Chapter 8, Section 1

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Chapter 8, Section 1

• Jefferson Becomes President

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The Election of 1800

• Federalists
• John Adams and Charles Pinckney candidates
• Democratic-Republicans
• Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr
• Both parties believed that the election outcome
  was vital to the nations survival

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The Election of 1800

• Campaigning
• Unlike today, where candidates travel and give
  speeches, presidential candidates in 1800 made
  their arguments in letters and newspaper
  editorials
• Federalist arguments
• Painted Thomas Jefferson as a pro-French radical
• Warned that electing him would result in violence
  in chaos
• Stated that his interest in science and
  philosophy would destroy organized religion

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The Election of 1800

• Democratic-Republican arguments
• Portrayed John Adams as a royalist
• Harshly criticized the Alien and Sedition Acts
• Warned that John Adams would use the newly
  created American military to limit the rights of
  the common man
• Election Results
• Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied at 73 votes
• John Adams received 65 votes and Pinckney
  received 64

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The Election of 1800

• Result Problems
• Under the Constitution at the time, the two
  candidates with the most votes became President
  and Vice President
• Because of the tie, the decision went tot the
  House of Representatives, as per the Constitution
  
• House of Representatives was also deadlocked
• Vote after vote resulted in a tie
• Thomas Jefferson finally won the election on the
  36th vote
• Marked the first time that one party had replaced
  another in power in the United States
• Problems with the voting system led to the 12th
  Amendment
• Created a separate ballot for President and Vice
  President

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Jeffersons Policies

• Very different from President George Washington
  and President John Adams
• Different ideas
• Both Washington and Adams favored a strong,
  central government while Thomas Jefferson
  supported states rights
• Sought to limit the powers of government
• Different Style
• Thomas Jefferson was less formal than his
  predecessors

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Jefferson is Inaugurated

• Americans were excited about Thomas Jefferson
• People traveled to Washington D.C. to hear his
  inauguration address to the nation
• President Thomas Jefferson delivered his speech
  in a quiet voice
• Made it clear that he supported the will of the
  majority
• Stressed the need for limited government and
  protection of civil liberties

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Jefferson in Office

• President Thomas Jefferson faced the task of
  putting his political ideas into practice
• Selected James Madison as his secretary of state
  and Albert Gallatin as secretary of treasury
• Jefferson would benefit from the
  Democratic-Republican controlled congress
• Allowed the Alien and Sedition Acts to expire
• Jefferson lowered military spending and reduced
  the size of the army and navy
• Hoped that the money saved would help pay for the
  national debt

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Jefferson in Office

• Government in 1801
• Consisted of only a few hundred people
• President Thomas Jefferson hoped to keep it that
  way, believing that the primary functions of the
  federal government were
• Protect the nation from foreign threats
• Deliver mail
• Collect Customs Duties
• Jefferson did realize that some Federalist
  policies-such as the Bank of the United
  States-needed to be kept

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Marbury v. Madison

• Even though the Democratic-Republicans controlled
  Congress, Federalists controlled the federal
  judiciary
• Judiciary Act of 1801
• Created 16 new federal judgeships filled with
  Federalists
• Done just before Adamss term of office ended
• Some of the appointments were made so late that
  the documents that authorized them had not been
  delivered by the time Adams left office

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Marbury v. Madison

• William Marbury
• Did not receive his appointment documents until
  after Adams had left office
• When Thomas Jefferson took office, William
  Marbury demanded the documents
• On Jeffersons advice, however, the new secretary
  of State, James Madison, refused to deliver them
• Jefferson argued that the appointment of
  midnight judges was not valid

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Marbury v. Madison

• Marbury sued, asking the Supreme Court to order
  Madison the deliver the appointment papers
• Marbury argued that the Judiciary Act of 1789
  gave the court the power to do so
• John Marshall, a Federalist appointed by John
  Adams as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court,
  agreed to hear the case
• Jefferson protested because John Marshall was one
  of his political rivals

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Marbury v. Madison

• Marbury v. Madison
• Helped establish the Supreme Courts power to
  check the power of the other branches of
  government
• The Courts Opinion
• The Constitution gave the Supreme Court authority
  to hear only certain types of cases and Marburys
  request was not one of them.
• Therefore, the law that Marburys cases depended
  on was declared unconstitutional

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Marbury v. Madison

• By denying Marburys case, the Court avoided a
  direct confrontation with Jeffersons
  administration
• Established the power of judicial review
• The power to declare an act of Congress
  unconstitutional