The Jeffersonian Era And The Early Republic Era

During the 18th Century America was dealing with independence from Europe and trying to establish them as a strong country. As far as government goes, a monarchal government was not in question. Many people saw great opportunity to step up and contribute ideas that will make America into the country of preference. One of these men was 3rd president and member of the original founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson. While most Americans view Thomas Jefferson as an upstanding and honorable man, he was plagued with the moral contradiction of having fathered children with one of his slaves Sally Heming’s and as a result spurred a great deal of controversy. As a result of his action’s Jefferson’s virtuous demeanor is questioned and shows how

Thomas Jefferson focuses instead on the life and political career of Jefferson, his personal ideologies, and his actions while in office. Appleby seems especially interested in how his views were alike and divergent from the opinions of his contemporaries. Though many historians dismiss the claim, she regards Jefferson’s description of his election as “real a revolution in

After the colonies gained independence, the founding fathers soon found that becoming a new independent nation was going to be a difficult task. The biggest task was deciding on the division of power in the government. This issue divided the people into two groups, the federalists and the Jeffersonian republicans. Alexander Hamilton led the federalists and Thomas Jefferson led the republicans. These two important men in history would later show how the challenges of becoming a new nation. In this essay I will be analyzing the ideas of Linda K. Kerber’s “The Fears of the Federalists,” to Drew R. McCoy’s “The Fears of the Jeffersonian Republicans.” Furthermore, comparisons will be made about both essays to gain a better understanding of the struggles of government in early America.

Thomas Jefferson was the third American President. Due to the fact that he was such an early President, he influenced our political system greatly, both in the short and long term with his seemingly quiet approach to congressional matters. During his presidency, many things happened that changed the United States as we know it. He coordinated the Louisiana Purchase, assisted in implementing the twelfth amendment, formed the character of the modern American President, and cut the U.S.’s war debt by a third.

Before 1801, the Jeffersonian Republicans were usually strict constructionists of the constitution. However during the presidencies of Jefferson and Madison they had to adopt some Federalist ideas. In many instances, the two parties completely interchanged their views on the construction of the constitution. During that period of time it was difficult to characterize anyone as a member of either the

During the last decade of the eighteenth century, the Federalists were in control of the country and its policies. They passed laws to make a strong central government and some of them even desired for there to be a kind of landowner aristocracy. Their power soon began to erode from within as different factions headed by John Adams and Alexander Hamilton greatly weakened the party's effectiveness and power. They alienated themselves in the eyes of the population by passing the Alien and Sedition acts. This led to the election of Thomas Jefferson as president in 1800, who described his election as a second revolution. Jefferson and his supporters were now able to try to bring about their dream of making America an agrarian republic of small

     Joseph J. Ellis, a historian who was educated at the College of William and Mary and Yale, is a Ford Foundation Professor of History at Mount Holyoke University. He has written four books on historical topics, centered on the time Jefferson was alive, dealing with issues and personalities Jefferson dealt with firsthand. After authoring a book on a politician such as John Adams, Ellis seems to have felt a need or want to focus on Jefferson, presumably because of his status as founding father and main contributor to the constitution.

The political landscape of Jefferson 's time was a colorful one, and the elective structure of the federal government was different from how it is today. The runner-up in the Presidential

In the year of 1800, Jefferson ran for the second time averse to former president, John Adams but unlike the previous election, John Adams wins the presidency, Jefferson was able to defeat John Adams. The Adams lost the election due to passing the Alien and Sedition Acts, Considered unconstitutional laws because the Acts took away the first amendment, freedom of speech. Jefferson was a more promising choice as he promised to have a “Republican Revolution”, Jefferson promised to help the yeoman farmer and decrease the Federal debt the United States had at the time period. Jefferson’s presidency was to a certain extent a “Republican Revolution” and to a certain extent it was a Federalist Continuation.

During Thomas Jefferson’s presidency between 1801 and 1809, Jeffersonians succeeded in achieving many of their goals, even doing so responsibly and moderately. However, Jefferson’s presidency was plagued with national struggles.

Before the Election of 1800, also known as the Revolution of 1800, the world had never experienced a peaceful transfer of power from one political party to another. Prior to the election, all preceding presidents belonged to the Federalist party; John Adams was the last of the Federalist. Now the power belonged to the first Democratic-Republican, Thomas Jefferson. He declared the election to be revolutionary because of the

The Revolution of 1800 marked a new era for the United States: The Jeffersonian era. The Jefferson era was full of conflict, partisan zeal, and peaceful power. Although the peaceful transition of power from John Adam’s federalism to Thomas Jefferson’s republicanism marked a new era, to a significant extent Thomas Jefferson did not follow his original republican philosophies and policies he campaigned on during his presidency. Although Thomas Jefferson established Republican views such giving power to the states while campaigning to be president, during his presidency he abandoned these views to a significant extent, which is shown by the establishment of the Embargo Act, the Louisiana Purchase and subsequent Expedition, and Jefferson using the Militia to fight the war of 1812.

In his inaugural address, Thomas Jefferson said “we are all republicans and we are all federalists.” However, by the end of the Virginia Dynasty, the Republicans had become Federalists and the Federalists were gone. When Jefferson and the Republicans came to power in the Revolution of 1800, they gradually appropriated federalist policies until the Federalists had nothing left and the party ultimately disappeared. This occurred during the span of presidents from Jefferson in 1800 until Monroe in 1825, known as the Virginia Dynasty. Republicans held power for about twenty five years with nearly no opposition, but throughout their time in power, their policies were nearly identical to that of Federalists, and most of the republican policies that had gotten Jefferson elected back in 1800 were never implemented. When John Adams was

Jeffersonian and Jacksonian Democracy both have roots dating back to the Era of Good Feelings, when James Monroe created a golden climate of liberalism and national unity. As a result of the War of 1812, Monroe spoke of his policies and beliefs and in 1817, peace, liberty, prosperity, and progress flourished throughout the nation (Garraty 200). The Era of Good Feelings came to an end because of the “corrupt bargain” in 1824. The transition from Jeffersonian to Jacksonian Democracy involved scandalous events that undermine the authority of the president and the government itself. Each Democracy had different views: politically, socially, economically and religiously. Jackson’s idea of democracy, furthermore, is an accurate representation

Thomas Jefferson was known as the third president who came into office, in United States. In his younger years, while attending College of William and Mary, he practiced law and became a member of the Continental Congress. (Monticello) He was considered part of the upper class and maintained a wholesome reputation. He later served as U.S minister to France and the U.S secretary of state. He then became the nation’s Vice President under the Presidency of John Adams, which led him to presidency where his first inaugural speech was presented on March 4, 1801 in Washington D.C. Before he became President of the United States, Jefferson took a major part in writing the Declaration of Independence. His first inaugural speech reflects his ideas of equality as well. This historical context has many disclosures that can be analyzed to understand the connection between our course material and the speech.