The election of 1800 was the dirtiest in history. The election culminated a decade-long blood feud between Federalists and Jeffersonians. During the election, each side lobbed sensationalist accusations at the other. In 1800, Thomas Jefferson won the presidential election ushering in a political tidal wave. His election spelled the beginning of the end of the Federalist Party and changed the political paradigm. It ushered in an agrarian age based on yeoman farmers, territorial expansion, limited government and free trade.
During the Early Republic, most believed dissension unpatriotic and dangerous. Politicians and theorists argued that if the populace and elites did not share the same views on government and policy, then the country would splinter apart. As a result, the Federalist Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts. They designed the acts to silence critics and jail offenders. Obviously, the Federalists targeted the Jeffersonian Democrats, who found the acts repugnant.
President Jefferson advocated civil liberties and allowed the Alien and Sedition Acts to expire. The Jeffersonian persuasion stressed the importance of civil liberties. During the Constitutional debate, they refused to accept the document without the Bill of Rights. Their obstinacy resulted in a constitutional check on federal power.
The belief in civil liberties went hand-in-hand with the belief in limited government. These two facets of political philosophy make up the cornerstone of modern conservativism. Jefferson and his party feared an over expansive federal government interfering in the states and people’s lives. They advocated a small government living within its means. Jefferson would not approve of the size and scope of today’s federal government.
Jefferson’s anti-government revolution centered on the small yeoman farmer. President Jefferson envisioned a nation of small farmers working their lands. He hoped they would live peacefully and without interference from the government. To facilitate this vision, Jefferson purchased Louisiana from France. The new territory dramatically increased the size of the nation providing fertile farmland for the small independent farmer. The Federalist Party disagreed and supported industry.
While the Federalists tried to expand the country’s industrial base using government power, the Jeffersonians worked to help the small farmer by removing government. Beginning under Jefferson, the country moved toward free trade. They hoped that by removing tariffs, American agricultural products would sell unfettered and the farmers helping farmers and the economy. The Jeffersonians feared industrialization. They believed it corrupted people through urbanization. In addition, they were concerned with pollution and the innumerable problems resulting from industrialization. As a result, their ideology centered not only on the nostalgia, but also on fear of the future.
In addition to fear of the future, standing armies frightened the early Democratic Party. The Revolutionary experience and pre-Revolutionary ideology centered on fear over the British Redcoats. Jefferson and his allies carried this fear into power. President Jefferson gutted the military leading America dangerously exposed.
Jefferson’s military cuts severely weakened the United States. War raged in Europe threatening to drag the United States into the conflict. Jefferson could not fight, so he decided to initiate a trade embargo on Europe. This policy destroyed the economy leading to its repeal by his successor. James Madison enjoyed similar failures when dealing with Europe. In the end, the U.S. went to war with Britain in 1812.
The strange War of 1812 accentuated American weaknesses. Jeffersonian reliance on the militia proved a disaster while the neglected regular army proved incompetent. At the same time, the party dismantled the Bank of the United States because they felt it held too much power over the economy and served elitist interests. As a result, the government struggled to finance the war.
In addition to the economic and military issues, the Federalist Party and New England resisted “Mr. Madison’s War.” They cheered British victories, refused to send troops, and threatened secession. Federalist timing could not have been worse. They met toward war’s end to air their grievances and develop a line of resistance against the Madison Administration. The government did nothing to silence the critics. Then, Andrew Jackson won a dramatic victory at New Orleans. Jackson’s victory changed the national mood and undercut the Federalists. All of a sudden, they looked like traitors. The Federalist Party fielded a presidential candidate for the last time in 1816. The party that won the first three presidential elections lost their last five. Jefferson and Madison both defeated two Federalist candidates. In 1816, James Monroe defeated his opponent.
Following the Federalist collapse, America moved to a one-party system. However, this system did not last long. The country quickly turned on itself over slavery. Without the Federalists around to unite the Democrats, the North and South turned on each other. Eventually, another party emerged to compete with the Democrats. However, the Jeffersonian paradigm remained dominate until the Civil War.
The Jeffersonians took the reigns of power in 1801. The future Democratic Party stood for limited government, civil liberties, and free trade. They opposed industrialization, standing armies, and the centralization of power. The party bungled into war and wrecked the economy by moving away from its principles. However, the Federalist Party collapsed under its own weight. The Jeffersonian paradigm dominated America for 60 years.
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