Midnight Judges, 1801

Midnight judges, 1801 Summary and definition: The 1801 Judiciary Act (Midnight Judges Act) was "An Act to provide for the more convenient organization of the Courts of the United States". John Adams, leader of the Federalists, signed the act into law on February 13, 1801, less than 3 weeks before the end of his presidency and the start of the Jefferson presidency. Repeal of the 1801 Judiciary Act: Midnight Judges ● President Thomas Jefferson, leader of the Republicans (Anti-Federalists), later repealed the act on March 8, 1802 by the 1802 Judiciary Act. The 'Lame Duck' Congress ● Thomas Jefferson was voted as the next President in November 1800, but would not assume office until March in the following year. This enabled President Adams to get things done before the new president and his political party took over. The two men were from opposing political parties. Adams was a Federalist and Jefferson a Democrat-Republican. During the time between the end of the old presidency and the start of the new, the 'Lame Duck' Congress took the opportunity to pass the Judiciary Act of 1801 to give Adams the power to appoint new judges. This ensured additional Federalists would be in powerful positions in the new government. ● The act significantly enlarged the national judiciary, and Adams seized the opportunity to appoint his Federalist friends and supporters to the new offices. These men could be depended upon to protect Federalist legislation from the rising Democratic-Republicans. Why Midnight Judges? The judges who were appointed to these new courts were called "Midnight Judges" by the Republicans because they were last minute appointments. President John Adams was alleged to have stayed up until midnight on March 3, 1801 completing the paperwork before his term in office ended the following day on March 4, 1801. Marbury v. Madison, 1803 "A law repugnant to the constitution is void" With these words, Chief Justice John Marshall established the Supreme Court's role in the new government. Hereafter, the court was recognized as having the power to review all acts of Congress where constitutionality was at issue, and judge whether they abide by the Constitution. - Adams appointed Federalist judges as he left office. Jefferson refused to allow them to take office. - By overruling the Judiciary act of 1789, this case established the principle of judicial review, the right of the Supreme Court to rule that a law is unconstitutional. - The case established the principle of judicial review. - judicial review gave the Supreme Court the authority to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional. - Marbury V Madison was one of a series of landmark decisions by Chief Justice John Marshall that strengthened the federal government. Louisiana Purchase, 1803 The Kingdom of France controlled the Louisiana territory from 1699 until it was ceded to Spain in 1762. Napoleon in 1800, hoping to re-establish an empire in North America, regained ownership of Louisiana. The dream of a new empire failed,[why?] and Napoleon decided to sell Louisiana to the United States. The Americans originally sought to purchase only the port city of New Orleans and its adjacent coastal lands, but quickly accepted the bargain. The Louisiana Purchase occurred during the term of the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. Before the purchase was finalized, the decision faced Federalist Party opposition; they argued that it was unconstitutional to acquire any territory. Jefferson agreed that the U.S. Constitution did not contain explicit provisions for acquiring territory, but he asserted that his constitutional power to negotiate treaties was sufficient. Lewis and Clark expedition, 1804-06 The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the first American expedition to cross what is now the western portion of the United States, departing in May 1804, from near St. Louis making their way westward through the continental divide to the Pacific coast. The expedition was commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson shortly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, consisting of a select group of U.S. Army volunteers under the command of Captain Meriwether Lewis and his close friend, Second Lieutenant William Clark. Their perilous journey lasted from May 1804 to September 1806. The primary objective was to explore and map the newly acquired territory, find a practical route across the Western half of the continent, and establish an American presence in this territory before Britain and other European powers tried to claim it. The campaign's secondary objectives were scientific and economic: to study the area's plants, animal life, and geography, and establish trade with local Native American tribes. With maps, sketches, and journals in hand, the expedition returned to St. Louis to report their findings to Jefferson. Jefferson's Embargo, 1807 The Embargo Act of 1807 imposed a general embargo that made any and all exports from the United States illegal. It was sponsored by President Thomas Jefferson and enacted by Congress. The goal was to force Britain and France to respect American rights during the Napoleonic Wars. They were engaged in a major war; the U.S. wanted to remain neutral and trade with both sides, but neither side wanted the other to have the American supplies. The American goal was to use economic coercion to avoid war and to punish Britain. The policy was highly unpopular with shipping interests, and historians have judged it a failure. It was repealed as Jefferson left office in 1809. The embargo was imposed in response to violations of U.S. neutrality, in which American merchantmen and their cargo were seized as contraband of war by the European navies. The British Royal Navy, in particular, resorted to impressment, forcing 10,000 seamen with American papers into service on its warships.[1] Britain and France, engaged in a struggle for control of Europe, considered the plunder of U.S. shipping to be incidental to war and indeed necessary for their survival.[2] Americans saw the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair as a particularly egregious example of a British violation of American neutrality. Many Americans wanted war but Jefferson wanted to use economic coercion instead. By spring 1808, New England ports were nearly shut down, and the regional economy headed into a depression with growing unemployment. On the Canadian border with New York and Vermont, the embargo laws were openly flouted. By March an increasingly frustrated Jefferson was resolved to enforce the embargo to the letter. In March 1808 Congress prohibited, for the first time, the export of all goods, either by land or by sea, regardless of destination. The strategy was to isolate the American economy. "The Enforcement Act", signed into law on April 24, 1808, was the last of the embargo acts. It decreed that port authorities were allowed to seize cargoes without a warrant, and to bring to trial any shipper or merchant who was thought to have merely contemplated violating the embargo. What were the major achievements of President Washington and the First Congress? George Washington and the first Congress established executive departments (state, treasury, war), created a federal court system with a Supreme Court, and passed a revenue tariff. In addition, the first Congress adopted the first 10 amendments to the constitution. Known as the bill of rights, the first 10 amendments were ratified in 1791. What policies did Alexander Hamilton adopt to strengthen the nation's finances? To fund the federal debt Hamilton, the first secretary of the treasury, raised money through excise taxes, tariffs, and the sale of western land. Hamilton also proposed that the federal government take over states debts. To create a strong national currency Hamilton created a bank of the United States, a private bank in which the federal government deposited federal funds. In showing that the new government was financially responsible, Hamilton's policies strengthened the power of the Federal government. What criticisms were leveled at Hamilton's financial policies? The tariff created higher prices, and some states resented having to pay toward the debts of other states. Farmers in western Pennsylvania protested the excise tax on whiskey, a protest that ended when Washington sent in federal troops. The bank of the United States also faced much opposition. Critics of the bank charged that it favored the wealthy, it's favored Northerners, and it was unconstitutional How did the French Revolution affect the United States? At first, most Americans supported the French revolution that began in 1789. However, American attitudes began to change in 1793 when France declared war on England, Spain, and Holland. President Washington proclaimed neutrality in the European conflict. Why were political parties created? Political and economic differences between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson helped launch the first two political parties. Federalists, followers of Hamilton, supported a strong federal government, a loose interpretation of the Constitution, the bank of the United States, and revenue tariffs. Federalists also supported England in its war against France. Democratic Republic ends, followers of Jefferson, opposed to the federalists and all of these issues. What were the most important issues during the John Adams presidency? John Adams, the second president of the United States, served at a time of great division between political parties and potential war with France. Federalists, who controlled the government, passed the alien and sedition acts to silence democratic republican criticisms and prevent war with France. What happened in the election of 1800? After a tie in the Electoral college, Thomas Jefferson was elected by the house of representatives to be the third president of the United States. Jefferson's selection established an important precedent with the peaceful transition of power from Federalists to Democratic Republicans. Who was John Marshall? As Chief Justice from 1801 to 1835, John Marshall handed down decisions that strengthened the federal government and the power of the Supreme Court. Marshall's decisions strongly supported private property and helped establish the American free market system. How did the United States gain Louisiana? President Jefferson, compromising his principle of following a strict interpretation of the Constitution, purchased Louisiana from France. This purchase doubled the size of the nation and gave the US full control of the Mississippi River. Why did the United States go to war in 1812? In 1810 a new generation of political leaders, known as Warhawks, were elected to Congress. These new leaders pressured president Madison to go to war with England. The causes of the war of 1812 included England's violation of freedom of the seas, the problems Americans had with Indians in the northwest, and the desire to annex Canada. The war ended with a treaty that restored conditions as they were before the war. Hartford Convention was an event spanning from December 15, 1814-January 4, 1815 in the United States during the War of 1812 in which New England's opposition to the war reached the point where secession from the United States was discussed. The end of the war with a return to the status quo ante bellum disgraced the Federalist Party, which disbanded in most places. Internal improvements refers to federally funded public works such as building roads or digging canals. Such improvements were an important point of political debate in the early nineteenth century, when the survival of the American Republic depended on its ability to govern itself effectively and flourish economically Henry Knox was a military officer of the Continental Army and later the United States Army, and also served as the first United States Secretary of War. Jay Treaty was a treaty between the United States and Great Britain that is credited with averting war,[2] solving many issues left over from the American Revolution and the Treaty of Paris of 1783,[3] and opening ten or more years of mostly peaceful trade between the United States and Britain in the midst of the French Revolutionary Wars that had begun in 1793. KY and VA Resolutions (or Resolves) written by madison and jefferson. political documents that argued against the alien and sedition act. saying that it was unconstitutional. important overall because it was a state's right doctrine. 1798-99 Lewis and Clark was the first overland expedition undertaken by the United States to the Pacific coast and back. The expedition team was headed by the United States Army soldiers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and assisted by George Drouillard who was half Shawnee and half French. The expedition's goal was to gain an accurate sense of the resources being exchanged in the Louisiana Purchase. Robert Livingston, politician from New york. Federalist. Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of 828,800 square miles (2,147,000 km2) of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S. paid 60 million francs ($11,250,000) plus cancellation of debts worth 18 million francs ($3,750,000), for a total cost of 15 million dollars for the Louisiana territory ($217 million in today's currency).[1][2][3] James Madison fourth president, before he was a representative. Marbury v. Madison supreme court case heard by john marshall, Marbury was offered an appointment by adams and his outgoing sec of state was john marshall. set up fight between executive and judicial branch. marshall ruled that the judiciary act of 1789 was unconstitutional, and jefferson had every right to do what he did. Marbury and Jefferson both lost. Made the supreme court, gave them all power. John Marshall chief justice of the supreme court, marshall court, Maysville Road veto occurred on May 27, 1830 when President Andrew Jackson vetoed a bill which would allow the Federal government to purchase stock in the Maysville, Washington, Paris, and Lexington Turnpike Road Company, which had been organized to construct a road linking Lexington and the Ohio River, the entirety of which would be in the state of Kentucky McCulloch v. Maryland was a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of the United States. The state of Maryland had attempted to impede operation of a branch of the Second Bank of the United States by imposing a tax on all notes of banks not chartered in Maryland "midnight judicial Appointments" a way for a president to somewhat keep their political ideas going past their presidency. Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress, involving primarily the regulation of slavery in the western territories. It prohibited slavery in the former Louisiana Territory north of the parallel 36°30' north except within the boundaries of the proposed state of Missouri. Monroe Doctrine a United States policy that was introduced on December 2, 1823, which stated that further efforts by European countries to colonize land or interfere with states in the Americas would be viewed, by the United States of America, as acts of aggression requiring US intervention Gouverneur Morris American statesman, He is widely credited as the author of the document's preamble: "We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union ... " and has been called the 'Penman of the Constitution. Napoleonic Wars a series of conflicts declared against Napoleon's French Empire and changing sets of European allies by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, Non-Intercourse Act of 1809 This Act lifted all embargoes on American shipping except for those bound for British or French ports. The intent was to damage the economies of the United Kingdom and France. Like its predecessor, the Embargo Act, it was mostly ineffective, and contributed to the coming of the War of 1812. Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was an act of the Congress of the Confederation of the United States. The primary effect of the ordinance was the creation of the Northwest Territory as the first organized territory of the United States out of the region south of the Great Lakes, north and west of the Ohio River, and east of the Mississippi River. On August 7, 1789, the U.S. Congress affirmed the Ordinance with slight modifications under the Constitution. Panic of 1819 first major financial crisis in the United States[1], which occurred during the end of the Era of Good Feelings. The new nation faced a depression in the late 1780s (which led directly to the establishment of the dollar and, perhaps indirectly, to the calls for a Constitutional Convention), and another severe economic downturn in the late 1790s following the Panic of 1797 Panic of 1837 a financial crisis in the United States built on a speculative fever.[1] The bubble burst on May 10, 1837 in New York City, when every bank began to accept payment only in specie (gold and silver coinage). This was based on the assumption by former president, Andrew Jackson, that the government was selling land for state bank notes of questionable value. Peggy Eaton Affair was an 1830-1831 U.S. scandal involving members of President Andrew Jackson's Cabinet and their wives. Although it started over a private matter, it affected the political careers of several men. "pet banks" degrading term for state banks selected by the U.S. Department of Treasury to receive surplus government funds in 1833. They were also named "Wildcat Banks". They were made among the big U.S. bank when President Andrew Jackson vetoed the recharter for the Second Bank of the United States, proposed by Daniel Webster and Henry Clay four years in advance in 1832 Pinckney Treaty established intentions of friendship between the United States and Spain. It also defined the boundaries of the United States with the Spanish colonies and guaranteed the United States navigation rights on the Mississippi River. Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. Power of judicial review ex marbury vs. madison. the idea that the supreme court can look at what the other two branches did and declare it unconstitutional. "Revolution of 1800" Vice President Thomas Jefferson defeated incumbent president John Adams. The election was a realigning election that ushered in a generation of Republican Party rule and the eventual demise of the Federalist Party in the First Party System. Second Bank of the United States chartered in 1816, five years after the First Bank of the United States lost its own charter. The Second Bank of the United States was initially headquartered in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, the same as the First Bank, and had branches throughout the nation. sinking fund a fund established by a government agency or business for the purpose of reducing debt by repaying or purchasing outstanding loans and securities held against the entity. It helps keep the borrower liquid so it can repay the bondholder. Shays' Rebellion an armed uprising in central and western Massachusetts (mainly Springfield) from 1786 to 1787. The rebellion is named after Daniel Shays, a veteran of the American Revolution who led the rebels, known as "Shaysites" or "Regulators". Most of Shays' compatriots were poor farmers angered by crushing debt and taxes. Failure to repay such debts often resulted in imprisonment in debtor's prisons or the claiming of property by the government. Henry M. Shreve was the American inventor and steamboat captain who opened the Mississippi, Ohio and Red rivers to steamboat navigation. Shreveport, Louisiana, is named in his honor. South Carolina Exposition and Protest was written in 1828 by John C. Calhoun, the Vice President of the United States under Andrew Jackson. Calhoun did not formally state his authorship at the time, though it was known. The document was a protest against the Tariff of 1828, also known as the Tariff of Abominations. The document stated that if the tariff was not repealed, South Carolina would secede Steamboat New Orleans New Orleans was the first steamboat on the western waters of the United States. Its 1811-1812 voyage from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to New Orleans, Louisiana on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers ushered in the era of commercial steamboat navigation on the western rivers. Contents