Chapter 11 Lecture Notes

1. Principle vs. Expediency

1. if expediency ranks higher than principle
2. Louisiana Purchase was based on expediency (April 1803)
1. not talked about in the Constitutions
2. Jefferson is a Democratic-Republican and believes in a strict construction
of the Constitution
1. to buy the land he is going against his principles
3. Jefferson gives Congress a secret message to convince them
1. says the Indians need to be turned into farmers
2. wants to assimilate the Indians and able them to be a part of the
nation
3. wants Lebensraum (living space) for the people
1. wants to add the people who already live on the land
2. talks about commerce the connection he needed to the
Constitution
a. Founding Fathers were not necessarily for a democracy
1. there could be tyranny of the majority
1. a majority of the people of this time were uneducated
2. historical precedent with the Reign of Terror in France
3. goal is to educate so make publicly funded schools