WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IN 1801,
WHEN JEFFERSON CAME TO POWER?
MANY HISTORIANS WOULD
ARGUE TO YOU THAT
NOTHING REALLY HAPPENED.
THAT JEFFERSON DIDN'T DO
ALL THE THINGS THAT HE MIGHT
HAVE DONE IN DISMANTLING THE
SYSTEM THAT HAMILTON AND THE
FEDERALISTS HAD CREATED.
AND THIS IS TRUE.
JEFFERSON DIDN'T
DESTROY THE GOVERNMENT.
BUT HE DID ESCHEW DIRECT TAXES.
LIKE THE DIRECT TAX OF 1798.
TAXES, EXCISES AND SO
FORTH THAT HAD LED TO THE
WHISKEY REBELLION EARLIER.
AND PUT THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
SOLELY ON THE BASIS OF THE
INCOME FROM THE TARIFF.
JEFFERSON ALSO PAID DOWN THE
DEBT BY 50% PERCENT OR MORE.
THIS IS SOMETHING
THAT, OF COURSE, WAS
ANATHEMA TO HAMILTON.
JEFFERSON WANTED THE DEBT
ULTIMATELY TO GO AWAY,
PRECISELY FOR THE REASONS
HAMILTON WANTED TO KEEP IT.
AND THAT IS, AS LONG AS THERE'S
A BIG DEBT, THEN YOU HAVE TO
HAVE A GOVERNMENT TO SERVICE IT.
AND TAXATION TO SERVICE IT.
AND THEREFORE, A GOVERNMENT
THAT CAN ADMINISTER IT.
SO IT'S THIS FISCAL
RESTRAINT IS VERY IMPORTANT.
IN JEFFERSON'S ADMINISTRATION.
ALL THE TENDENCIES TOWARDS
CENTRALIZATION THAT HAD BUILT
UP DURING THE FEDERALIST
ADMINISTRATION AND HAD ALSO
BEEN ENCOURAGED BY THE
QUASI-WAR WITH FRANCE, ALL OF
THOSE WERE SUDDENLY RELAXED.
AND, AS I SUGGESTED,
THERE IS A KIND OF A
DEVOLUTION OF AUTHORITY.
AND THAT IS, IT'S THE STATES
BECAME THE CENTER OF ACTION.
THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT WAS
LESS INTRUSIVE, AND LESS
POWERFUL UNDER JEFFERSON.
JEFFERSON WAS ALSO IN HIS
FIRST ADMINISTRATION, A
MASTER MANAGER OF THE
REPUBLICAN CONGRESS.
BECAUSE HIS PARTISANS HAD
NOW DOMINATED BOTH HOUSES.
AND HE DID BRILLIANTLY
IN MANAGING LEGISLATION
AND SO FORTH.
CERTAINLY, THE TENDENCIES
WERE ONES THAT FIT
JEFFERSON'S PERSONALITY.
THE TENDENCIES OF HIS
ADMINISTRATION ON ONE HAND.
THEY WERE CONSERVATIVE.
HE DIDN'T WANT TO ROCK
THE BOAT TOO MUCH.
YET, THE TENDENCY WAS TOWARD
THE MITIGATION OR LIMITATION
OF FEDERAL POWER.
WHAT MESSED UP JEFFERSON WAS
HIS SECOND ADMINISTRATION.
AND THAT WAS, OF COURSE,
AGAIN, A FOREIGN POLICY CRISIS.
