Chapter 11
The Jeffersonian Republic, 1800–1812
1. “Revolution” of 1800 (pp. 211–215) The election of 1800 was the first between organized political parties and the first of several to be decided on the basis of quirks in the Constitution. Why did Jefferson consider his victory in 1800 over the Federalist John ________ and his own vice-presidential running mate Aaron ________ to be “revolutionary”? What other “revolutionary” aspect of this election is added by the authors on p. 215?
(1) Jefferson’s point:
(2) The authors’ point:
2. Jefferson (pp. 216–218) Jefferson was an aristocrat whose sympathies were with the common man—perhaps like F. D. Roosevelt and J. F. Kennedy in the twentieth century. Although his stump speeches called for a maximum of personal liberty and a minimum of government intervention, cite two examples of how he accepted some Federalist programs and became a moderate in practice:
(1)
(2)
3. Power to the Supreme Court (pp. 218–219) The details of the case of Marbury v. Madison (1803) are interesting but not nearly as important as the precedent it set. There will always be disputes as to the constitutionality of laws. Remember that Jefferson had made the case in the _________ and ____________ Resolutions that individual states had the right to “nullify” laws they felt were unconstitutional. What extremely important legal principle did Jefferson’s cousin, the Federalist Chief Justice John _____________, establish in this case? Read the excerpt from the case (p. 219) and try to summarize the reasoning of the Court in claiming such power for itself.
(1) Principle:
(2) Rationale:
4. Louisiana Purchase (pp. 219–225) a. True to his noninterventionist principles, Jefferson cut back the military forces, even though he did have to confront some Barbary Pirates on the “shores of __________.” But he was willing to abandon his scruples about the limited power of the federal government when the opportunity came to buy Louisiana. What two reasons caused Napoleon to be willing to sell not only New Orleans but all of the Louisiana Territory to U.S. envoys Robert ______________ and James ______________ in 18____ for $____ million?
(1)
(2)
b. In 18____, Jefferson sent Meriwether _________ and William _________ to explore the northern part of the purchased territory and Zibulon ________ to explore the southern part. Besides the acquisition of territory, list two of the consequences of the Louisiana Purchase that the authors mention at the end of this section.
(1)
(2)
5. Foreign Policy–Jefferson’s Second Term (pp. 225–228) Again the fragile young nation risked being swallowed up by European conflicts between ___________ and France. The issues involved the rights of U.S. ships to trade with the belligerents (the same issues which precipitated U.S. Involvement in World War I, by the way), and the ____________ of U.S. sailors onto British warships. (Note: You might note later how Jefferson’s policies differed from those of Woodrow Wilson over a century later during World War I over many of these same issues!) To avoid getting sucked into the European wars, Jefferson tried the _____________ Act of 1807, effectively making most U.S. foreign trade illegal. After much opposition, not only from Federalist commercial interests in the Northeast, but also from western and southern farmers who couldn’t ship their cotton and other crops, the Embargo was replaced by the milder ______-_______________ Act of 1809. *** After reviewing the authors’ analysis, what do you think of Jefferson’s attempt to stay out of war by removing the potential flash-points of ocean commerce with the belligerents?
6. Madison and War (pp. 228–231) a. Referring to the 1810 ____________ Bill No. 2 how did the willingness of President Madison to gamble and the craftiness of French Emperor __________ move the U.S. closer to a second conflict with Britain?
b. Representative of the shift in population, power in Congress moved on to more belligerent Southerners and Westerners, dubbed “war ______,” including the young Henry Clay of Kentucky. Their main motivation was to eliminate the European allies of their Indian opponents and perhaps to annex Canada. A key reason why Indian nations had failed to stop white westward expansion was their internal fighting and inability to unite. Shawnee leader Tecumseh was one of the last to attempt an effective intertribal coalition—with a bit of help from British Canada. In 1811, Gen. William Henry ______________ defeated Tecumseh at ______________, in Indiana, thus ending one of the last major Indian coalitions against whites. (Hint to final blank: In 1840, Harrison wins the presidency under the slogan “Tippecanoe and Tyler too!”)
c. The New England states, which had initiated the Revolutionary War, were dead set against going after the British a second time. Ironically, it was the agricultural South and West that pushed for war. List the arguments of the War Hawks from the South and West for going to war with Britain in 1812 and the objections advanced by Federalist New York and New England:
FOR WAR (South and West) AGAINST WAR (East)
d. *** What is your opinion of these reasons for sending young men into battle? How many of them represent national rather than sectional interests? In Congress, how would you have voted?
