Jeffersonians dedicated to reducing the powers of the federal government (allowed Alien and Sedition Acts, Bank of the United States to lapse; removed forty of Federalist "midnight appointments"; abolished all internal taxes, including the dreaded Whiskey Rebellion tax; reduced size of army; Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin lowered national debt in half, cut ties with Hamiltonian elites). Jeffersonians, somewhat hypocritically, expanded the power of the federal government through the disaster of the Embargo Act of 1807, and the smashing success of the Louisiana Purchase (which then drove the Federalists in New England and New York to ponder secession in the Essex Junto of 1804, which led to Aaron Burr joining them, and then dueling with Alexander Hamilton – got milk? 1. Jefferson was pro-French, until issue of New Orleans being blocked arose (Louisiana Purchase resolved this problem)
2. Embargo Act, then Non-Intercourse Act, tried to ban and/or limit trade with Britain and France to try and stop them from interfering with American trade, as well as British impressment
3. War of 1812 deeply opposed by Federalists, who wanted to keep trading with Britain, and definitely did NOT want war, despite interference with trade and impressment; Jeffersonian War Hawks were westerners who wanted the war to go grab Canada, kill western Indians (Tecumseh and his brother Temskwatawa), and grab Florida (voting records show it was a "western war with eastern labels"). 4. Federalists blocked the War of 1812 in any way possible – refused to make loans to the government, refused to commit militias, refused to support tariffs to finance war, even celebrated British victories at times
5. Hartford Convention of 1814 toyed with secession, but instead proposed limiting the powers of the federal government (one term presidency, 60-day limit to trade embargoes, 2/3 vote to declare war, prohibit trade, or admit new states); Jackson’s victory in New Orleans, and end of war, made them seem traitors
6. Hamiltonian idea of protective tariff resurrected by Henry Clay in the aftermath of War of 1812; Tariff of 1816 (textiles)
7. Second Bank of the United States created in 1816 by Henry Clay and James Madison because they’d realized without a national bank, federal government couldn’t run a war or economy effectively (Federalists ran the biggest state banks)
8. Clay proposed internal improvements to expand infrastructure, but Madison vetoed on a strict interpretation, and suggested a constitutional amendment to allow them