Jeffersonian Policies

Some of these policies were reversals of previous Federalist policy. Freedom of speech and later the end to prosecution of newspapers in 1802 was a reversal of the Sedition Act of 1798. The Alien Act was also undercut- the minimum of 5 year residence requirement for becoming a US citizen was restored. The size of the federal government was also reduced and more power was given to the states, a complete reversal of Federalist policy which strengthened the national government and expanded it. The expansion policies also contrasted sharply. The Federalists viewed land as something to be sold to gain money from, but the Jeffersonian viewed land as opportunity for settlement. The Federalists wanted to keep most of the trade at home, with tariffs on imports, but the Jefferson’s administration wanted to import goods from Europe and lifted the tariffs.

The policies enacted in Jefferson’s second term closely resemble those of the Federalists. The main focus was foreign policy, and just like the Federalists, Jefferson wanted to protect American interests, clear Great Lakes region of foreign troops, break free from dependence on Europe and avoid war. Avoiding war was also important to Jefferson, which is similar to the Federalists who avoided going into a large scale war (except the naval skirmishes) with France. Jefferson only gathered naval forces for defense. Jefferson chose to implement these “Federalist” policies as Republican because he knew they worked for the benefit of the country. Also, he wanted to get rid of all Federalist ideas during his presidency, so calling his policies “Federalist” might have been contradictory.

In the topic of strict versus loose interpretations of the Constitution, both the Federalist and Jeffersonian Republics had loose and strict interpretations. Generally, the Federalists loose interpreted the Constitution. An example of that loose interpretation is the elastic clause. The government could make laws that are important and necessary for the welfare of the country. The national bank and Hamilton’s plans, show that the Federalists were not strict constitutionalists. The Jeffersonian Republicans were. They obeyed the Bill of Rights and ran the government the way it was stated in the constitution. The elastic clause was still used by the Jefferson, especially when decided to buy the Louisiana Territory. Both governmental parties had similarities and differences in the way they followed the Constitution.