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In the election of 1800, Jefferson triumphed over incumbent President Adams of the Federalist, and narrowly beat challenger Aaron Burr in the House of Representatives. As the first Democratic-Republican president, Jefferson entered the office amidst intense political division.

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Almost immediately, Jefferson commuted punishments under the Sedition Act and reduced citizenship requirements under the Alien Act in 1802.

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Jefferson kept the Federalist system mostly intact. He only repealed the excise tax, but kept all other financial measures of the Hamiltonian system. In this way, Jefferson showed a change of parties wasn't necessarily disastrous for the losing side.

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A fight over Adams' "midnight judges" gave Chief Justice John Marshall an opportunity to strengthen the power of the Supreme Court. In Marbury v. Madison, Marshall established the doctrine of judicial review, where the court had the power to rule laws unconstitutional and interpret the Constitution.

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Pirates in the Barbary States, located in North Africa, continually harassed and pillaged American ships in the Mediterranean. Reluctantly, Jefferson fought the pirates, defeating them in 1805 and securing the sea for American merchants.

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Seeking to secure New Orleans, American diplomats traveled to Europe to secure Louisiana. France, reeling from the loss of Santo Domingo, wanted to sell Louisiana to fund future wars. As a result, France sold Louisiana to America for $15 million in 1803.

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Seeking to map the vast new Louisiana Territory, Jefferson formed a Corps of Discovery led by Meriwether Lewis (his secretary) and William Clark (an army officer). The explorers demonstrated the viability of an overland trail to the Pacific, setting a path for many thousands of future settlers to follow.

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To avoid wars with Britain and France, Jefferson attempted to starve both nations out through these acts, forbidding the export of all cargo from foreign ships. This deal fell through, helping to provoke a war with Britain.

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Pushed to war by Britain and Congress, Madison begun the War of 1812. After early setbacks, America won decisive victories in New Orleans and Baltimore, leading to an armistice through the Treaty of Ghent.

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Hoping to settle disputes over slavery, Congress through Henry Clay agreed to prohibit slavery above 36'30'' in exchange for admitting Missouri as a slave state.

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Monroe, hoping to discourage European colonization and intervention, declared in his now-famous doctrine that the Americas were closed for colonization, and the United States would defend any American nation against attempts at interference.