Jefferson in Office

Selects James Madison as Secretary of State and Albert Gallatin as Secretary of the Treasury.

1. Economic plans

a) reduce military spending by cutting the army to 3200 troops

b) cut the navy to seven ships. Both actions taken with the idea that the money

saved could be used to pay off the National Debt.

c) wanted to rescind the whiskey tax along with other domestic taxes, and do

away with the agency that collected these taxes.

d) keep the National Bank even though he did not like it, it was practical.

e) Replaced some but not all of the Federalists working in government jobs, but kept his idea of spending cuts.

Marbury v.Madison

Case tried before the Supreme Court.

Adams appoints Federalists to judgeships before he leaves office.

Some did not receive their appointments after Jefferson took office. One person that did not was William Marbury.

Jefferson orders Madison not to give out the papers including Marburys

Marbury demanded that the Supreme Court force the executive branch to hand over his commission. He argued that the Judiciary Act of 1789 gave it the right to make a decision.

John Marshall chief justice and and an appointed Federalist by Adams

Marshall will become one of the greatest chief justices and will be a constant thorn in Jefferson’s side.

The court ruled that although the Judiciary Act did give the court the power to force a commission, the Act itself was unconstitutional as it gave the court a power not in the constitution.

While Marshall give up one power, he set a precedent regarding the right of the court to declare laws unconstitutional, known now as Judicial Review. By doing so, the Supreme Court became an stronger branch and balanced the powers of the three branches.

Louisiana Purchase

1.) Who owns the territory of Louisiana before Jefferson takes office? After? How?

a.) Spain-however under Jefferson presidency, because Spain is a falling power and could not keep settlers out of Louisiana they secretly traded it to France.

2.) What event makes it necessary for France to sell the Louisiana territory?

a.) Napoleon Bonaparte loses the battle at the French colony St. Domingue now Haiti to Toussaint-Louverture a former slave who governed St. Domingue.

b.) Napoleon is about to go to war with (guess who) Great Britain and needs the money to buy supplies for his armies.

c.) He did not want to fight both the U.S. and Great Britain at the same time.

3.) What fears to the leaders in the US have about the French owning Louisiana again?

a.) France could block the westward growth of the U.S.

b.) Napoleon may go to war with the U.S. in his quest for world domination.

4.) Jefferson authorizes his ambassador to see if New Orleans and West Florida could be purchased. However, Napoleon offers to sell all of the Louisiana territory. Although Congress only authorized 10 million for the sale, the ambassadors agreed to purchase it for 15 million.

5.) What is Jefferson’s problem with the purchase?

a.) Being a strict constructionist of the Constitution, Jefferson does not believe the Constitution gives him the power to purchase the territory.

b.) Jefferson makes it possible because he states that he does have the power to make treaties with foreign nations, and for the good of the country he make the treaty with France.

c.) Sends Lewis and Clark on an expedition of discovery, which terminates in what is now Oregon.