Lecture Notes: The Election of 1800 and Jeffersonian Era

The Election of 1800

• First peaceful transition of power between two rival political parties in U.S. history.
• Federalists (led by John Adams) to Democratic-Republicans (led by Thomas Jefferson).
• Concerns about violence due to previous historical examples of power transitions.
• Adams prepared for possible military conflict.

Jefferson's Presidency and the Judiciary Act of 1801

• Transition of power in both executive and legislative branches.
• Adams concerned about Democratic-Republicans' control.
• Judicial Reform: Judiciary Act of 1801
  • Creation of new courts, mainly justice of the peace courts.
  • Adams appoints Federalist judges ("Midnight Judges").
  • Commissions for these judges not fully delivered before Jefferson takes office.

Marbury v. Madison

• William Marbury sues for his undelivered commission as a justice.
• Chief Justice John Marshall issues landmark ruling.
• Establishes the precedent of judicial review for the Supreme Court.
• Confirms the Court's power to rule acts of Congress unconstitutional.

The Louisiana Purchase

• Background: Haitian Revolution inspired by American Revolution.
• Napoleon's need to finance European ambitions.
• France's cession of Louisiana territory to the U.S. for $15 million.
• Constitutional challenges and Jefferson's flip-flop on strict interpretation of the Constitution.
• Expansion of U.S. territory sparks imagination for frontier opportunities.

Aaron Burr's Conspiracies

• Burr's plot to create a New England Confederacy thwarted by Hamilton.
• Burr kills Hamilton in a duel.
• Burr's western plot with James Wilkinson to create a new nation from Louisiana Purchase.
• Charged with treason but acquitted due to lack of witnesses.

The War of 1812

• Tensions with Britain and France over maritime trade and impressment.
• Rise of "War Hawks" advocating for war against Britain.
• Connection between frontier Indian conflicts and British influence.
• Tecumseh's confederation and the Battle of Tippecanoe.
• War aims: End British maritime policies, eliminate Indian threats, and territorial expansion.

Hartford Convention and Secession

• Federalists in New England oppose the War of 1812.
• Hartford Convention discusses secession and demands constitutional amendments.
• Resolution becomes moot with the end of the war.

Conclusion of the War of 1812

• Treaty returns to status quo antebellum; no territorial gains or losses.
• British stop interfering with U.S. trade but no formal acknowledgment.
• War solidifies U.S. independence in British eyes.

Next Lecture

• Growth of nationalism in the wake of the War of 1812.