Enlightened Defense: the National Security *Policy of Thomas Jefferson
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Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2006 Enlightened defense: The national security *policy of Thomas Jefferson Robert R. Leonhard West Virginia University Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Leonhard, Robert R., "Enlightened defense: The national security *policy of Thomas Jefferson" (2006). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 4244. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/4244 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in WVU Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports collection by an authorized administrator of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Enlightened Defense: The National Security Policy of Thomas Jefferson LTC(R) Robert R. Leonhard Dissertation submitted to the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History Michal McMahon, Phd., Chair Mary Lou Lustig, Phd. Kenneth Fones-Wolf, Phd. Jack Hammersmith, Phd. Robert DiClerico, Phd. Department of History Morgantown, West Virginia 2006 Keywords: Jefferson, Military, US History Copyright 2006 Robert R. Leonhard The triumph of Thomas Jefferson and the Democratic Republicans in 1800 left the deposed Federalists aghast at what this Francophile, antinationalist, reputedly atheistic president might do to the country. Despite Jefferson’s impulses toward pacifism, national isolation, the diffusion of political power, and healing faction, the eight years of his two administrations were destined to be as calm as a hurricane. The turbulent situation in Europe had already made a mockery of Washington’s advice to avoid entanglement, and during Jefferson’s presidency, the dangers only increased. Jefferson’s ideas on national security were diametrically opposed to those of Alexander Hamilton and the Federalists. Jefferson was an advocate of states’ rights, but Hamilton of centralized power. Jefferson wanted to avoid debt, while Hamilton thought debt was a positive and unifying factor. Jefferson believed in maintaining a minuscule standing military in favor of state militias, whereas Hamilton called for a huge, regular army and a sea-going navy. The debate was not an academic one: the young nation was literally surrounded by enemies and potential enemies. Spain had a stranglehold on New Orleans, and the slightest pressure there could (and sometimes did) throttle the entire economy of the American west. Britain, with a firm hold on Canada and total domination of the high seas, bullied the Americans with seemingly unfair commercial practices. When Napoleon began to restrict trade as well, Jefferson and his countrymen faced economic calamity and the threat of wars they would not likely win. Jefferson introduced legislation that altered the structure of both the army and navy, established the military academy at West Point, and changed the political constitution of the defense establishment. He fought a long, frustrating war with Tripoli, fended off insults from Europe, and struggled to formulate an Indian policy that would protect native Americans while dealing with the reality and inevitability of white domination of the continent. Jefferson also pulled off the most spectacular land deal in history: the Louisiana Purchase—an accretion that doubled the size of the young republic and sowed the seeds for the eventual triumph of Jefferson’s strategic calculations. By the end of his second term, however, Jefferson’s initial successes had been eclipsed by the disappointing results of his embargo against Great Britain. Historians roundly condemn the embargo as both ineffective and a direct violation of Jefferson’s own ideas on governance. His handling of the military has also been criticized, particularly in the light of America’s martial mediocrity in the War of 1812—shortfalls that can be partially attributed to Jefferson’s under- funding of the army and navy. This essay looks critically at the military and national security policies of Thomas Jefferson with a view to penetrating beyond traditional interpretations. By examining closely the political, economic, social, and military context of the times—especially the delicate domestic situation—it is possible to see Jefferson’s policies with a new appreciation of how enlightened and ultimately effective they really were. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to the faculty and staff of West Virginia University’s History Department for their friendship, encouragement, and instruction. I want to thank Dr. Ken Fones-Wolf, Dr. Robert DiClerico, Dr. Jack Hammersmith, and especially Dr. Mary Lou Lustig and Dr. Michal McMahon for their wisdom, guidance, and patience throughout this project. I also want to thank Mr. Duncan Brown and Dr. Ron Luman of The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for giving me the time to finish the project. iii DEDICATION For Suzanne iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction: That ‘Whimsical, Phylosophic President 1 Chapter 1: The Origins of a Military Policy 14 The Education of a Revolutionary 16 Documenting Tyranny 21 Condolences 28 Making a Wise Man Mad 31 The Society of the Cincinnati 39 An Honorable Rebellion 43 The Chief of a Gang of Robbers 47 Conclusion 51 Chapter 2: Hamilton, Jefferson, and the Path to a Republican Military Policy 53 The Algerine War 56 Alexander Hamilton and the formation of Federalist military policy 65 The Wild, Wild West 75 The Number 13 82 Growing Concerns 89 John Adams Takes the Helm 94 The Revolution of 1800 103 Chapter 3: Laying the Foundation—Institutional Changes During Jefferson’s First Term: 1801-1804 110 v Jefferson Takes Over 114 Jefferson and West Point 124 Jefferson and the Navy 136 Chapter 4: Jefferson in Command—Threats, Strategy, And Operations: 1801-1805 156 War With Tripoli 157 Jefferson and the Indians 172 The Strategic Calculation 183 Conclusion 189 Chapter 5: The Policy in Practice—Testing the Limits: 1805-1809 190 The Spanish Problem 191 Crisis With Great Britain 195 The Hero of Weehawken 207 Jefferson’s Army 213 Conclusion 215 Epilogue: Thomas Jefferson and History’s Might-Have-Beens 219 Bibliography 225 vi INTRODUCTION That 'Whimsical Phylosophic President' On 4 March, 1801 Chief Justice John Marshall administered the oath of office to newly elected President Thomas Jefferson, inaugurating not only a new administration, but a new era for the young republic. Jefferson rose to the presidency during a time when the United States was arguably at its most vulnerable, from both foreign and domestic threats. The election of 1800 left a wake of bitterness, hatred, and even fear of a bloody purge.1 Out-going President John Adams had ungraciously fled the city at 4:00 AM that morning. Across the Atlantic Ocean, the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon threatened to spill violence onto American shores and the possibility of war between Britain and France posed a constant threat to American commerce. In this context, Thomas Jefferson took the reins of government. There was justification for the skepticism with which many viewed his rise to power. He was not an experienced military man. His affection for France was suspicious. His Republican views on governing were diametrically opposed to the party that alone had governed the republic since 1789. Could Thomas Jefferson function effectively as both President and Commander-in-Chief? The answer to that question was a matter of vital importance to the new nation. 1 David McCullough, John Adams (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001), 564. 1 The administration of Thomas Jefferson was uniquely situated to attract criticism. Following the “Revolution of 1800”, Jefferson’s presidency represented the first transition of power between rival political parties in American history. The two previous administrations had certainly had their detractors, but Washington himself remained, with some exceptions, above the vituperative criticism that others could attract. John Adams had to deal with his critics also, but by the end of his term of office, he had erected legal barriers to restrain his political enemies in the form of the Sedition Act. When Jefferson took office, he and the Congress allowed the hateful legislation to expire, and, in accordance with his political beliefs, he invited criticism and open debate.2 During the years of his presidency and the centuries following, he got his full measure. The reputation of the Jefferson administration still suffers from its alleged culpability concerning the marginal performance of the American military during the War of 1812. Disasters on land and near impotence on the sea demanded someone be blamed. The buck stopped first at the desk of President James Madison, but critics and historians have likewise pointed to Thomas Jefferson as the man who deliberately emasculated the army and moth-balled the navy in favor of his experimental and utterly ineffective gunboats.3 Jefferson, too, had appointed an ineffective party hack, Dr. William Eustis, as secretary of war in 4 1809, and Madison had kept him on. 2 Joyce Appleby, Thomas Jefferson (New York: Henry Holt & Co., 2003), 58. 3 See for example, Alfred Thayer Mahan, Sea Power and its Relations to the War of 1812 (New York: Reprint Services Corp, 1905) 1: 296; and Forrest McDonald, The Presidency of Thomas Jefferson (Kansas City: University of Kansas Press, 1976), 44. 2 Like his near contemporary, Frederick the Great, Jefferson had to wed concepts of Enlightenment and humanism with military necessity—both in his mind and in practice. Unlike Frederick, Jefferson had no prior military training.