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The Age of Jefferson and the
Democratic Republic
Hyperlinked materials are considered part of each lecture
and should be reviewed.
At his
inauguration ,
Jefferson stated, "We are all Republicans, We are all
Federalists" and promoted the principles of a limited
national government, a balance budget, strict construction
of the Constitution and an anti-militarist foreign policy.
Please watch this video clip
from the History Channel
Thomas Jefferson. He also hoped to maintain and
protect a vision of agrarianism--a grand United States
Republic resting upon the hard work and strong moral fiber
of yeoman farmers. This philosophical commitment was in many
ways contrary to the commercial and urban revolutions
already becoming established. Mr. Jefferson, as he had so
many times before, would have to balance perspectives and
reality. Before we continue, this might be a good moment to
reflect upon Thomas Jefferson. Throughout his life and even
today, Thomas Jefferson is extolled for his efforts related
to the rights of individuals, belief in abolishing slavery,
the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and for his
contributions in state and national politics. Recently this
"Founding Father" has been in the news regarding another
"paternal event". Take a few moments to reflect on the
information related to
Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings (also, a
Front Line Report
)and utilized your Historical
Mentality to evaluate (careful with the woulda, coulda,
shouda)--feel free to add this issue to our discussion
questions.
The United States of the
Democratic-Republican Era was a society in dramatic
transition--social, economic, political, geographic and
technological.
In the early years, the country was
dividing into two distinct social and cultural systems. One
group of Americans was defined as semi-subsistence. rural
farmers with limited contact beyond their region. Basically,
wealth seemed to be equitably distributed and families
provided for most of their own food and material needs. The
other segment of America was defined as urban and/or
commercial. Merchants, workers and commercial farmers were
providing specialized goods and services for the national
and international marketplace. Between 1800 and the 1820's,
the growth of American capitalism was a double edged sword.
Those individuals able to produce goods for the marketplace
could make extraordinary economic and social gains. At the
same time, the rural poor, disenfranchised and individuals
without specific skills, joined a large class of hired
workers/laborers who would be relegated to the lost rungs of
the social/economic ladder. It was within this environment
that Jefferson was forced to confront problems while
balancing his hopes and social reality. How does one climb
up the social/economic ladder today? How difficult/easy is
the climb? What are the decisive factors? You are
experts--presently grasping specific rungs of the ladder!!!
On the domestic side, Jefferson
retained most of Hamilton's finely tuned financial system in
spite of his past criticisms. The sharpest battles occurred
over the judiciary, but Federalist John Marshall steered the
Supreme Court along a path of federal supremacy, judicial
review and separation of power. In
Marbury
v. Madison,
the Court established "judicial review" or the power of the
Court to decide whether an act of Congress or the President
was or was not allowed by the Constitution. Basically, the
Supreme Court could now overrule actions of the other two
branches of the federal government. Today, we should reflect
on the role of the Supreme Court and the wide range of cases
under their review. Does the Court interpret the law or make
the law ..........?
In many ways, Jefferson's two terms
were significantly impacted by foreign policy issues. From a
positive perspective, Jefferson was faced with the
opportunity to buy the enormous Louisiana Territory from
France for $15 million. What a deal or What a dilemma? A
Constitutional quandary
for the strict constructionist--no clause in the
Constitution explicitly stated that that a president could
purchase foreign territory. After attempts to force a quick
amendment to the Constitution failed, Jefferson the
pragmatist and strategist submitted the agreement to the
Senate, maintaining that lands could be added through the
use of the President's power to make treaties. As he
reflected on his decision, I am sure that Jefferson
considered, with some pride, that he had doubled the size of
the United States, removed France as a foreign threat and
provided the land necessary for the future of his agrarian
republic. A related event of significance and worthy of
review was
Meriwether Lewis and William Clarks's Expedition
a thrilling journey
(the actual diary of the expedition)
to unexplored and uncharted regions--I can here the music
from Star Trek and the booming voice "to go where no man has
gone before"!! C-SPAN provides an interesting video clip
related to the
impact of the expedition on Native Americans
--go to this link and scroll down to the three video
presentations under the heading of Native Americans,
The second foreign policy issue was
our entanglement in the European conflict between Napoleon
and Britain. Although Jefferson maintained a position of
neutrality and trade with both belligerents, trade
restrictions by both sides and impressment of seamen by the
British caused great difficulty. Jefferson's determination
to maintain peace and neutrality led to the imposition of
the Embargo Acts forbidding all foreign trade. These acts
were unpopular and force the economy into a depression. War
had been averted for the moment.
James Madison's presidency
inherited the domestic and foreign problems of the previous
administration. For a variety of reasons including a "war
hawk" Congress, Indian uprisings, a desire to acquire Canada
and increased confrontation with Britain over freedom of the
seas-- resulted in the
War of 1812. View this History Channel Video
Clip regarding
The War of 1812.
Neither
Congress nor the American people were united in support of
the war. In Congress, Pennsylvania and Vermont joined the
southern and western states to achieve a declaration of war.
Voting against the war were most of the northern states: New
York, New Jersey, and the rest of the states in New England.
Before the end of the war, the New England states considered
secession, the invasion of Canada failed, victories were
scare. The low point of the war was in the summer of 1814,
when the British army marched into Washington D.C. and set
fire to the White House, the Capitol and other government
buildings. The British attempted to take Baltimore, but Fort
McHenry held out throughout an evening bombardment. Name the
song immortalizing this event with a vivid description--if
you do not know, stay off the game shows--actually
read the lyrics and sing along!!. The war ended
on December 24, 1814 with the Treaty of Ghent--basically,
all things after the war were the same as before the war. Oh
yes, the high point of the war happened on January 8,
1815--catch the oddity and an appreciation for our instant
messaging capabilities today? Andrew Jackson and a force of
frontiersmen, free blacks, Creoles and some regulars
inflicted hundreds of casualties upon the British in
achieving a victory at New Orleans. (read the lyrics, while
listening to the music, from this
1959 song celebrating the battle-I was ten at
the time--depressing). This event would catapult Jackson to
the Presidency in the next decade.
For each module I recommend that you visit A Biography
of America
http://learner.org/resources/series123.html# ,
an exceptional video instructional
series for high school and college students produced by WGBH
Boston in cooperation with the Library of Congress and the
National Archives and Records Administration. These thirty
minute lectures incorporate first person narratives,
photographs, film footage and documents related to various
historical time periods. Combined with my introductory
comments, the required textbooks and our discussions, I
believe you will acquire a more in-depth and enjoyable
encounter with history. Please note the requirements and
possible download limitations—which is why this is not a
requirement. Please follow the directions below and give it
a try!!!!
You can view Annenberg/CPB programs
of your choice online with a broadband connection whenever
you see this icon.
 There is no
charge for this service.
Simply select a
program
and go to the individual program description listing and
click on the icon. Free sign up required for first-time
users. To hear the sound and view video, you should have
Windows Media Player, DSL, a cable modem, or a LAN
connection to a T1 line or greater, and have Javascript
enabled. For more information, please visit our broadband
FAQ.
For this topic—visit
http://learner.org/resources/series123.html#
and access the presentation: Westward Expansion.
Our textbook offers a very comprehensive Online Student
Learning Center. Click on the link below, Select the
appropriate chapter and you will have access to: Chapter
Objectives, Chapter in Perspective, Chapter Overview, numerous
Interactive Activities, Primary Source documents and my
favorite--Internet Exercises/Recommended Sites Related to the
Specific Topics
http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072870982/student_view0/index.html
Folk Music of American History: Music and Lyrics
(highly recommended music before, during or after reading
cyberlectures!)
Additional
Folk Music and Lyrics
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