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Jeffersonian Democracy
Introduction
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Thomas Jefferson, an Anti-Federalist, won the presidency; the peaceful transition of power effectively capped the demise of the Federalists, but not before the Federalists had established a strong, working central government structured and principled as described in the Constitution, instituted a sound financial system, and began diversifying the economy. An indirect legacy of the Federalists, via the Judiciary Act of 1801 and the ensuing Marbury v. Madison, was the doctrine of judicial review, or the power of the federal judiciary to invalidate federal laws on constitutional grounds. Jefferson differed from the Federalists in that he saw government as a threat to individual freedom; the only protection against that threat was democracy and strong protections of personal liberties. He did not, however, reject wholesale the accomplishments of the Federalist administrations that preceded him, and his combination of them with his own beliefs came to be known as "Jeffersonian democracy." The Jefferson presidency saw increasing factionalism and a couple of controversies (involving Aaron Burr and John Randolph), but was most notable for its deeds outside of America. Jefferson attempted to face down the Barbary pirates, purchased Louisiana from the French (and sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark off to explore it), and tried to triangulate between the French and British, who were at war at the time. Americans prospered by supplying both sides in the war, but retaliatory actions by the combatants against each other endangered the Americans' racket, while the British practice of impressing American sailors threatened America’s neutral rights. In response, Jefferson and Congress passed the Embargo Act, prohibiting all American exports and thus unsurprisingly hurting the American economy. Congress soon repealed it and replaced it with the Non-Intercourse Act, which only forbade trade with Britain and France, and authorized the president to end the boycott against either at his discretion.
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