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John Adams
John Adams, who had been Washington’s vice president, serveved America’s second president from 1797 to 1801. A Federalist, his most notable actions in office were the undertaking of the Quasi-war with France and the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts. He was easily defeated by Thomas Jefferson when he ran for reelection in 1800. Adams was the father of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president.
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr, a New Yorker, ran for president in 1800, after being chosen by the Republicans to be Jefferson’s vice president. After the voting, an unintended flaw was revealed in the Electoral College. Every Republican elector had voted for Jefferson and Burr, resulting in an Electoral College tie that had to be resolved by the House of Representatives. Burr was expected to withdraw, but he refused. After a considerable struggle in the House (where Burr had allies and Jefferson had many enemies), Jefferson became president, leaving Burr politically dead. While serving as vice president in 1804, Burr killed his old New York rival Alexander Hamilton in a duel. Later, Burr would attempt to lead a bizarre conspiracy to attack Texas and secede from the Union. He is tried for treason for this, but is acquited on a technicality in 1807.
Albert Gallatin
Gallatin was Jefferson’s secretary of treasury, and played an important role in undoing many of Federalist financial initiatives engineered by Alexander Hamilton, including cutting taxes and expenditures, lowering the national debt, and divesting the government of its stock holdings in the Bank of the United States.
Thomas Jefferson
The author of Delclaration of Independence and the former secretary of state under George Washington, by 1800 Jefferson had become the leader of the opposition Republican Party. Jefferson was president from 1801 to 1809, having defeated John Adams in 1800 and handily being reelected in 1804. During his eventful presidency, Jefferson organized the national government by Republican ideals, doubled the size of the nation through the Louisiana Purchase, and struggled to maintain American neutrality in the face of French and British naval aggression
Lewis and Clark
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, most often known collectively as Lewis and Clark, were commissioned by Jefferson to explore the new territory of the Louisiana Purchase. They traveled 3,000 miles in two and a half years, collecting scientific data and specimens, and charting the territory to the west of the Mississippi. Their journey spurred much interest throughout the nation in further exploration and settlement in the West.
James Madison
James Madison was Jefferson’s secretary of state and chosen successor to the presidency. Madison was an ardent Republican, and anonymously authored the Virginia Resolution, which denounced the Alien and Sedition Acts.
John Marshall
John Marshall was the chief Justice of the Supreme Court during Jefferson’s presidency. His most notable decision during this time came in Marbury v. Madison, in which he asserted the principle of judicial review, which stated that the Supreme Court could deem an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Zebulon Pike
Pike earned the nickname “the lost pathfinder” due to his misadventures in exploring the headwaters of the Mississippi, and later the Arkansas River. It is suspected by many that his true mission in exploring the Arkansas may have been to investigate Spanish positions south of the American territory. Pike’s maps of the southern portion of the Louisiana Territory proved invaluable to future explorers and settlers.
John Randolph
John Randolph, a Republican leader in the House of Representatives, led the faction which became known as the Tertium Quids, breaking from the main party in disapproval of Jefferson's actions in regard to West Florida.
Sacajawea
During their first winter, at a Mandan Indian village, Lewis and Clark hired as an interpreter a French fur-trader, Toussaint Charbonneau, and his Native American wife Sacajawea. Though Charbonneau proved to be only of limited help, Sacajawea was indispensable as a guide, especially during the crossing of the Bitteroot Mountains in what is now southern Idaho. She showed the party how to forage for food, and was instrumental in maintaining good relations with the Native American tribes of what is now the northwest US.
Charles de Talleyrand
Talleyrand was the French foreign minister during Jefferson’s presidency. He was instrumental in France’s continued efforts to dominate and maipulate the US governments. In October 1797, it was he who perpetrated the XYZ Affair, sending anonymous agents to meet an American diplomatic envoy and demand a bribe for Talleyrand before he would meet with them. Later, Talleyrand would negotiate the Louisiana Purchase, and after, attempt to stir up disputes between Spain and the US over the definitions of their borders in North America.
James Wilkinson
James Wilkinson was the military commander of the Louisiana Territory who sent Zebulon Pike on his exploration missions. Heavily involved in espionage, it is known that Wilkinson was on Spain’s payroll for his part in trying to persuade southwestern settlers to secede from the Union. Wilkinson was involved with Aaron Burr in his attempted conspiracy, only to betray Burr to Jefferson.
