1. “Revolution” of 1800 (pp. 211–215) The election of 1800 was the first between organized political parties and the first of several to be decided on the basis of quirks in the Constitution. Why did Jefferson consider his victory in 1800 over the Federalist John Adams and his own vice-presidential running mate Aaron Burr to be “revolutionary”? What other “revolutionary” aspect of this election is added by the authors on p. 215? (1) Jefferson’s point: Revolutionary because it ended the Federalist rule and led the party into oblivion because Adams was the last Federalists President. Revolutionary also because his election represents a return to what he considered the original spirit of Revolution. (2) The authors’ point: Revolutionary because it ended the decade of division and Americans could take justifiable pride in vigor their experiment in democracy.
2. Jefferson (pp. 216–218) Jefferson was an aristocrat whose sympathies were with the common man— perhaps like F. D. Roosevelt and J. F. Kennedy in the twentieth century. Although his stump speeches called for a maximum of personal liberty and a minimum of government intervention, cite two examples of how he accepted some Federalist programs and became a moderate in practice: (1) Except for the excise tax, Jefferson left the Hamiltonian framework essentially intact. (2) Did not tamper with the Federalists programs for funding national debt at par and assuming the Revolutionary debt of the states.
3. Power to the Supreme Court (pp. 218–219) The details of the case of Marbury v. Madison (1803) are interesting but not nearly as important as the precedent it set. There will always be disputes as to the constitutionality of laws. Remember that Jefferson had made the case in the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions that individual states had the right to “nullify” laws they felt were unconstitutional. What extremely important legal principle did