Thomas Jefferson Presidency

Thomas Jefferson Presidency

Mr. Hunn

Open Ended

What do you recall about the election of 1800? Provide at least one fact.

The Election of 1800

John Adams/Charles Pinckney vs. Thomas

Jefferson/Aaron Burr

The election was very different from elections today:

●Candidates did not travel throughout the
country

●Letters were sent to voters and newspapers

However, the election was the same in one key way:
candidates threw personal insults and accusations at
one another.

●Federalists accused Jefferson of being
“godless” because he supported freedom of
religion

●Republicans accused Adams of favoring the
wealthy and wanting a monarchy.

Multiple Choice

In what way are the elections of today the same as the election of 1800?

• Candidates travel all across the country

• Politicians have expensive campaigns with hundreds of staff members

• Candidates always have used personal insults and accusations against each other

The Vote is Tied!

●Under the Constitution, voters are selecting electors – and these
electors vote for the President through a process known as the
Electoral College.

○At that time, the Constitution said that electors were to cast
two ballots—without indicating which was for president and
which was for vice president.

●The candidate with the majority of votes became president, and
the candidate with the next-largest number of votes became vice
president.

●In 1800, 73 electors cast their ballots for Jefferson and Burr.

○Each candidate, therefore, got the same number of votes.

○Because of the tie vote, the House of Representatives had
to decide the election.

●In the House, Federalists tried to keep Jefferson from becoming
president by supporting Burr.

○For 35 ballots, the election remained tied.

○Finally, one Federalist decided not to vote for Burr.

Because no one wanted to see another tie between a presidential

and vice-presidential candidate, Congress passed the 12th

Amendment to the Constitution in 1803. From then on, electors cast

one of their votes for president and the other for vice president.

Multiple Choice

Voters choose electors who cast the vote for President through the...

• Election of Representatives

• Electoral College

• Constitutional College

Multiple Choice

What was the purpose of the 12th amendment?

• To prevent ties between the president and vice-president

• To prevent personal insults and lies about candidates

• To change how many electors are allowed to vote

Thomas Jefferson’s
Inauguration

Thomas Jefferson attended his
inauguration in plain clothes and spoke
about his goals for his leadership, which
included:

●A “wise and frugal” government

○Frugal = cheap, not spending much
money

●A stronger support of states’ rights

●A smaller, less powerful federal
government

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the closest synonym for the word "frugal?"

• Cheap

• Determined

• Unappealing

• Powerful

Jefferson as President

●Thomas Jefferson had strong ideas about
government and he surrounded himself with
people who shared similar views.

○Jefferson and Albert Gallatin, secretary of
the treasury, reduced the national debt
and cut down on military expenses.

○Jefferson also limited the number of
federal government workers to a few
hundred people.

●At the same time, his government got rid of most
federal taxes. They only collected customs
duties, or taxes on imported goods.

○Under Jefferson, the government's income
would come from customs duties and from
the sale of western lands.

He believed that these changes were needed to

make the United States a great nation.

This painting
better not
cost me an
arm and a
leg, bucko.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following was NOT an action taken by the Jefferson administration?

• Reduced the national debt

• Cut military spending

• Got rid of most federal taxes

• Increased the amount of government employees

Judiciary Act
of 1801

In the last days of his presidency, John Adams
established a system of courts and appointed hundreds
of judges to these courts.

Since Congress was still under Federalist control, they
approved of this move from Adams. It blocked Jefferson
from doing the same and assured control of the courts
was in the hands of the Federalists.

When he became president, Jefferson rejected the
appointment of any judges who had not yet received
their approval papers (called commissions).

One of these judges who was denied, William Marbury,
was not pleased. He asked the Supreme Court to
intervene and approve him, but they refused. The
Supreme Court argued that it did not have the jurisdiction
– legal authority – to force Jefferson and his secretary of
state, James Madison, to give his commission.

Hey Maddy, it’s
Marbury again.

Did you lose my
commission in
the mail or…?

Multiple Choice

How did Jefferson undermine the Federalist-controlled justice system?

• Rejecting justice appointments

• Vetoing key legislation

• Expanding the Supreme Court

Why is this important?

Chief Justice John Marshall established the principles of
judicial review!

1.The Constitution is the supreme law of the land

2.The Constitution must be followed in any conflicts
with other laws

3.The judicial branch can declare laws unconstitutional

This is the foundation for the power of the judicial branch
that allows it to “check” the powers of the executive and
legislative branches.

Other important rulings by Marshall include:

●McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) – Congress has implied
powers, states cannot tax the federal government

●Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) – federal law trumps state
law when more than one state is involved

●Worcester v. Georgia (1832) – states cannot regulate
Native Americans, only the federal government can

Chief Justice John Marshall

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a component of "judicial review?"

• The Constitution is the supreme law of the land

• The Constitution must be followed in any conflicts with other laws

• The judicial branch can declare laws unconstitutional

• The Constitution cannot change without the approval of the Supreme Court