Thomas Jefferson is elected - Feb 17, 1801 - HISTORY.com Thomas Jefferson is elected Publisher A+E Networks On this day in 1801, Thomas Jefferson is elected the third president of the United States. The election constitutes the first peaceful transfer of power from one political party to another in the United States. By 1800, when he decided to run for president, Thomas Jefferson possessed impressive political credentials and was well-suited to the presidency. In addition to drafting the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson had served in two Continental Congresses, as minister to France, as secretary of state under George Washington and as John Adams’ vice president. Vicious partisan warfare characterized the campaign of 1800 between Democratic-Republicans Jefferson and Aaron Burr and Federalists John Adams, Charles C. Pinckney and John Jay. The election highlighted the ongoing battle between Democratic-Republican supporters of the French, who were embroiled in their own bloody revolution, and the pro-British Federalists who wanted to implement English-style policies in American government. The Federalists abhorred the French revolutionaries’ overzealous use of the guillotine and as a result were less forgiving in their foreign policy toward the French.

They advocated a strong centralized government, a standing military and financial support of emerging industries. In contrast, Jefferson’s Republicans preferred limited government, unadulterated states’ rights and a primarily agrarian economy. They feared that Federalists would abandon revolutionary ideals and revert to the English monarchical tradition. As secretary of state under Washington, Jefferson opposed Secretary of the Treasury Hamilton’s proposal to increase military expenditures and resigned when Washington supported the leading Federalist’s plan for a national bank. After a bloodless but ugly campaign in which candidates and influential supporters on both sides used the press, often anonymously, as a forum to fire slanderous volleys at each other, the then-laborious and confusing process of voting began in April 1800. Individual states scheduled elections at different times and although Jefferson and Burr ran on the same ticket, as president and vice president respectively, the Constitution still demanded votes for each individual to be counted separately. As a result, by the end of January 1801, Jefferson and Burr emerged tied at 73 electoral votes apiece. Adams came in third at 65 votes. This unintended result sent the final vote to the House of Representatives.

Sticklers in the Federalist-controlled House of Representatives insisted on following the Constitution’s flawed rules and refused to elect Jefferson and Burr together on the same ticket. The highly influential Federalist Alexander Hamilton, who mistrusted Jefferson but hated Burr more, persuaded the House to vote against Burr, whom he called the most unfit manfor the office of president. (This accusation and others led Burr to challenge Hamilton to a duel in 1804 that resulted in Hamilton’s death.) Two weeks before the scheduled inauguration, Jefferson emerged victorious and Burr was confirmed as his vice president. A contingent of sword-bearing soldiers escorted the new president to his inauguration on March 4, 1801, illustrating the contentious nature of the election and the victors’ fear of reprisal. In his inaugural address, Jefferson sought to heal political differences by graciously declaring We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists. As president, Jefferson made some concessions to his opponents, including taking Hamilton’s advice to strengthen the American Navy. In 1801, Jefferson sent naval squadrons and Marines to suppress Barbary piracy against American shipping.

He reduced the national debt by one-third, acquired the Louisiana Territory, and his sponsorship of the Lewis and Clark expedition opened the west to exploration and settlement. Jefferson’s first term ended in relative stability and prosperity, and in 1804 he was overwhelmingly elected to a second term. The flawed voting system that was so problematic in the election of 1800 was later improved by the 12th Amendment, which was ratified in 1804. Related Videos Thomas Jefferson | whitehouse.gov Air Force One Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson, a spokesman for democracy, was an American Founding Father, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and the third President of the United States (1801–1809).

In the thick of party conflict in 1800, Thomas Jefferson wrote in a private letter, "I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." This powerful advocate of liberty was born in 1743 in Albemarle County, Virginia, inheriting from his father, a planter and surveyor, some 5,000 acres of land, and from his mother, a Randolph, high social standing. He studied at the College of William and Mary, then read law. In 1772 he married Martha Wayles Skelton, a widow, and took her to live in his partly constructed mountaintop home, Monticello. Freckled and sandy-haired, rather tall and awkward, Jefferson was eloquent as a correspondent, but he was no public speaker. In the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Continental Congress, he contributed his pen rather than his voice to the patriot cause. As the "silent member" of the Congress, Jefferson, at 33, drafted the Declaration of Independence. In years following he labored to make its words a reality in Virginia.

Most notably, he wrote a bill establishing religious freedom, enacted in 1786. Jefferson succeeded Benjamin Franklin as minister to France in 1785. His sympathy for the French Revolution led him into conflict with Alexander Hamilton when Jefferson was Secretary of State in President Washington's Cabinet. He resigned in 1793. Sharp political conflict developed, and two separate parties, the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans, began to form. Jefferson gradually assumed leadership of the Republicans, who sympathized with the revolutionary cause in France. Attacking Federalist policies, he opposed a strong centralized Government and championed the rights of states. As a reluctant candidate for President in 1796, Jefferson came within three votes of election. Through a flaw in the Constitution, he became Vice President, although an opponent of President Adams. In 1800 the defect caused a more serious problem. Republican electors, attempting to name both a President and a Vice President from their own party, cast a tie vote between Jefferson and Aaron Burr. The House of Representatives settled the tie. Hamilton, disliking both Jefferson and Burr, nevertheless urged Jefferson's election. When Jefferson assumed the Presidency, the crisis in France had passed.

He slashed Army and Navy expenditures, cut the budget, eliminated the tax on whiskey so unpopular in the West, yet reduced the national debt by a third. He also sent a naval squadron to fight the Barbary pirates, who were harassing American commerce in the Mediterranean. Further, although the Constitution made no provision for the acquisition of new land, Jefferson suppressed his qualms over constitutionality when he had the opportunity to acquire the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon in 1803. During Jefferson's second term, he was increasingly preoccupied with keeping the Nation from involvement in the Napoleonic wars, though both England and France interfered with the neutral rights of American merchantmen. Jefferson's attempted solution, an embargo upon American shipping, worked badly and was unpopular. Jefferson retired to Monticello to ponder such projects as his grand designs for the University of Virginia. A French nobleman observed that he had placed his house and his mind "on an elevated situation, from which he might contemplate the universe." He died on July 4, 1826. The Presidential biographies on WhiteHouse.gov are from “The Presidents of the United States of America,” by Frank Freidel and Hugh Sidey.

Copyright 2006 by the White House Historical Association. When Thomas Jefferson became President in March 1801 he learned - CJ - 291 View Full Document When Thomas Jefferson became President in March 1801, he learned of Adams's attempt to pack the court with Federalist judges. He also discovered the failure to deliver the remaining commissions. To prevent these Federalists from becoming justices of the peace, Jefferson instructed his Secretary of State, James Madison, to refuse the appointments. Marbury went to the Supreme Court in an attempt to gain his post. He wanted the Court to issue an order forcing Madison to give Marbury his commission. The Judiciary Act of 1789 had given the Supreme Court the power to issue such an order. The Court's Decision This preview has intentionally blurred sections. Sign up to view the full version. View Full Document In a unanimous decision, written by Justice Marshall, the Court stated that Marbury, indeed, had a right to his commission. But, more importantly, the Judiciary Act of 1789 was unconstitutional. In Marshall's opinion, Congress could not give the Supreme Court the power to issue an order granting Marbury his commission.

Only the Constitution could, and the document said nothing about the Supreme Court having the power to issue such an order. Thus, the Supreme Court could not force Jefferson and Madison to appoint Marbury, because it did not have the power to do so. While Marbury never became a justice of the peace, the Court's ruling in Marbury v. Madison established a very important precedent . A precedent is a legal decision that serves as an example in later court cases. Chief Justice Marshall's ruling interpreted the Constitution to mean that the Supreme Court had the power of judicial review. That is, the Court had the right to review acts of Congress and, by extension, actions of the President. If the Court found that a law This is the end of the preview. Sign up to access the rest of the document. TERM Criminal Procedure=Chp 7 Supreme Court Case-- New Jersey v T.L.O. 8th Ed, DelCarmen Bossier Parish CJ 291 - Fall 2012 CJ 291, Chapter 7 Supreme Court Case New Jersey v T.L.O., 1985 New Jersey v. T.L.O., Criminal Procedure=Chp 7 Supreme Court Case-- New Jersey v T.L.O.

8th Ed, DelCarmen Louisiana Purchase The Robinson Library >> American History >> United States: General History and Description >> Revolution to the Civil War, 1775/1783-1861 >> Constitutional Period, 1789-1809 >> Thomas Jefferson's Administration, 1801-1809 Louisiana Purchase In 1801 the United States bought 827,987 square miles of land from France for about $15 million. Eventually all or parts of 15 states were formed out of the region -- Arkansas , Colorado , Iowa, Kansas , Louisiana , Minnesota , Missouri , Montana , Nebraska , New Mexico , North Dakota , Oklahoma , South Dakota , Texas , and Wyoming . Prelude to the Purchase When Thomas Jefferson became President in March 1801, the Mississippi River formed the western boundary of the United States. The southern boundary extended to the 31st parallel north latitude. The Floridas (with West Florida extending to the Mississippi and including New Orleans) lay to the south, and the Louisiana Territory to the west. Spain owned both of those territories.

Having Spain as a neighbor to the west and south was not, initially, a problem for the United States. Although Spain controlled both sides of the Mississippi and the chief port on the Gulf of Mexico (New Orleans), farmers and merchants who relied on that river and port were able to export their products thanks to the Pinckney Treaty of 1795, which gave Americans the "right of deposit" at New Orleans. This right allowed Americans to store in New Orleans, duty-free, goods to be shipped for export. This arrangement was acceptable to the United States, because Spain was a relatively weak nation. If at any time Spain tried to close the Mississippi to American ships, the United States could simply take New Orleans. Trouble Begins In March 1801, the United States Minister to England, Rufus King , learned that Spain had concluded a treaty with France ceding some of its American territories to France in exchange for a small Spanish kingdom in Italy. Believing that the Floridas would be included in the cession, Jefferson directed Robert Livingston , the newly appointed Minister to France, to inform the French government that the United States was unwilling to see the American colonies of Spain transferred to any country except the United States.

If the transfer had already taken place, Livingston was to persuade France to transfer the Floridas, especially West Florida, to the United States. French leader Napoleon Bonaparte ignored Livingston's proposals, however. By 1802 Napoleon had gained control over much of Europe and was prepared to rebuild France's American empire. He planned to subdue a long-simmering rebellion in the West Indian colony of Santo Domingo (now Haiti), and then send troops to take possession of Louisiana. But the French army in Santo Domingo was almost annihilated, and the formal transfer of Louisiana never took place. Threats of War With Livingston being ignored in France, Jefferson arranged for his friend, Pierre du Pont de Nemours, to carry dispatches to Livingston and to help him influence the French government against taking possession of Louisiana. Du Pont was instructed to warn France that the United States was willing to form an alliance with Great Britain against France to prevent the annexation of Louisiana. Du Pont, however, suggested that such an ultimatum would make Napoleon more determined to acquire the territory, and suggested that the United States offer to buy the Floridas instead.

On October 18, 1802, the Spanish Governor of New Orleans, undoubtedly acting under orders originating with Napoleon, suspended the right of deposit. Secretary of State James Madison protested to the Spanish government, and also warned Napoleon that Americans were prepared to go to war to regain access to New Orleans. Napoleon was unwilling to abandon his hopes of building a new empire in America, however, and sent 15,000 more troops to Santo Domingo. Livingston was discouraged, but Jefferson was equally stubborn. He decided to send James Monroe to help Livingston in his negotiations. Congress voted $2 million which the two diplomats could use for the purchase of the east bank of the Mississippi River, but Jefferson privately advised Monroe that they could offer up to $9,375,000 for the Floridas and New Orleans. If France rejected that offer, they were to try to at least re-obtain the right of deposit at New Orleans. Napoleon Decides to Sell By the early months of 1803 Napoleon knew that war with Great Britain was again imminent.

His chargï¿½ d'affaires, Louis Pichon, warned him that the United States could easily seize Louisiana once France was engaged in a European war. He also warned that American newspapers were calling for war. Napoleon took Pichon's warnings seriously. And, since he had failed to quell the rebellion in Santo Domingo, Napoleon no longer felt confident that he could support an American empire. He was now ready to divest France of Louisiana. On April 10, 1803, Napoleon informed his finance minister, Franï¿½ois de Barbï¿½-Marbois, that he was considering selling all of Louisiana to the United States. Monroe arrived in Paris the day after Marbois had offered Livingston the whole of Louisiana. Although Jefferson had only authorized the men to purchase the Floridas, they felt confident that the United States would accept this larger offer. They agreed to Marbois' price of 60 million francs plus the assumption of American claims against France (a total of about $15 million). The treaty, dated April 30, was signed May 2. It reached Washington on July 14, 1803.

Left: First page of the Louisiana Purchase Treaty. Ratifying the Treaty Jefferson was not actually certain that the Constitution authorized the acquisition of land, but since it did provide for the making of treaties he felt confident that the acquisition of new territory was constitutional. The Federalists objected to the possible creation of a fringe of states that would differ in background and nationality from the original states, but Jefferson believed Americans would inhabit any state formed out of the purchase. The Senate ratified the treaty on October 20, 1803, by a vote of 34 to 7; the House ratified it on October 25. Congress also passed laws to provide for borrowing the money from English and Dutch bankers, payable in 15 years. Spain officially transferred the territory to France on November 30, France transferred it to the United States on December 20, and the United States took formal possession of Louisiana on December 30. Right: France formally transfers Louisiana to the United States. Boundary Disputes Boundary disputes arose over the Louisiana Territory almost immediately, as the treaty did not state specific boundaries. The United States and Britain agreed in 1818 to establish the northern boundary at the 49th parallel.

In the south, the United States claimed West Florida and part of Texas. Jefferson said that France had had actual possession of the Gulf Coast from Mobile westward since 1696, and that in 1755 maps published by the French government showed the Perdido River as the eastern boundary of France's possessions. This, he claimed, was part of the land that Spain had given back to France in 1800, and therefore part of the purchase. This dispute was settled by an 1819 treaty with Spain, in which the United States purchased Florida and surrendered its claim to Texas; Spain in return gave up its claim to West Florida. PRINT SOURCE The World Book Encyclopedia Chicago: World Book-Childcraft International, 1979 INTERNET SOURCE National Archives and Records Administration SEE ALSO Thomas Jefferson | U.S. Presidents Thomas Jefferson Portrait by Rembrandt Peale, 1800 Born on April 13, 1743 in Shadwell, Goochland County, Virginia. Parents: Peter Jefferson and Jane Randolph. Siblings: Jane, Mary, Elizabeth, Martha, Peter, unnamed son, Lucy, Anna, and Randolph.

Began his formal education at age 9 studying Greek, Latin, and French. From 1758 to 1760 he studied science, history, and the classics. Studied Liberal Arts at College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, graduating two years later in 1762. Studied Law and was admitted to the Virginia bar in 1767. Elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1769 and served until its dissolution in 1774. Married Martha Wayles Skelton (1748–1782) on January 1, 1772. Children: Martha (1772–1836); Jane (1774–1775); an unnamed son (1777); Mary, also called Maria or Polly, (1778–1804); Lucy Elizabeth (1780–1781); and Lucy Elizabeth (1782–1785). Elected to the Second Continental Congress in 1775. At age 33, drafted the Declaration of Independence.

Served as Virginia governor from 1779–1780. Appointed Commissioner to France in 1784 joining John Adams and Benjamin Franklin as a negotiator for commercial treaties with European countries Appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to France in 1785 (until 1789). Became the first Secretary of State in 1789 (until his resignation in 1793) under George Washington's government. Became Vice President under John Adams in 1796. He wrote the "Manual of Parliamentary Practice for the Use of the Senate of the United States" during his term. Built Monitcello, his primary residence on a 5,000 acre plantation in Charlottesville, Virginia, which he inherited from his father. Construction began in 1768 with work continuing throughout much of his life. Presidency Protrait by Rembrandt Peale, ca. 1805 Took his oath of office on March 4, 1801 at the Senate Chamber, U.S. Capitol.

Vice President 1801–1805: Aaron Burr; Vice President 1805–1809: George Clinton. He authorized the Louisiana Purchase from Napoleon Bonaparte in 1803 for $15 million. He sent a U.S. naval squadron to the Mediterranean to fight Barbary pirates who were harassing U.S. commercial shipping. The First Barbary War lasted from 1801 to 1805. In his first term as President, he was able to reduce the national debt by one-third by cutting the expenditures of the Army and Navy, cutting the budget, and eliminating the unpopular tax on whiskey. Signed the Military Peace Establishment Act in 1802 that established the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on July 4th of the same year. He appointed Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark to lead the expedition to explore the Louisiana Territory, which lasted from May 1804 to September 1806. Signed the 1807 Embargo Act imposing a commercial embargo against Great Britain and France. The U.S. economy suffered greatly from the stifled overseas trade caused by the Act.

It was revoked on March 1, 1809. Signed a bill into law officially segregating the US Postal system in which blacks were prohibited from delivering mail. Repealed the Midnight Judges Act or the Judiciary Act of 1801 signed into law by John Adams. Refused to recognize the new republic of Haiti for fear it would entice American slaves in the south to seek independence. Favored the assimilation and acculturation of Native Americans into European–American ways. Signed the Act Prohibiting the Importation of Slaves in 1807, which went into effect on January 1, 1808. Appointed three Associate Justices to the Supreme Court: William Johnson (1804), Henry Brockholst Livingston (1807), and Thomas Todd (1807). Left Washington for his Monticello estate on March 4, 1809, after James Madison's inauguration, and never returned. Post-presidency Protrait by Charles Wilson Peale, 1791 Sold his vast collection of books to the Library of Congress in 1815 after the building was burned down by the British in 1814.

He founded the University of Virginia in 1819 and designed the University grounds and its buildings. The University opened in 1825 and Jefferson served as its first rector until his death in 1826. Pursued his interests in science and natural history after his retiring from the presidency. Served as President of the American Philosophical Society from March 3, 1797 until January 20, 1815. Could not attend the 50th anniversary celebration of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1826 where he and John Adams were to be honored. They both died on that day. Died July 4, 1826 at Monticello on the same day as John Adams, the second U.S. President. Designed his own tombstone and wrote his epitaph, which reads, "Here was buried Thomas Jefferson Author of the Declaration of American Independence of the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom Father of the University of Virginia." He was buried at the family gravesite in Monticello after a simple ceremony attended by family and friends.

His daughter Martha had to sell most of his possessions, including Monticello, to settle all of his debts. Owned as many as 150 slaves in his lifetime and freed a total of nine, most of whom were the children of Sally Hemings with whom he is believed to have had an intimate relationship. Along with George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, is one of the faces carved into the Mount Rushmore Memorial. The Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. was dedicated to him on April 13, 1943, his 200th birthday. The Library of Congress' main building was renamed the Thomas Jefferson Building on June 13, 1980. Monticello was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960. In 1987, Monticello and the University of Virgnia were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1998, a DNA test revealed that a male Jefferson was the father of the children of Sally Hemings, who was Thomas Jefferson's slave until his death. Thomas Jefferson Biography – 3rd U.S.

President Timeline & Life Thomas Jefferson, third president (1801 –1809) of the United States of America, was one of her Founding Fathers and a principal author of the Declaration of Independence . Early Life Using the Gregorian calendar as the basis of determining birth, Apr. 13, 1743 was designated as the day Thomas Jefferson was born in Shadwell, then Edge Hill in Goochland (now Albemarle County), Virginia, into the Randolph family. His father, Peter Jefferson, believed to be of Welsh descent, was a surveyor and a planter of 5,000 acres of land which upon his death, was inherited by the young Jefferson at the age of 14 including the slaves. He studied mathematics, philosophy and metaphysics when he attended the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg from 1760-1762 at the age of 17 and met his influential mentor, law professor George Wythe. He indulged himself in reading French, Greek and Latin classics, and playing violin. He spoke five languages, collected books and wrote more than sixteen thousand letters. Jefferson graduated with highest honors in 1762.

He later worked as a law clerk for Wythe during which stint he continuously read law and a variety of political works, and five years later in 1767, he was admitted to the Virginia bar. As a lawyer, he handled many cases of his clients from Virginia’s elite families, including the Randolph family. At 26, he was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1769 and the following year, began building a neo-classical mansion, Monticello at the mountaintop which he had always wanted to do since childhood based primarily on the works of architect Andrea Palladio and his study on classical orders. As a delegate to the house, he wrote various resolutions against the Coercive Acts passed by the British Parliament in 1774. He argued that the authority of the British Parliament was confined only to Great Britain and does not encompass the colonies and that the colonists had the natural right to govern themselves. His first published work, A Summary View of the Right of the British America, was intended to serve as instructions for Virginia’s delegation to the First Continental Congress.

Jefferson married a wealthy 23-year old widow Martha Wayles Skelton in 1772 at age 29 and the couple had six children: (1) Martha Washington Jefferson (1772-1836); (2) Jane Jefferson (1774-1775); (3) stillborn or unnamed son (1777); (4) Mary Wayles Jefferson (1778-1804); (5) Lucy Elizabeth (1780-1781); and (6) Lucy Elizabeth (1782-1785). Of the six only Martha, the oldest daughter lived beyond age 25 and together with Mary Wayles survived to adulthood. Political Affairs He became active in party politics when he helped organized the Committee of Correspondence for Virginia on March 12, 1773 composed of eleven members including himself. The committee was tasked to disseminate information regarding British actions on the eve of American Revolution.

In June 1775 at age 32 he was elected as delegate to the 2nd Continental Congress soon after the Revolutionary War had begun and was appointed to a five-man committee created to prepare a Declaration of Independence for submission to the congress which ratified the final draft on July 4, 1776 two days after approving the accompanying resolution. It was said that during the 3-day debate Jefferson spoke not a word for or against the draft declaration. The preamble of the declaration became a lasting statement of human rights and the declaration itself, Jefferson’s major claim to fame. Jefferson was elected as member of the Virginia House of Delegates in September 1776 serving for three years (1776-79) during which period he introduced reforms to update Virginia’s system of laws and judiciary. He attempted to eliminate capital punishment for all crimes except murder and treason and repeal of the death penalty law but was defeated. When the Second Continental Congress adjourned, he returned to Virginia and was elected governor in 1779 at the age of thirty-six, succeeding Patrick Henry .

He was re-elected in 1780 but resigned in 1781 after Virginia was invaded by British troops and burned the capital city of Richmond for which he was criticized. A British secret expedition to capture him was thwarted by a heroic action of Jack Jouett of the Virginia militia enabling Jefferson and his entourage to escape unnoticed. During his term as Governor he wrote the statute on religious freedom (enacted in 1786), transferred the capital to Richmond from Williamsburg and instituted reforms at the William and Mary College including the appointment of George Wythe as the professor of law and the adoption of an honor code. After his wife’s death in 1782 Jefferson again became a delegate to the Congress albeit mourning, and in 1784 he drafted the report that was the basis for the Ordinances of 1784, 1785, and 1787. He was minister to France from 1785 to 1789, when George Washington appointed him secretary of state. As Minister to France he sympathized with the French Revolution.

As Secretary of State (1790-1793) he argued over the funding of the debts of the war and other fiscal policies with Alexander Hamilton comparing him and the Federalists with “Royalism”. He supported France against Britain during the conflict in 1793 believing that the success of the French Army would facilitate political success at home. When he retired to Monticello in 1793 Jefferson continued to oppose Hamilton’s policies and praised the French revolution which he refused to disavow even during the violence of the Reign of Terror. Jefferson’s strong faith in the consent of the governed conflicted with the emphasis on executive control espoused by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, and he resigned on Dec. 31, 1793. The Election of 1796 Due to political differences and developments of sharp conflicts, two separate political parties began to form, the Democratic-Republicans and the Federalists. The Republicans, headed by Jefferson, attacked Federalist policies, sympathized with France’s revolutionary cause and opposed strong centralized government.

In the 1796 presidential election Jefferson was the Democratic-Republican candidate for president; John Adams won the election, and Jefferson became vice president through a flaw in the Constitution which caused a more serious problem. As presiding officer of the Senate, he was concerned about the absence of rules governing its proceedings. The Election of 1800 In 1800, Jefferson and Aaron Burr received equal Electoral College votes; the House of Representatives elected Jefferson president. He took the oath of office on March 4, 1801 before Chief Justice John Marshall at the new capital in Washington, D.C., a time when partisan strife was growing. Jefferson was a strong advocate of westward expansion; major events of his first term were the Louisiana Purchase (1803), the winning of the first U.S. war overseas (Barbary War) and the Lewis and Clark expedition. He slashed army and navy expenditures, eliminated the tax on whiskey and cut the budget. The Barbary War The Barbary War was a result of Jefferson’s refusal to pay tribute or bribe to Barbary States for the protection of American ships against North African piracy favoring instead fighting the pirates than paying the bribe.

The Barbary pirates were harassing American commerce in the Mediterranean. The Louisiana Territory was sold by Napoleon of France to the United States for $15 million in 1803 thus doubling the size of the United States. The constitutionality of the acquisition had never been raised. Napoleon believed he could no longer defend the French territory in America and was facing imminent war against Britain. France was also facing bankruptcy. The Lewis and Clark Expedition and Westward Expansion In 1804 the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806) consisting of 45 men and led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark was sent by Jefferson to explore the new (Louisiana) territory (and beyond), open the American west to settlement and for scientific and geographical data purposes including finding a “direct & practicable water communication across the continent, for the purposes of commerce”. The expedition reached the Pacific Ocean by November 1805 and provided information concerning the topographical features and the natural resources, as well as the Indian tribes.

The president also signed the Military Peace Establishment Act on March 16, 1802 which directed the establishment of corps of engineers to be stationed at West Point in the state of New York and to be constituted as the U.S. Military Academy. The scientific and military learning institution formally commenced on July 4, 1802. Other first-term accomplishments include: (1) pardoned people imprisoned under the Alien and Sedition Acts; (2) signed into law segregating the U.S. postal system by forbidding blacks to carry mail; (3) repealed the Judiciary Act of 1801; and (4) repealed federal taxes in favor of customs revenue. The Embargo Act An important development during his second term was the passage of the Embargo Act, barring U.S. ships from setting sail to foreign ports. Jefferson established the University of Virginia and designed its buildings. He ordered his former vice president Aaron Burr tried for treason in 1807 but was acquitted. He was increasingly preoccupied with keeping the nation from involvement in the Napoleonic wars.

The Embargo Act was promulgated to restrict American ships from engaging in foreign trade between the years 1807 and 1812, which led to the War of 1812 between the U.S. and Britain. It was repealed by Congress at the end of Jefferson’s second term for being unpopular. The Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves was signed into law and went into effect January 1, 1808, stating that no new slaves were permitted to be imported into the United States effectively ending the legal transatlantic slave trade or “piracy” of slaves. His public and private positions on slavery failed to convince historians of its proper interpretations specially when he declared his opposition to slavery as an institution and wanted to end it but personally depended on enslaved labor to support his household and plantations. Life After Presidency Jefferson founded the University of Virginia in 1819 a few years after leaving the Presidency. A full slate of elective courses were offered within that ensemble of buildings and ground which innovative architectural design was both inspired by him and viewed as an expression of his aspirations for both state-sponsored education and an agrarian democracy. It was designed as the capstone of Virginia’s educational system.

After he became a widow at age 40, his health deteriorated by July 1825 and was bedridden since then. He died from uremia, severe diarrhea and pneumonia on July 4, 1826, on the same day as John Adams (the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence). All his possessions, including his slaves and Monticello were sold in consequence of his financial debts in 1831. He was buried at the family cemetery at Monticello. Analysis of DNA taken from descendants of Jefferson and Sally Hemings, one of his slaves of mixed-race, revealed a very high probability of Jefferson fathering at least one, perhaps all, of her six known children. The 38-year intimate relationship with Sally and the Hemingses would have been called a “shadow family”. However, most biographers publicly stated their being convinced of Jefferson’s paternity of Hemings’ children and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation issued a report in 2000 supporting Jefferson’s paternity. In 1998 a DNA study showed a genetic match between the Hemings descendant and the Jefferson line.

Jefferson’s Accomplishments and Inventions Deadlock over presidential election ends - Feb 17, 1801 - HISTORY.com Deadlock over presidential election ends Share this: Deadlock over presidential election ends Author Deadlock over presidential election ends URL Publisher A+E Networks After one tie vote in the Electoral College and 35 indecisive ballot votes in the House of Representatives, Vice President Thomas Jefferson is elected the third president of the United States over his running mate, Aaron Burr. The confusing election, which ended just 15 days before a new president was to be inaugurated, exposed major problems in the presidential electoral process set forth by the framers of the U.S. Constitution. As dictated by Article Two of the Constitution, presidents and vice presidents are elected by “electors,” a group of voters chosen by each state in a manner specified by that state’s legislature. The total number of electors from each state is equal to the number of senators and representatives that state is entitled to in Congress. In the first few presidential elections, these electors were chosen by popular vote, legislative appointment, or a combination of both (by the 1820s, almost all states adopted the practice of choosing electors by popular vote).

Each elector voted for two people; at least one of who did not live in their state. The individual receiving the greatest number of votes would be elected president, and the next in line, vice president. A majority of electors was needed to win election, thus ensuring consensus across states. Because each elector voted twice, it was possible for as many as three candidates to tie with a majority–in which case the House of Representatives was to vote a winner from among the tied candidates. If no majority was achieved in the initial electoral vote, the House was to decide the winner from the top five candidates. In both cases, representatives would not vote individually but by state groups. Each state, no matter what its number of representatives, would be entitled to just one vote, and a majority of these votes was needed to elect a candidate president. In the nation’s first presidential election, in 1789, George Washington was unanimously elected, and John Adams–his unofficial running mate–came in second in electoral votes, making him vice president. Both men were conservative and favored a strong federal government as established by the Constitution.

To balance his Cabinet with a liberal, and thus maintain the widest possible support for the new American government, Washington chose Thomas Jefferson–the idealistic drafter of the Declaration of Independence–as secretary of state. During Washington’s first administration, Jefferson often came into conflict with Alexander Hamilton, the secretary of the treasury. Jefferson objected to Hamilton’s efforts to strengthen the national government at the expense of the states, and the two men also differed significantly on foreign policy, with Hamilton advocating improved relations with conservative England and Jefferson calling for closer ties with Revolutionary France. Although Washington detested the factional fighting, the disagreements gave rise to the nation’s first political parties: Jefferson’s Democratic-Republicans (the forerunner of the Democratic Party) and Hamilton’s Federalists. In 1792, Washington was unanimously re-elected president, and Adams was re-elected vice president. Jefferson, his relations with Hamilton greatly deteriorated, resigned as secretary of state in 1793. In 1796, Jefferson ran for president as the candidate of the Democratic-Republicans, and Adams, as the Federalist candidate.

When the results of the election were tallied, it became clear that the nation’s forefathers had failed to properly anticipate the rise of political parties. Adams won the election with 71 votes, but his Federalist running mate, Thomas Pinckney, received only 59 votes, nine less than Thomas Jefferson, who was elected vice president. Jefferson’s running mate, Senator Aaron Burr of New York, received only 30 votes. As vice president, Jefferson dedicated himself to his constitutional duty of presiding over the Senate and wrote the Manual of Parliamentary Practice, a book of congressional rules. He had little contact with the Adams administration. Meanwhile, tensions rose with France over U.S.-British trade, leading Congress to pass the Alien and Sedition Act, which restricted U.S. citizenship and prohibited public criticism of the president or the government of the United States. Jefferson viewed the acts as the confirmation of the kind of federal tyranny he feared and left Philadelphia for Monticello in 1798 to pen the Kentucky Resolutions in response. He soon returned to the U.S. capital to carry on his duties in the Senate.

In the election of 1800, Jefferson and Burr again took on Adams and Pinckney. By this time, America’s political tide was sweeping away from the conservative Federalists to Jefferson’s more democratic party. In addition, Adams was hampered in his re-election bid by Alexander Hamilton, who advocated the election of Pinckney as president and Adams as vice president. On November 4, the national election was held. When the electoral votes were counted, the Democratic-Federalists emerged with a decisive victory, with Jefferson and Burr each earning 73 votes to Adams’ 65 votes and Pinckney’s 64 votes. John Jay, the governor of New York, received 1 vote. Because Jefferson and Burr had tied, the election went to the House of Representatives, which began voting on the issue on February 11, 1801. What at first seemed but an electoral technicality–handing Jefferson victory over his running mate–developed into a major constitutional crisis when Federalists in the lame-duck Congress threw their support behind Burr. Jefferson needed a majority of nine states to win, but in the first ballot had only eight states, with Burr winning six states and Maryland and Virginia.

Finally, on February 17, a small group of Federalists reasoned that the peaceful transfer of power required that the majority party have its choice as president and voted in Jefferson’s favor. The 35th ballot gave Jefferson victory with 10 votes. Burr received four votes and two states voted blank. Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated the third president of the United States on March 4. Three years later, the 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, providing for the separate election of presidents and vice presidents, was ratified and adopted. Under Jefferson, the power of the federal government was reduced but never to such a degree that it threatened the unity of the United States. The crowning achievement of his two terms in office was the Louisiana Purchase, an unprecedented executive action in which Jefferson violated his own constitutional scruples in the name of doubling the size of the United States. Aaron Burr was denied renomination by his party for the office of vice president in February 1804, and George Clinton of New York was chosen in his place. Several months later, Burr challenged his long-time political antagonist Alexander Hamilton to a duel and shot him dead.

In 1807, he was put on trial for treason after being accused of plotting to establish an independent republic in the American Southwest. He was acquitted and eventually resumed his law practice in New York. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on July 4, 1826–the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Adams’ last words were “Thomas Jefferson still survives,” though his old political adversary had died a few hours before. Related Videos John Adams | whitehouse.gov Air Force One John Adams John Adams, a remarkable political philosopher, served as the second President of the United States (1797-1801), after serving as the first Vice President under President George Washington. Learned and thoughtful, John Adams was more remarkable as a political philosopher than as a politician. "People and nations are forged in the fires of adversity," he said, doubtless thinking of his own as well as the American experience. Adams was born in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1735. A Harvard-educated lawyer, he early became identified with the patriot cause; a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congresses, he led in the movement for independence.

During the Revolutionary War he served in France and Holland in diplomatic roles, and helped negotiate the treaty of peace. From 1785 to 1788 he was minister to the Court of St. James's, returning to be elected Vice President under George Washington. Adams' two terms as Vice President were frustrating experiences for a man of his vigor, intellect, and vanity. He complained to his wife Abigail, "My country has in its wisdom contrived for me the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived." When Adams became President, the war between the French and British was causing great difficulties for the United States on the high seas and intense partisanship among contending factions within the Nation. His administration focused on France, where the Directory, the ruling group, had refused to receive the American envoy and had suspended commercial relations. Adams sent three commissioners to France, but in the spring of 1798 word arrived that the French Foreign Minister Talleyrand and the Directory had refused to negotiate with them unless they would first pay a substantial bribe.

Adams reported the insult to Congress, and the Senate printed the correspondence, in which the Frenchmen were referred to only as "X, Y, and Z." The Nation broke out into what Jefferson called "the X. Y. Z. fever," increased in intensity by Adams's exhortations. The populace cheered itself hoarse wherever the President appeared. Never had the Federalists been so popular. Congress appropriated money to complete three new frigates and to build additional ships, and authorized the raising of a provisional army. It also passed the Alien and Sedition Acts, intended to frighten foreign agents out of the country and to stifle the attacks of Republican editors. President Adams did not call for a declaration of war, but hostilities began at sea. At first, American shipping was almost defenseless against French privateers, but by 1800 armed merchantmen and U.S. warships were clearing the sea-lanes. Despite several brilliant naval victories, war fever subsided. Word came to Adams that France also had no stomach for war and would receive an envoy with respect. Long negotiations ended the quasi war. Sending a peace mission to France brought the full fury of the Hamiltonians against Adams.

In the campaign of 1800 the Republicans were united and effective, the Federalists badly divided. Nevertheless, Adams polled only a few less electoral votes than Jefferson, who became President. On November 1, 1800, just before the election, Adams arrived in the new Capital City to take up his residence in the White House. On his second evening in its damp, unfinished rooms, he wrote his wife, "Before I end my letter, I pray Heaven to bestow the best of Blessings on this House and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise Men ever rule under this roof." Adams retired to his farm in Quincy. Here he penned his elaborate letters to Thomas Jefferson. Here on July 4, 1826, he whispered his last words: "Thomas Jefferson survives." But Jefferson had died at Monticello a few hours earlier. The Presidential biographies on WhiteHouse.gov are from “The Presidents of the United States of America,” by Frank Freidel and Hugh Sidey. Copyright 2006 by the White House Historical Association. Presidents of the United States (POTUS) Inscriptions and quotations in the John Adams Building of the Library of Congress.

Photographs of this building of the Library of Congress are included. Points of Interest: The Adams' were the first residents of the White House. They moved in in November 1800 while the paint was still wet. Mrs. Adams would hang her laundry in the East Room to dry. Adams was one of three presidents not to attend the inauguration of his successor. Not only was Adams disappointed in losing to Jefferson , he was also grieving the death of his son Charles. Adams was the great-great-grandson of John and Priscilla Alden, Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620. The only presidents to sign the Declaration of Independence Adams and Jefferson both died on its 50th anniversary, July 4, 1826. Adams' dying words were "Thomas Jefferson survives". Jefferson, however, had passed on a few hours earlier. Previous President:

Question: Who became US President in March 1801?
Answer: Thomas Jefferson