• How Did The Jeffersonian Administration Differ From The Federalist Era In The White House?

When Thomas Jefferson took office in 1801, after an intense realignment of the majority of office holders from Federalist to Anti-Federalist in the “Revolution of 1800”, there were many policies headed by former Treasurer Alexander Hamilton that were still in place. Instead of doing what would have been expected of him by his peers, and taking steps

- Madison’s gamble on trading exclusively to France led the Britain to not repeal their Atlantic trade restrictions

In the onset of Jefferson's presidency Jeffersonian Republicans were characterized as strict interpreters of the Constitution. Jeffersonian Republicans strictly believed and obeyed what was clearly written in the Constitution. This characterization proved to be inaccurate later throughout Jefferson's presidency as he begins to lean toward a loose interpretation. Jefferson realized that government should be flexible and change with time, based on what best suits the nation (Doc. G). The Federalists lean toward a strict interpretation of the Constitution during Madison's presidency. Originally the Federalists were very lenient with respect to the federal Constitution. This characterization was also inaccurate during the presidencies of Jefferson and Madison. The Federalist party showed strict constructionist views when they required congress ⅔ in order to pass things such as admissions of states and declarations of war (Doc. E). In regards to the construction of roads and canals, Madison acts based on what is written in the Constitution (Doc. H). Madison's vetoing of the Internal Improvement Bill in 1817 showed that he believed that Internal Improvement by the federal government was unconstitutional. This is something that he would not have done originally based on his original ideals and federalists

During the time period of 1801 to 1817, there were multiple issues in the United States ranging from wars to political boundaries. This time period saw the termination of the Federalist party. The conflicts were between two parties called the Jeffersonian Republicans and the Federalists. The Federalist party was officially started by John Adams. John Adams was also a loose constructionist just like all the other Federalists. Federalists were in favor of a strong central government. On the other side, was Thomas Jefferson who was in office from 1801 to 1809. Jefferson started the Jeffersonian Republican party. The Jeffersonians were strict constructionists who believed in states rights. They said that anything that is not stated in

Also, when Jefferson passed The Embargo Act, he was going against the Republican Party beliefs. Supported by Document C, the Embargo Act was a great upset to the American public. No where in the listing of the presidential powers did it state that a law such as the Embargo Act could be passed. When Jefferson passed this Act, he may have had the good of the country at heart, but he was following the Federalist principle of power in the central government and a loose interpretation of the powers in the Constitution. As the Jeffersonian Republicans grew together and learned a great deal more about their nation, they realized that some of their principles had to change. The country would never stay united if the country kept advancing and the government stayed in the same spot. As Jefferson once wrote, “…I know also, that laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind…institutions must advance also and keep pace with the times.” (Document G). Jefferson realized in this letter to Samuel Kercheval that, sometimes, people’s ideas and beliefs must grow and change in order to make things better and stay with the times. The Jeffersonian Republicans also realized this. That is why as the nation progressed they obtained more of the ideals of the Federalists.

The popularity that Thomas Jefferson held during his first term as president, quickly changed during his second term in office. Jefferson's second term was less a triumph than an ordeal. His major disappointment had its origins in Europe and because of the Napoleonic Wars, the naval blockades in the Atlantic and Caribbean severely curtailed American trade and pressured the United States government to take sides. Jefferson's response to all this was the passing of the Embargo Act in 1807, which virtually closed American Ports to all foreign imports and exports. The enforcement of the Embargo act required the use of exactly those coercive powers by the federal government that Jefferson has been opposing all along (a strong central government). In the enforcement of this embargo, the government was infringing on the liberties of individuals which was inconsistent with Jefferson's principles (Ellis, 1996).

By 1817 the great American experiment was in full swing. America was developing into an effective democratic nation. However as the democracy continued to grow, two opposing political parties developed, the Jeffersonian Republicans and the Federalists. The Jeffersonian Republicans believed in strong state governments, a weak central government, and a strict interpretation of the Constitution. The Federalists saw it differently. They opted for a powerful central government with weaker state governments, and a loose interpretation of the Constitution. The seemingly solid divide between Federalist and Republican would begin to blur during the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. For, neither Republican president was able lead

The passing of the Embargo Act in 1807 banned all trade with European nations during the Napoleonic Wars in an attempt for the United States to steer clear of war and to prove to the European Nations that American goods were essential to their economies. Alexander Anderson's cartoon, drawn one year after the bill was passed, shows how the American people were affected by the Embargo Act. They resorted to smuggling goods in order to make money during the economic depression caused by the act. After Jefferson's poor decision with the Embargo Act, his party members began to loose faith in him and his Federalist opponents gained a great amount of popularity. By refusing to trade, the United States experienced the bad aspects of war with none of the potential gains through the signing of treaties. After the Embargo Act, the American citizens begin to

Conflicting views and contrasting ideologies have always existed throughout the history of United States politics. Alexander Hamilton, who led Federalist Party, believed that a powerful central government was necessary while Thomas Jefferson, who led the Jeffersonian Republican Party, favored an agrarian nation with most of the power left to the states. Although Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson were similar in that they both harbored good intentions and tried to keep the best interests in mind for the future of the United States, their policies were drastically different. Without doubt, both of their contrasting ideas served a vital role in forming the government.

across 6 states, allowing the nation to be tied together and to be utilized for internal commerce. Later in Jefferson’s term he set a law that potentially was one of the worst notions during his presidency. In 1807 the Embargo Act was placed with the purpose of attempting to prevent foreign tension with France and Britain by not allowing American ships to any foreign ports and eliminated international trade. “The embargo, however, backfired and brought greater economic hardship to the United States than Britain” (Newman and Schmalbach. 136). While Jefferson’s attempt to preserve the economy failed once he passed the Embargo Act, he later at least recognized his doings during his presidency that it must be repealed. The embargo eventually got repealed in 1809, during James Madison’s term.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Great Britain was locked in a long and bitter battle with Napoleon Bonaparte’s France. In an effort to cut off supplies from reaching the enemy, both sides sought to bar the United States from trading with the other. In 1807, Britain passed the Orders

Jefferson accomplished a lot while he was president that affected everyone at this time and even us today. While Jefferson was president, he wrote the Declaration of Independence. It was written to declare the independence the colonies had from Great Britain. He also stated that all men should be created equally and stated that slavery is against our most important rights, life and liberty itself. Jefferson wrote a bill establishing that all virginia schools were to give all children male or female, get three years of teaching in writing, reading arithmetic and history. He also came up with the Louisiana Purchase. It was land deal between the U.S. and France. In order to buy all this land he used Hamilton 's finacial plan, which was a good plan until it provoked the

The Federalists were a powerful and wealthy party. Merchants, shippers, bankers, lawyers, and

After the failure of the Embargo Act due to the unwillingness of Americans, Thomas Jefferson struggled to remain favorable as president and eventually relinquished his rights as president to James Madison. Now Madison was a brilliant mind, but he was unexceptional when it came to military and diplomatic matters. Following in the footsteps of Thomas Jefferson, President Madison continued the policy of “peaceful coercion” however, despite the differences that it contained the policy was still equally ineffective. In 1809 Congress signed the Nonintercourse Act, which not only replaced the Embargo Act, but it reopened all trade with every country except Great Britain and France. Essentially, both the Embargo and Nonintercourse Acts failed to bring

The relations between Great Britain and France had not been good for a long time. In order to harm each other’s economies, and cutting of supplies to reach the enemy country, both the countries tried to block trade of the opposite country with the United States. In 1810, Britain passed a law under which, the neutral countries, which also included United States, had to obtain a license in order to trade with France. That was not it, also the Royal Navy had outraged the Americans by making the U.S. seamen serve on behalf of the British. After removing the Non-Intercourse Act, a bill was passed in May 1810, which stated that if one of the country removes restrictions on trade on the United States then they will drop interactions with the opposing country. “After Napoleon hinted that he would stop restrictions