The control of the US government during the early 1800’s can be characterized by the dominating sector of the elected officials within the House, the Senate, and the Presidency. Most people focus on the President as the sole or primary source of blame for economic and social issues gone awry. When things go well, they like to give the credit to the Congressional leaders. However, many people (and Congress would like to keep it this way) assume that the President has control over everything that happens within the United States of America. However, the real rule makers are to be found within the House of Representatives and the Senate. It is here that the federal laws are made, the budgets are established, money is managed, and everything else that is supposed to be in the best interests of the taxpayer.
US Senate
During the early 1800’s, control of the Senate rested with the Federalist party for two years (1800-1801). It switched to the Jeffersonian-Republican or Democratic-Republican party (this is not the same as the Republican party that we know today) for twenty-two years (1802-1823). These were the two main parties involved during this time (1800-1823).
US House of Representatives
During these same years, the House of Representatives was controlled by the Federalist party for the first two years (1800-1801). The control shifted to the Jeffersonian-Republican party for the next twenty-two years (1802-1823).
US Presidency
The Presidency of the United States during this time was held by Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809), James Madison (1809-1817) and James Monroe (1817-1825). All three presidents identified with the Jeffersonian-Republican party.
Fiscal Analysis
It is worth noting that the federal government largely ran a surplus during these years. The national debt in 1800 was $82,976,294.35 and in 1823 was $90,875,877.28. 1816 had the most debt owed: $127,344,933.74. 1812 had the least amount of debt owed: $45,209,737,.90. From 1800 to 1823, the federal government ran a deficit seven times. The net surplus for the combined periods of 1800 through 1823 was $20,481,000. In other words, the federal government had a net profit during this time period. This translates to both political groups at the early years of the US government in the 1800s showing some improvement at managing the taxpayer’s money.
An interesting note is when the Federalist elected officials were in charge of the House, Senate and the Presidency, a net surplus of $3,604,000 was incurred over the two years of complete power (no deficits were incurred during these two years). When the Jeffersonian-Republican elected officials ran the House, Senate, and the Presidency, the seven deficits were incurred, the national debt was at both its lowest and its highest during these years. The net surplus for the Jeffersonian-Republican party's stewardship was $16,877,000 for the twenty-two years that they controlled the federal government. Do you see a pattern emerging for how the US elected officials have historically managed the taxpayers’ monies? The next article will explore the years 1824 to 1837.
References
Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970 vol. 1 & 2. (1975, September). US Bureau of the Census. Washington, DC.
US Senate History retrieved from http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/history/one_item_and_teasers/partydiv.htm on October 5, 2008
US House History retrieved from http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/partyDiv.html on October 5, 2008
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