Week 30 of 32 • Page 3
Jefferson Becomes President The election of Thomas Jefferson in 1800 was the first peaceful transfer of power for the United States. There were many disagreements over the presidency between the two major political parties, the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. After many weeks, both sides came to a compromise and Jefferson was elected president. Jefferson was a firm believer in the tenets of the Constitution. He wished to strengthen these principles through his presidency. His first goal as president was to create peaceful cooperation between the Federalists and the Democratic Republicans. This was not an easy task. In many ways, it wasn’t successful because both groups had opposing beliefs and ideas. Jefferson also had to attend to U.S. foreign policy issues. Foreign policy is how one country interacts with other countries. During his second term, Washington signed a Proclamation of Neutrality that prevented the United States from entering foreign conflicts. Jefferson
the territory could apply for statehood. The ordinance also outlawed slavery in any newly created territory, which would have major consequences as there was increased conflict over the issue of slavery between the states into the 1800s. However, the specific question of what to do with the Northwest Territory remained. Using the guidance of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, Congress eventually annexed Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota into the United States from the land that originally made up the Northwest Territory.
agreed that the United States should remain neutral and not enter foreign wars. France and Great Britain were at war with one another. The United States refused to enter the conflict. Jefferson and his cabinet hoped to
What challenges did Thomas Jefferson face as president?
maintain a friendship with both countries. This angered Great Britain. The British Navy blockaded European ports. This affected American trade immensely. The British also seized American goods and forced American sailors to work on British vessels. In response, Jefferson asked Congress to expand the U.S. Navy and restrict the import of goods from Great Britain. Jefferson served a second term as president from 1804 to 1808. Hostilities between France and Great Britain continued, as did their issues with U.S. neutrality. Both countries attacked American ships and seized their cargo. Jefferson encouraged Congress to act. In 1807, the government passed the Embargo Act. An embargo is an order to stop ships from delivering goods. The law stated that goods couldn’t be shipped to any foreign port. The United States hoped that both France and Great Britain would be devastated without American supplies. Unfortunately, the Embargo
The Northwest Territory included all the then-owned land of the United States west of Pennsylvania, east of the Mississippi River, and northwest of the Ohio River.
Act backfired. Great Britain and France survived without U.S. goods. The U.S. economy, on the other hand, suffered greatly due to the act, angering American citizens. President Jefferson repealed the Embargo Act before leaving office in March 1809.
President Thomas Jefferson
The First Census: 1790
A government based on representation has to have an accurate count of its population. To determine the members in the House of Representatives, a census would be required. Article 2 of the U.S. Constitution requires a complete count of the population every 10 years. Aug. 2, 1790 was the first census day. Under the direction of Thomas Jefferson, the then-secretary of state, the census was taken in the original 13 states. They also included the districts of Kentucky, Maine, Vermont, and the Southwest Territory (Tennessee). The 1790 census wanted the following information: • Name of the head of the family • Number of free white males 16 years old or older • Number of free white males younger than 16 years old
An Act to provide for the count of inhabitants of the United States, 1790 Courtesy of General Records of the
U.S. Government, National Archives
• Number of free white females • Number of all other free persons • Number of enslaved persons
Census information for citizens of Massachusetts, 1790 Courtesy of General Records of the U.S. Government, National Archives
The census determined that there were four million people in the country in 1790. This census gives us a glimpse at the families and settlements of the new nation. The census records are available today through the United States Census Bureau.
A page from the 1790 U.S. Census
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