The election of 1800 was fiercely contested and facilitated the rise of the two-party system and bitter partisanship.
Upon entering office, Jefferson focused on reducing the national debt he had inherited from his predecessors. His administration lowered excise taxes while slashing government spending. Additionally, the Jefferson administration reduced the size of the Navy, ultimately bringing the national debt down from $83 to $57 million. Foreign developments, however, including the intensification of piracy along the Barbary Coast, would necessitate the rebuilding of the Navy and its establishment as a permanent part of the US government.
Jefferson dealt with two major challenges to US authority: piracy along the Barbary Coast of North Africa, and British impressment, which resulted in Jefferson instating a mass embargo of European goods, the Embargo Act of 1807.
Jefferson authorized the Louisiana Purchase, which effectively doubled the territory of the United States.
One of the most important elements of Wilson's Fourteen Points was that there needs to be an international system that encourages cooperation between countries (especially in Europe) instead of competition.
Reform elements such as the recall, the referendum, and the initiative were primarily designed to give power to the "voters" since these were created during the Progressive movement in order to ensure that the voices and opinions of the general populus were respected by lawmakers.
When he got the nomination from the anti-slavery Republican Party in 1860, the South was very concerned. The South had made up its mind. They believed Lincoln would end slavery. However, if they would have listened closely to Lincoln, he had said if he could keep the country together by keeping slavery, he would do so.
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For the most part, states in the South reacted with anger to Lincoln's victory in the election of 1860. The major issue of the 1860 presidential election was slavery. For Southerners, expanding slavery was the critical issue. Slavery was so pressing that the Democratic party put forth two candidates.
