Hamilton's death accelerated the decline of the Federalist Party down to 25%, which in turn diminished the need for Republican Party unity. Jefferson faced two major defections from his party. John Randolph of Roanoke was a brilliant but tough politician who led the "Ter-tium Quids" (the "third somethings"); they stood for pure republican ideals. They attracted attention when they attacked land grants in Georgia to companies that had earlier bribed the state legislature. A later legislature attempted to nullify these sales, but much of the land was already owned by innocent third parties who had contracted for it in good faith.
The Marshall Supreme Court ruled in Fletcher v. Peck (1810) that the state legislature could not revoke a contract, even if it had been obtained under false pretenses. The ruling established the Court's right to nullify state laws if they violated the Constitution.
The foreign slave trade was outlawed January 1, 1808, as permitted by the Constitution. However the law Congress passed did not end importation. Many slaves continued to be smuggled into the country; some estimates place the number of slaves that were illegally imported by 1860 at 50,000, or even higher.
The Essex Junto. The first rumblings of secession in American history came from New England, and were associated with a group known as the "Essex Junto." (The word "junto" generally refers to a self-selected group with a political agenda.) The "Essexmen," as they were originally known, were a group of conservative public figures in Essex County, Massachusetts at the time of the American Revolution. They supported the revolution but were less than enthusiastic about the unlimited spread of democracy. They gravitated towards the Federalist Party and objected to Republican policies of Thomas Jefferson. Because the Louisiana Purchase would open up territory that was likely to become heavily Republican, the Essex group began to plan the creation of a Northern confederacy, which would secede from the Republican South. They quickly realized that the structure would have to include New York and New Jersey. They approached Vice-President Aaron Burr, who, as we have seen, was already in disfavor with Jefferson and was planning to run for governor of New
York. Burr was sympathetic to the confederacy plan. When he lost the election for governor, however, plans for the confederacy dissipated. Remnants of that group, however, would resurface in 1814 and 1815 during the Hartford Convention, which will be discussed further below.
World History
