Thomas Jefferson hailed his victory in the presidential race as a revolution "as real...as that of 1776." After 12 years of Federalist power, Jefferson and the Republicans took control of the government, although this was not a revolution against the polices that had been instilled by the Federalists. Where Jefferson's election merely provided a new party to carry out same ideals of the old government, Andrew Jackson's victory provided a clear, apparent change in American politics.

When Jefferson became president in 1800, he set out to do away with the Federalist programs and begin building his own platform. As a Republican, Jefferson denounced the Alien and Sedition acts, yet when his agenda's progress was threatened, he acted in a way that was not at all in line with what he claimed to believe. After the election of 1800, the Republicans controlled the Executive and the Legislative branches, but not the Judiciary...