Republican virtue seemed to have triumphed, but Jefferson soon found himself in trouble at home and abroad.
In part his difficulties arose from the extent of the Republican victory. In 1805 his Federalist opponents had no useful ideas, no intelligent leadership, and no effective numbers. They held only a quarter of the seats in Congress. As often happens in such situations, lack of opposition weakened party discipline and encouraged factionalism among the Republicans.
The Republican who caused Jefferson the most trouble was Aaron Burr, and the president was partly to blame for the difficulty. After their contest for the presidency in 1801, Jefferson pursued Burr vindictively, depriving him of federal patronage in New York and replacing him as the 1804 Republican vice presidential candidate with Governor George Clinton, Burr’s chief rival in the state.
While still vice president, Burr began to flirt with treason. He approached Anthony Merry, the British minister in Washington, and offered to “effect a separation of the Western part of the United States.” His price was ?110,000 and the support of a British fleet off the mouth of the Mississippi.
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Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr preparing for their duel, which left Hamilton dead.
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