Notes for October 16, 2008

Notes started in class with Washington's Farewell Address, in which he mentioned three things the next President should follow: no-term alliances, he warned against internal political divisions, and set the precedent that after 2 terms the President would step down. During the Election of 1796, Jefferson and Adams ran against one another. Adams won, and Jefferson became his Vice President.
France and Britain begin fighting and America wants to stay neutral. New England merchants don't want to lose trade with Britain if they stay neutral, so America sides with Britain, making France very upset. Then, the XYZ Affair occurs, which is when three unknown French representatives told the US that France would talk to them if they paid a bribe of $250,000, loaned $12 million to the French, and Adams apologized. America refused and Adams asked Congress to build an army. The French then started seizing more American ships.
During all of this, the Federalists feel that they are getting weaker. They then pass the Alien and Sedition Acts, which extended the naturalization period for immigrants from 5 to 14 years, empowered the President to detain enemy aliens during wartime and deport those he deemed dangerous. The Sedition Act set jail terms and fines for persons who advocated disobedience to federal law or who wrote, printed, or spoke "false, scandalous, and malicious" statements against the governments and the President, but not the Vice President. Jeffersonians started to then draft resolutions, called the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, which listed laws that were unconstitutional. The states could mollify federal laws that were unconstitutional. These resolutions were never passed.
In the Election of 1800, Jefferson and Adams ran again. Jefferson and Burr tied for President and the House of Representatives had to decide on the President. Each state voted, and after 45 ballots, the compromise gave the Presidency to Jefferson. Because of the tribulations they had, they made the 12th Amendment, which made electors vote separately for President and Vice President. They also passed another law, which set up the federal court system. The Judicial Act of 1801 shrunk the number of justices in the Supreme Court and changed the ways of the court. Before Adams left office, he appointed Federalists as judges in the Supreme Court overnight, called the Midnight Judges. When Jefferson finds out about this, he is very unhappy.
Jefferson wanted to get rid of the judges. He impeached Pickering, and no one was upset. When he tried to impeach Samuel Chase, it didn't work, and he dropped the idea of impeaching the judges.
Marbury vs. Madison was a Landmark case that established the judicial branch as relevant and important. Marbury was a Midnight Judge who never received his official letter from Adams saying that he was a Midnight Judge. John Marshall, who was the judge in this case, didn't want to make a decision at first, but ended up telling Marbury that he can't order Madison to give him the letter. Judicial Review, which helps to say if a law passed by Congress is unconstitutional, helps in this case.
In 1800, Spain secretly gives Louisiana to France. Slave revolt then break out in Haiti, and they overthrow the French, who then leave. French government, or Napoleon, offer Louisiana to Jefferson for $15 million. Jefferson was at first confused if he should buy it and if it was a good decision. He finally makes the purchase, later known as the Louisiana Purchase.