Thomas Jefferson

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Thomas Jeffersons Presidency
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Key Terms

• Democratic ensuring that all people have the
  same rights.
• Laissez faire the idea that government should
  play as small a role as possible in economic
  affairs
• Judicial review the power of the Supreme Court
  to decide whether acts of a President or laws
  passed by Congress are constitutional.

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Changing Presidents

• Jefferson was a republican. He rejected most
  federalist ideas and turned the nation in a new
  direction.
• Many of the remaining federalists feared that
  Jefferson would try to punish them for the alien
  and sedition acts. Jefferson promised that he
  would not. He wanted all the political bickering
  to stop.

                                                
               
                                                
         
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Were you listening?

• How did Jeffersons actions reflect his
  democratic beliefs?
• Why did Federalists worry when Jefferson became
  president?

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What changes did Jefferson make?

• Jefferson did want to change the federalist
  policies. Jefferson believed the nations
  strength came from ordinary people and he also
  believed that the federal government had become
  too strong.
• Jefferson made several changes including reducing
  the federal budget. Jefferson believed in
  Laissez Faire economics. This is a free market
  with very little regulation.
• Laissez faire was very different from the
  Federalist view. The Federalist had thought the
  government should try and promote trade and
  manufacturing.

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Changing Federalist Policies

• Jefferson did everything he could to weaken the
  power of the federal government. He reduced the
  size of the army and navy and repealed the
  whiskey tax. He also pardoned all those put in
  jail because of the sedition acts.
• One Federalist idea Jefferson agreed with was the
  Bank of the United States so he kept that.

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Review

• In what ways did Jefferson try to reduce the size
  and power of the federal government?
• In what ways did Jefferson try to include the
  Federalist and their ideas during his presidency?

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Midnight Judge

• The very last night John Adams was president, he
  appointed William Marbury as a new judge.
  Marbury was a Federalist.
• Jefferson believed Adams was trying to strengthen
  the courts. He also thought the naming a new
  judge was his decision to make. Jefferson told
  his Secretary of State James Madison not to
  deliver the official papers that would make
  Marbury a judge so Marbury sued to get the job.

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Jefferson winsor maybe not?
So does this mean I need to find a new job?

• The Supreme Court ruled in favor of James Madison
  saying that Marbury would not be allowed to take
  the judge position.

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Marbury V. Madison

• In the case of Marbury v. Madison, an important
  precedent was set. It gave the supreme court the
  power to decide if laws passed by congress were
  unconstitutional. This power is called Judicial
  review.

Chief Justice John Marshall
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Do you think Jefferson was happy about the
Supreme Court verdict? Why or why not?

• Jefferson was not pleased with the decision
  because it made the federal government stronger.
  Jefferson had been trying to reduce the size and
  power of the federal government and now the
  judicial branch had more power than ever before.

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Last Questions

• Why did Jefferson disagree with the Supreme
  Courts decision even though they ruled in
  Madisons favor?
• What important precedent did John Marshall set in
  the case of Marbury v. Madison?

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