Chapter 9 Section 1 Notes

“Jefferson Takes Office” * * * * * * * * * * * * Focus Question: How did Jefferson chart a new course for the government?

Remember, Federalist John Adams was in office until 1800. After this election, Democratic- Republican Thomas Jefferson took office and reversed many Federalist policies.

Republicans Take Charge A Bitter Campaign *The presidential election of 1800 was vicious. The Federalists implied there would be a civil war if Jefferson was elected. Demo.-Repubs accused Adams of wanting to create a monarchy. *Election of 1800 resulted in a tie with Jefferson and Aaron Burr both receiving 73 votes. According to Constitution, the House of Representatives selected the Presidents. Although the new House of Representatives would be dominated by Demo-Repubs (like Jefferson), they would not take office for several months. *Federalists were divided over which man to support. Some feared Jefferson so much they decided to back Burr, although other Federalists (like Hamilton) considered Burr unreliable. *Although Hamilton did not like Jefferson, he believed Jefferson would do more good for the nation. *House voted 35 times without determining a winner. Two weeks before the inauguration, Hamilton’s friend James Bayard persuaded several Federalists not to vote for Burr. Jefferson was elected on 36th ballot. Vice-President Aaron Burr never forgave Hamilton for his insults (later killed Hamilton in a duel) *To avoid this problem in the future, the 12th Amendment changed how electors voted. Now the President and Vice-President run as a team. Jefferson’s Inauguration *Jefferson was the first President to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C. When D.C. was being built in the 1790s, he advised the architects and designers (classic Greek and Roman architecture). *Jefferson believed gov’t should have simple customs. He walked to his inauguration, ended custom of people bowing to the President, guests sat at round tables with no guest of honor and no ranking system.

Jefferson Charts a New Course *Jefferson’s first goal – limit the federal gov’t’s power over states and citizens. *Jefferson thought the federal gov’t under Washington and Adams had become too involved in economic affairs. He believed in laissez-faire (“let alone” – gov’t should not interfere in economy). New Republican Policies *Jefferson put his laissez faire ideas into place when he reduced the number of people in gov’t (saved money). He fired all tax collectors and cut number of US diplomats (saved money). *Jefferson cut army’s budget in half, reducing size from 4,000 to about 2,500. He also eliminated all federal taxes inside the country. (Tax revenue came from tariffs) *People imprisoned under Sedition Acts were released. Federalist Policies Remain *Jefferson could not reverse all Federalist policies. US had to keep repaying its debt. He also did not fire most Federalist officeholders if they did their job well and were loyal citizens.

The Supreme Court and Judicial Review *Adams had appointed Judge William Marbury and several others right before he left office. The Demo-Repubs claimed these appointments were intended to maintain Federalist power. *When he took office, Jefferson told James Madison, his secretary of state, to stop installing Adams’ appointments. Marbury sued, citing the Judiciary Act of 1789. This act gave the Supreme Court the power to review cases brought against a federal official. *In his ruling, Chief Justice John Marshall said that the Judiciary Act of 1789 was unconstitutional. Marshall stated that the Court’s powers came from the Constitution, not from Congress. So, Congress did not have the right to give power to the Supreme Court in the Judiciary Act. Only the Constitution could do that. *Although the court’s decision did not help Marshall get his appointment, it did set an important precedent. Marshall used the case of Marbury v. Madison to establish the principle of judicial review – the authority of the Supreme Court to strike down unconstitutional laws. This is still one of most important powers of the Supreme Court. Review Questions

1. Why did the election of 1800 have to be decided in the House of Representatives?

Two candidates received the most votes, forcing the House to decide who would be President and who would be Vice President.

2. What action did Jefferson take as President to help those convicted under the Sedition Act?

He refused to renew the Sedition Act , refunded the fines that had been collected under the act, and released all those imprisoned under the act.

3. What is judicial review? the principle that the Supreme Court can decide if an act of Congress is constitutional or not