, moreover, that the requested writ of mandamus to the secretary of state was the appropriate remedy. He went on to read the executive a lecture on the duty of performing valid contracts but chose to avoid a showdown with Jefferson by declaring that the power of the
court to issue writs of mandamus, contained in the Judiciary Act of 1789, was unconstitutional.
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
9. In later years the decision would be seen as the cornerstone of the whole edifice of judicial review, but in
1803 it was understood essentially as a duel between the executive and the judiciary. The Republicans
criticized Marshall not because of theoretical claims of judicial power but because he traveled outside the
case, pretending to a jurisdiction he then disclaimed, in order to take a gratuitous stab at the president.
Politics alone could explain such behavior. Obviously, although they were constantly at swords' points,
neither Jefferson nor Marshall wanted to press the issue to conclusion.
V
Louisiana Purchase
1. When Jefferson became president, peace was pending in Europe and he could look forward to disentangling the nation from the vices and alliances of foreign politics. "Peace is my passion," he repeatedly affirmed. Yet he was no pacifist. One of his first executive acts was to send a naval squadron to the Mediterranean to enforce peace without tribute on the piratical Barbary States.
2. Far more important, of course, was the burgeoning crisis on the Mississippi, which would end in the triumph of the Louisiana Purchase. By the secret Treaty of San Ildefonso in October 1800, as Jefferson
learned six months later, Spain ceded the great province of Louisiana (Jefferson suspected the Floridas
as well) to France, conditional on an Italian throne for the duke of Parma, Charles IV's brother-in-law. The
retrocession of Louisiana, which France had lost in 1763, announced the revival under Napoleonic auspices of old French dreams of empire in the New World. Over the years the United States had worked out
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
an accommodation with Spain on the Mississippi. The Pinckney Treaty (or Treaty of San Lorenzo) of
1795 granted the Americans free navigation of the river through Spanish territory to the mouth, together
with the privilege of deposit and reshipment of goods at New Orleans. This was an enormous, indeed
essential to western development. American trade at New Orleans dwarfed that of the Spanish.
3. While Jefferson flourished, Madison quietly worked up the project to purchase New Orleans and the Floridas, assuming the latter were France's to sell. This was a startling idea, which could only have originated
with an administration bent on settling international disputes without resort to military force. Jefferson was
still playing for time, which in this affair, as in all things, he believed was on the American side. Napoleon
had yet to make good his policy. Yellow fever and rebel arms annihilated one French army after another
in St. Domingue. The expedition mounted for New Orleans never sailed. Spain remained in control there
and, it was reported, sickened at the bargain it had made with France. War clouds again gathered in Europe.
4. The Louisiana Purchase was made in France, not in America, and it owed more to the vagaries of Napoleon's ambition than to Jefferson's cautious diplomacy. With his dream of New World empire fading, Napoleon revived his older dream of empire in the East—Egypt, the Levant, India—and he renounced Louisiana. He could not defend, or even possess, Louisiana while marching to the East; he needed assurances of American neutrality in that venture; and he needed money to fuel his war machine.
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
5. The purchase treaty was quickly arranged. It was neither the bargain Jefferson had sought nor within the
price he had authorized. It included the whole of Louisiana, which had never been contemplated, together
with New Orleans, but omitted the Floridas, which remained Spanish. "They ask for only one town of Louisiana," Napoleon remarked, "but I already consider the colony completely lost." The United States thus
acquired an immense uncharted domain, stretching from the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains or beyond. No one knew its exact boundaries or size, but at one stroke the Louisiana Purchase practically
doubled the land area of the United States. The total price, which included the government's assumption
of about $3 million worth of debts owed to France by American citizens, was $15 million.
6. Jefferson never boasted that he bought Louisiana, but he resented the grumblers and doubters who, from
one side of the mouth, denounced him for acquiring a "howling wilderness" and, from the other side, denied him any credit for the good it might contain. The whole proceeding was, in truth, an impressive
demonstration of the ways of peace in American affairs. In his inaugural address he spoke of the United
States as "a chosen country, with room enough for our descendants to the thousandth and thousandth
generation." Surely he did not mean the country bounded by the Mississippi but rather the country of his
continental vision, which would materialize as Americans multiplied and pressed westward. Louisiana,
coming all at once in 1803, altered the timetable of American expansion but not its destination.
7. For several months Jefferson had been planning a voyage of discovery across the continent. Now, by
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
happy coincidence, Captain Meriwether Lewis, whom he had chosen to lead this expedition, set forth from
Washington on 5 July 1803 amid public rejoicing over the Louisiana Purchase. The plan of the expedition
was thoroughly characteristic of the president. Presenting it to Congress and hoping to head off constitutional objections, he emphasized its commercial purpose: to chart a continuous line of navigation along
the Missouri River route to the Pacific. But Jefferson had larger scientific ends in view. Much of the country was terra incognita, so he instructed Lewis to observe everything:
8. The expedition proved to be a spectacular success. Lewis, Lieutenant William Clark, and their crew went
up the Missouri, crossed the Stony Mountains, and in 1805 descended the Columbia River to its mouth.
After wintering there, the expedition returned overland to St. Louis in 1806. Many years would be required
to absorb the knowledge gathered by the expedition. Of course, it failed in its commercial aim. The gap
between the Missouri and the Columbia turned out to be 350 miles of formidable terrain. Jefferson and
the many Americans who shared his continental vision of an "empire of liberty" were not discouraged. In
its appeal to the imagination, the Lewis and Clark expedition foreshadowed the American future.
9. Senate ratification of the Louisiana treaty was a foregone conclusion. Yet it did not escape opposition.
"Adopt this Western World into the Union," warned a Federalist senator, "and you destroy at once the
weight and importance of the Eastern States and compel them to establish a separate and independent
empire." Feelings of this kind contributed to an abortive New England disunionist conspiracy in 1804.
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
10. Jefferson himself worried about the constitutionality of the treaty. As he explained to a Republican senator, John Breckinridge of Kentucky,
11. The Constitution has made no provision for our holding foreign territory, still less of incorporating foreign
nations into our Union. The executive in seizing a fugitive occurrence which so much advances the good
of this country, have done an act beyond the Constitution. The Legislature in casting behind them metaphysical subtleties, and risking themselves like faithful servants, must . . . throw themselves on their
country for doing for them unauthorized what we know they would have done for themselves had they
been in a situation to do it.
12. Jefferson therefore drafted a constitutional amendment to sanction the acquisition retroactively. The
amendment also sought to control the future of the trans-Mississippi West by, among other things, prohibiting settlement above the thirty-third parallel, which would become a vast Indian reserve.
13. The proposed amendment found little support either in the cabinet or in Congress. Spain, still in possession of Louisiana, expressed unhappiness with the treaty, raising fears it might be lost by delay. Weighing
the risks, Jefferson backed away from the amendment. He was still troubled, however. "Our peculiar security is in the possession of a written Constitution," he observed. "Let us not make it a blank paper by
construction." As his friends felt differently in this instance, he yielded the point while reserving the principle. A revolution in the Union perforce became a revolution in the Constitution as well.
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
14. An event of the magnitude of the Louisiana Purchase affected everything to come after. The prospects of
the Union were at once grander and more terrifying than before, and the government would have to assume new responsibilities addressed to this condition. The nation's destiny was firmly oriented westward;
hundreds of millions of acres of land—the heartland of the continent—guaranteed that the economy
would remain primarily agricultural for decades to come and that dispersal rather than concentration
would characterize American society and government. All this undergirded Jeffersonian ideals. The United States acquired much greater security on its own borders as well as greater power and self-assurance
in international affairs. Finally, the Louisiana Purchase enabled the Republicans to tighten their political
grip on the nation, causing them to grow bold in power and making bigots and bunglers of the opposition.
VI
Conflict with Britain and the Burr Trial
1. The Burr conspiracy presented Jefferson with problems of another kind. With his political career ruined in
New York and under indictment for the murder of Alexander Hamilton in a duel, Burr turned his adventuresome gaze to the broiling southwestern frontier. He enlisted a bizarre following: General James Wilkinson, commander of the United States Army in the West; John Smith, senator from Ohio; and a romantic Irishman whose island in the Ohio River was the staging area of the conspiracy. Whether Burr plotted
western separation and the creation of a new confederacy on the Mississippi or the filibustering conquest
of Mexico, or both together, it is difficult to say. But when Burr, with his flotilla carrying sixty or more plot-
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
ters, descended the Ohio in the fall of 1806, it became the president's duty to hunt him down and bring
him to justice. The Burr conspiracy ran through Jefferson's second term like a disquieting minor theme.
2. The conflict with Britain turned on two main issues: the neutral trade and impressment of seamen. The
decision of a British vice admiralty court in the case of the ship Essex in 1805 marked a return to strict
interpretation of the so-called Rule of 1756, under which a colonial trade closed in time of peace could not
be opened in time of war. Britain now declared this American trade fraudulent, representing "war in disguise" in tacit alliance with the French enemy, since its effect was to negate British maritime and naval
superiority. British survival, it was said, demanded this more rigorous policy.
3. Jefferson viewed the Essex decision as only the latest chapter in the prolonged British campaign to subvert American wealth and power. The real aim was to put down a dangerous commercial rival and force
the Atlantic trade back into channels profitable to Britain. Reason revolts, Jefferson observed, at the idea
"that a belligerent takes to itself commerce with its own enemy [France and the Continent] which it denies
to a neutral, on the ground of its aiding that enemy in the war." After the Essex decision British cruisers
hovered off American harbors and plundered American trade. Every ship, not only those carrying cargoes
of colonial origin, was at risk; and the losses were heavy.
4. No less irritating and, in principle, more important was the British practice of impressment. Especially in
wartime, British subjects were forcibly impressed into His Majesty's Navy. Many American seamen were
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
caught in the net. In 1806, three years after the resumption of hostilities, Madison reported that 2,273
known American citizens had been impressed. Britain argued that many of them were in fact British subjects who had deserted, enlisted in the American merchant marine, and perhaps been furnished with
fraudulent naturalization papers, all with the connivance of the government. There was some truth in this.
The United States did not claim that the American flag protected absconding British subjects; neither did
Britain claim the right to impress American citizens. But who was British and who was American? They
spoke the same language, physical identification was impossible, and efforts to persuade seamen to carry nationality papers were unavailing.
5. Instead, relations rapidly deteriorated. In June the Chesapeake-Leopard affair inflamed the entire country
against Britain. The frigate Leopard, one of a British squadron patrolling off Hampton Roads, ordered the
American frigate Chesapeake to submit to search for deserters, and when refused, the Leopard poured
repeated broadsides into the defenseless frigate, killing three and wounding eighteen before its flag could
be struck. Four alleged deserters were removed from the Chesapeake before it limped back to port.
6. The country rose up in wrath,. There had been nothing like it since the Battle of Lexington, said Jefferson.
War only awaited the snap of his fingers. He wanted no war, however, and chose to cool the crisis. Quietly, without fanfare, Jefferson ordered certain military preparations, but he declined to convene Congress
immediately and, unlike his predecessor Adams, manufactured no war hysteria. Jefferson's hope, rather,
was to use the affair as a potent new lever in negotiations with Britain.
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
7. Meanwhile, Aaron Burr was pursued and captured with his fellow conspirators; he was then brought to
trial at Richmond, Virginia, in April 1807. Jefferson had been slow to move against Burr, partly because
of the mystery surrounding his plans and partly because of the risk of arresting the evidence of crime
before it was ripe for execution; but once he became satisfied of Burr's complicity in treason, he moved
with vigor and dispatch..
8. The grand jury, heavily freighted with Republicans, returned an indictment for treason on 24 June. Under
the Constitution conviction for treason required the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act. As
the trial went forward that summer, it gradually became apparent that the prosecution could not furnish
the requisite testimony to such an act as constituted "levying war" against the United States. Marshall, in
effect, instructed the jury to bring in a verdict of acquittal, which it did on 1 September.
9. Jefferson was angry but hardly surprised. In his opinion, the whole conduct of the trial had been political,
and the verdict had been in view from the beginning. It was, he said, "equivalent to a proclamation of
impunity to every traitorous combination which may be formed to destroy the Union." Counting on the
public backlash against the decision, he proposed to mount a new campaign to restrain the power of the
federal judiciary. That fall he laid the trial proceedings before Congress and urged it to furnish some remedy. Several state legislatures instructed their respective delegations to work for a constitutional amendment rendering judges removable by the president on the address of both houses of Congress. Since
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
both president and Congress were preoccupied with foreign affairs, nothing came of this effort. This was
fortunate, for in the long run the nation was better served by Marshall's political bias in the Burr case than
by Jefferson's. Better that the scoundrel goes free than be convicted on evidence that would introduce
into American law the ancient English principle of "constructive treason." Jefferson could not indulge the
luxury of this philosophy, of course. He had invested too much—politically, emotionally, ideologically—in
another outcome.
VII
Embargo of 1807–1809
1. Jefferson and his cabinet met for several days near the end of November 1807 to survey the deteriorating
foreign situation. Diplomacy had failed, leaving three possible courses of action open to the United States:
acquiescence in the commercial decrees, war against one or both belligerents, or a total embargo of
American trade. Three weeks later Jefferson sent to Congress a confidential message recommending the
embargo. Congress moved swiftly and, virtually without debate, passed the Embargo Act on 22 December
1807. A self-blockade of the nation's commerce, it prohibited American vessels from sailing to foreign
ports and foreign vessels from loading cargo in the United States. At the same time, the selective Nonimportation Act, adopted in 1806 but heretofore suspended, went into effect. The government thus launched
an experiment of incredible magnitude, one that dwarfed all previous undertakings and held momentous
consequences for the peace of the United States and perhaps the world.
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
2. Abandoning the policy to Congress was an act of folly. His own choice was to continue the embargo for
six months, with war to follow if necessary; but for the first time in his presidency, he abdicated leadership.
Why? "On this occasion," he explained, "I think it is fair to leave to those who are to act on them, the decisions they prefer, being . . . myself but a spectator." Jefferson's retreat from responsibility was hardly a
favor to James Madison, his chosen successor. As president-elect, Madison had no authority, and lacking
Jefferson's prestige and a sure sense of the right course, he could not give direction to Congress. As a
result, policy formation fell to a leaderless herd of the fainthearted, the demoralized, and the disgusted.
Finally, Congress enacted repeal of the embargo; it would expire with the expiration of Jefferson's presidency. Its replacement, the Non-intercourse Act, reopened trade with all countries except Britain and
France. Neither Jefferson nor Madison approved of this feeble measure. A trade open to the rest of the
world was in fact a trade open to Britain and France. Yet Jefferson signed the measure into law. It exposed the United States to all the risks of war without the coercive benefits of the embargo. Its only merit
was profit.
3. Jefferson went into retirement convinced that the embargo, if borne for a while longer, would have forced
justice from Britain and therefore put a stop to the long train of degradation that led to the War of 1812.
Such an outcome was not absolutely fore-closed, although it found little support in the actual circumstances. Jefferson became a victim of his own idealism. Henry Adams observed, "Few men have dared to legislate as though eternal peace were at hand, in a world torn by wars and convulsions and drowned in
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
blood; but this was what Jefferson aspired to do." And as it failed abroad, the "peace policy" produced
at home most of the evils Jefferson feared from war: debt, distress and disobedience, in short, the debauchery of Republican principles and hopes. Continued adherence to the embargo in these circumstances would have required more power than the government could command and more obedience
than a free people could give.
VII
Retirement
1. Jefferson's popularity, though shaken, remained high to the end, and he retired to his beloved Monticello with the gratitude and the affection of the overwhelming majority of his countrymen. Not the least of
his political accomplishments was the control of the presidential succession, first to Madison and then
to Monroe, so that the next sixteen years continued the Republican dominance he began. More than
most former presidents he exercised an influence on his successors, although the extent of this was
often exaggerated by political enemies. He rejoiced at "shaking off the shackles of power," wanting
nothing so much as to return to his farm, his family, and his books, which had always been his supreme
delights.
2. For three years the nation drifted toward war. When it finally came, Jefferson expressed mingled feelings of satisfaction and disappointment. On the one hand, the war would be "the second weaning from
British principles, British attachments, British manners and manufactures," and in that light would intro-
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
duce "an epoch in the spirit of nationalism." On the other hand, what was war itself but the curse of the
Old World blighting the hopes of the New? The country was meant to be "a garden for the delight and
multiplication of mankind," Jefferson mournfully observed. "But the lions and tigers of Europe must be
gorged in blood, and some of ours must go, it seems, to their maws, their ravenous and insatiable
maws." years in the White House, and drove Jefferson into bankruptcy. In the end, even Monticello
would be lost.
3. Jefferson was also deeply troubled by the course of national affairs. The Missouri Compromise
"fanaticized" politics on a sectional line dividing free and slave states; the Supreme Court, realizing his
worst fears, became "a subtle corps of sappers and miners" of the Constitution; and the drift toward
consolidation in the national government threatened both individual liberty and the federal balance on
which the Union depended. Under these blows, Jefferson retreated to the safety of old Republican dogma and gave aid and comfort to the revival of states' rights politics in Virginia. Through all this, nevertheless, he preserved his deep faith in freedom, self-government, enlightenment, and the happiness
and the progress of mankind.
4. The Sage of Monticello died there on the fiftieth anniversary of American independence, 4 July 1826.
Ten days earlier, barely able to hold pen in hand, he had declined an invitation to attend ceremonies in
Washington marking this golden anniversary.
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
5.
Death would not end Jefferson's influence. Generations of Americans turned to him for inspiration and
guidance in the successive crises of the nation's affairs. And thus it was that John Adams, who also died
on that fateful day of jubilee, uttered a prophetic truth in his last words, "Thomas Jefferson still survives."
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness
Discussion 10-1
US History ~ Chapter 10 Topic Discussions
E Lundberg
Topic of Discussion – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Information ~ Ch 10; 3 sections; 21 pages
The Jefferson Era (1800-1816)
Section 1 ~ Jefferson Takes Office
Section 2 ~ he Louisiana Purchase & Exploration
Section 3 ~ The War of 1812
Pages 338-343
Pages 344-351
Pages 352-358
Key Ideas
Jefferson was an enlightened thinker
Jefferson wrote the main thesis of the Dec of Indep
Jefferson opposed the idea of a strong central gov
Jefferson was a leader of the Dem– Republican party
Jefferson was a strong leader as President
Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase
Related Topics
Declaration of Independence
Democratic Republicans
Secretary of State
Office of the President
Strict Interpretation of the Constitution
Key Connections - 10 Major (Common) Themes
1. How cultures change through the blending of different ethnic groups.
2. Taking the land.
3. The individual versus the state.
4. The quest for equity - slavery and it’s end, women’s suffrage etc.
5. Sectionalism.
6. Immigration and Americanization.
7. The change in social class.
8. Technology developments and the environment.
9. Relations with other nations.
10. Historiography, how we know things.
Talking Points
Questions to Think About
Where did Jefferson get his wealth from?
As author of the Dec of Indep, was he conflicted about
owning slaves?
Why doesn’t history mention Jefferson’s family?
Why did Jefferson change his political philosophy regarding the Louisiana Purchase?
Supporting Materials
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Meacham
Thomas Jefferson by Merwin
Thomas Jefferson by Bernstein
The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Ellis
Thomas Jefferson by Harness