HISTORY 



171 



Pennsylvania into confusion, but was energet- 

 ically suppressed by the president. Two parties 

 had sprung up, the Federalists, supporters of the 

 Constitution as it was, and the Republicans or 

 Democrats, who desired to limit the federal 

 power. The Republicans were active in their 

 sympathy for the French Republic. At the 

 third presidential election (1796) the Federalists, 

 among whom Alexander Hamilton was promi- 

 nent, supported John Adams and the Republi- 

 cans Thomas Jefferson. Adams, who received 

 seventy-one electoral votes, was chosen president 

 while Jefferson, who received sixty-eight, the 

 next highest number, became, by the Constitu- 

 tion as it then was, the vice-president. At the 

 beginning of the administration the relations 

 with France were threatening, and envoys were 

 sent to adjust the difficulties; but the 'French 

 Government refused to receive them. This ex- 

 cited great indignation in the United States, and 

 Congress made preparations for war. The meas- 

 sures adopted were not without effect. A fresh 

 embassy was sent, and a treaty was concluded 

 in 1800. During the troubles with France two 

 acts were passed by Congress, known as the 

 alien and sedition laws: the first, which was lim- 

 ited to two years, empowering the president to 

 order aliens who were conspiring against the 

 peace of the United States to quit the country; 

 the other, which was to remain in force till 

 March 4, 1801, providing among other things 

 for the punishment by fine and imprisonment of 

 seditious libels, upon the government. These 

 laws became exceedingly unpopular, and were 

 bitterly denounced as harsh and unconstitutional. 

 They contributed largely to the dissatisfaction 

 with Mr. Adam's administration, which led in 

 the next presidential election to the success of 

 the Republican candidates, Jefferson and Burr, 

 each of whom received seventy-three votes. 

 The tie threw the election into the House of 

 Representatives, where, on the thirty-sixth bal- 

 lot, Jefferson was chosen president and Burr 

 vice-president. This contest led to the adop- 

 tion of the twelfth amendment of the Constitu- 

 tion, requiring the electors to designate which 

 person is voted for as president and which as 

 vice-president. Jefferson's administration for 

 the most part was marked by vigor and enlight- 

 ened views, and in 1804 he was reflected, with 

 George Clinton as vice-president. The vast ter- 

 ntury then called Louisiana was purchased from 

 France in 1803. A war with Tripoli, ended in 

 iso."). humbled the Barbary pirates. In I sot, 

 Aaron Burr secretly organized a military expe- 

 dition, chiefly in the western States, which led 

 to his arrest and trial at Richmond in 1807, on a 

 charge of attempting to <li-tm-mber the Union 

 and to establish an independent dominion west 

 of the A Mechanics; but no overt act being proved 

 against him. he u.^ acquitted. The relations 

 uith Great Britain began in 1806 to be disturbed 

 by the unfriendly acts of that power directed 

 against American commerce, and by the exercise 

 of the asserted right to search American vessels 

 for suspected deserters from her navy. In 1806, 

 an act was passed prohibiting the importation 

 of certain articles of British production. In ls<>7 

 Congress laid an embargo, which prohibited tin* 

 departure from American ports of vessels bound 



for foreign countries. This measure was vehem- 

 ently denounced by the Federal party, and 

 repealed in 1809. In the presidential election of 

 1808 the Republican candidates, James Madison 

 for president and George Clinton for vice-presi- 

 dent, were elected. Congress continued the non- 

 importation system. A long negotiation was 

 carried on with the English Government without 

 result, and on June 18, 1812, war was declared 

 ; against Great Britain. In the summer of 1811, 

 : hostilities, excited as was alleged by British emis- 

 saries, were begun by the Indian tribes north of 

 the Ohio under the lead of Tecumseh. William 

 Henry Harrison, Governor of Indiana Territory, 

 defeated them on the banks of the Tippecanoe 

 River, November 7, 1811. The campaign of 

 ; 1812 closed with little or no credit to the Ameri- 

 can arms on land, the principal event being the 

 surrender of Detroit (August 16th) by the Ameri- 

 can General Hull to General Brock. But the 

 navy achieved a series of brilliant victories, 

 which were followed by others during the suc- 

 ceeding years of the war. The campaign of 1813 

 was marked by alternate successes ana reverses. 

 j The principal events were the defeat of General 

 j Winchester at the River Raisin by the British 

 and Indians, the capture of York (now Toronto) 

 and of Fort George in Canada by the Americans, 

 the repulse of a British attack on Sackett's Har- 

 bor, and the defeat of the British and Indians 

 near Thames River, Canada, by General Harri- 

 son, Tecumseh being slain. On Lake Erie, Sep- 

 tember 10th, a British fleet of six vessels was 

 captured after a severe contest by Lieutenant 

 I O. H. Perry. On July 5, 1814, the British \\rre 

 defeated at Chippewa by General Brown, and on 

 the 25th at Bridgewater or Lundy's Lane by 

 Generals Brown and Winfield Scott. On Sep- 

 tember llth the United States fleet, under Com- 

 modore Macdonough, totally defeated the Eng- 

 lish fleet on Lake Champlain; and on the same 

 day the British army, which had invaded New 

 York and laid siege to Pittsburgh, retreated to 

 Canada. In August, a British fleet arrived in 

 the Chesapeake with an army of 5,000 men com- 

 manded oy General Ross, who marched on 

 Washington, and, after putting to flight the 

 militia at Bladensburg, took possession of the 

 federal city on the 24th, and burned the capital, 

 the president's house, and other public build- 

 ings. On the next day the British retired to 

 their ships, and on September 12th-l.'ith attacked 

 ! Baltimore, where they were repulsed by the 

 I citizens, and General Ross was killed. After 

 protracted negotiations a treaty of peace was 

 signed at Ghent, December 24, 181 -I. which pro- 

 vided for the mutual restoration of all territory 

 taken during the war. Nothing was said of the 

 impressment of American M-amm. <>n of the 

 main causes of the war, but the practice was dis- 

 continued. Before the news of peace could cross 

 the Atlantic, a British army, 12,000 strong, was 

 defeated at New Orleans (January 8, 1815) by 

 fewer than 5,000 men under General Jackson. 

 In the same year Commodore Decatur compelled 

 the rulers of Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli to make 

 indemnity for former outrages, and to agree to 

 abstain from depredations on American com- 

 merce. The presidential election of 181- h.i-1 

 resulted in the reflect 



