Thomas Jefferson 's Presidential Election

When Thomas Jefferson took office in 1801, after an intense realignment of the majority of office holders from Federalist to Anti-Federalist in the “Revolution of 1800”, there were many policies headed by former Treasurer Alexander Hamilton that were still in place. Instead of doing what would have been expected of him by his peers, and taking steps

David A. Carson argues in “Blank Paper of the Constitution: The Louisiana Purchase Debates” that Thomas Jefferson did abandon his political ideals when purchasing

As Madison’s Presidency comes to an end, we hear directly from both Jefferson and Madison about their views. Thomas Jefferson

During the 18th Century America was dealing with independence from Europe and trying to establish them as a strong country. As far as government goes, a monarchal government was not in question. Many people saw great opportunity to step up and contribute ideas that will make America into the country of preference. One of these men was 3rd president and member of the original founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson. While most Americans view Thomas Jefferson as an upstanding and honorable man, he was plagued with the moral contradiction of having fathered children with one of his slaves Sally Heming’s and as a result spurred a great deal of controversy. As a result of his action’s Jefferson’s virtuous demeanor is questioned and shows how

He wanted to avoid building a nation based on industrialization and manufacturing; he believed it would most likely lead to immorality. He had profound confidence in America’s potential for a great nation. According to etext.virginia.edu, he believed all men had certain rights, rights that could not be destroyed or created, and stand whether or not government is present. For Jefferson, a suitable government was one that did not limit individual rights, nor did it allow any individual to limit the rights of another.

In the years prior to Thomas Jefferson's presidency, he was a very vocal critic of a centralized federal government and he was an avid follower of the constitution, yet once he became Commander in Chief he changed his tune towards these issues. The three largest contradictions that stand out amongst his actions were his war with the Barbary pirates, using restrictive economic policies to achieve his goals, and his acquiring of Louisiana. Although these contradictions were for the good of the country, he still went against the convictions that got him elected.

To take a single step beyond the boundaries specially drawn around powers of Congress is to take possession of a boundless field of power, no longer susceptible of any decision." By using the necessary and proper clause, Jefferson managed to avoid having to go through Congress to get approval, and also managed to avoid the state governments, just as Hamilton did. This was the exact opposite of what a typical Republican would do, as they believed that the states should have much more power than the federal government. Given that he appears to go against many of the Republican main ideals, he was considered by several as a neo-Federalist. However, even amongst all of this, it is still clear that he didn’t throw away his political ideals as many said he did, which can be seen in the ways that he did all of this to help the people who he was

On the other hand, as the country advanced and refined, it became known that the fixed views of the two political parties needed to be reasonable if the nation were to expand. Jefferson made the first action toward reconciliation and moderation of his political outlook with the Federalists by contributing a sense of peace in his First Inaugural Address (Doc. 3). Jefferson declared, “We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists,” signifying Americans are all in this society together and collectively make the world outstanding. Jefferson and his party had to further control their thinking when the chance to purchase the Louisiana Territory from France appeared in 1803 (Doc. 4). There was a lack of preparation in the Constitution for a president to buy more territory. However, the opportunity may have not continued to be accessible for a long amount of time, and Jefferson changed his own “strict construction” aspects and doubled the size of the United States.

8). The second reason he interpreted the constitution this way was because if the Constitution were to be interpreted loosely, it would pose a threat towards Slavery. Jefferson had supported slavery, and did not want the government to be able to gain more power through the clause, and in the long run, eventually ending slavery in America. The final reason Jefferson opposed Hamilton's interpretation was because Hamilton was using his loose interpretation to his advantage, creating a bank to further push his financial plan into motion, which was the exact opposite of what Jefferson wanted as it went against all of his beliefs. Jefferson was trying to stop Hamilton's plan, and one way was to stop the abuse of the “Necessary and Proper” clause.

Thomas Jefferson’s domestic policy was based principally on the organization of a new, limited federal government that concerned itself solely with current affairs, leaving state governments in control of responsibilities at home. His first order of business as President was the establishment of a “wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another” but should otherwise leave them alone to handle their own matters of business (567). Jefferson “favored

Whose side would you have been on in the 1790s, Thomas Jefferson’s or Alexander Hamilton’s? Both of these men served under George Washington in the first presidential cabinet, yet they had very different views of what government should be (Davis 86). My objective in this research essay is to inform the reader of why there was so much controversy between these two founding fathers, and to determine which side had the better views for our newly forming country.

In both Document C, written by Thomas Jefferson to John Breckinridge, and Document D, a map of the Barbary States of North Africa, evidence is provided displaying that Jefferson did stray from his beliefs in some situations. In Document C, written in 1803, Jefferson discusses the Louisiana Purchase, in which he acted as a loose constructionist despite his identity as a strict constructionist. The Constitution did not explicitly give the president the power to purchase territories and this is why Jefferson abandoned his previous philosophy on the Constitution. Jefferson saw it to be more beneficial to buy the territory from France than to stay with his ideals in this situation. Document D, created in 1805, displays the four Barbary States of North Africa. This map refers to the Barbary Wars in which Jefferson increased the size of the military, despite the power that this would give to the federal government. Again, this decision was made due to necessity and practicality. It was much more pragmatic that Jefferson increase the army after his previous downsizing of it. While Document E, retrieved from the Federalist Circular in Massachusetts in 1808, does not provide evidence of Jefferson’s elasticity, it does show that Jefferson only abandoned his beliefs when it was necessary. This document provides the point of view of 1808 Federalists. These

Jefferson favored a small militia where states could govern it and he wanted to rely on them as much as possible, without involving a standing army. For citizens, a militia seemed much favorable because they didn’t hold much power and these were volunteer forces who were not paid a salary (sometimes received items for their service,) therefore the taxes of the people, didn’t heavenly contribute to them. According to Fred Anderson, often in battles, provincials often had to prove themselves, that they were capable of meeting expectations of professional regulars. Militias were seen as property holding citizens that would protect people when threatened, and even sacrificing their lives to protect liberty. Militia units took pride in being a virtuous

In Jefferson’s inauguration, he was seeking to reach out to his political rivals, the common people and government officials, in attempt to mend the infringement between Federalists and Republicans. For many years, the federalists and republicans have been fighting for power in the central government and how the power must be divided. As a republican, Jefferson strongly believed in following the constitution. The main intention of the speech was to end disagreements between both parties, as well as to inform his people about the government. He also believed that everyone should unite

In 1801, Thomas Jefferson won the presidential election against his Federalist opponent John Adams and served the first of several terms dominated by Republicans in an era that became known as Jeffersonian Democracy. Before Jefferson took office, Republicans were considered as strict constructionists of the Constitution, following the founding document word by word in their leadership. The development of this Republican mindset, however, changed during the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison as they discovered that they had to adopt some Federalist ideas to successfully run the United States. Throughout their administrations, Jefferson and Madison exercised their executive authority in both strict and loose interpretations of the Constitution to deal with economic issues, expansion of western lands, foreign relations, and distribution of power among the federal government and state governments. Although Jeffersonian Republicans were strict constructionists in aspects of states’ rights as Jefferson ended internal taxes placed by the federal government, Madison vetoed the Bonus Bill in 1817, and both opposed Adams’s Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798 with the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, the two presidents were loose constructionists to a greater extent in terms of how they dealt with economic conditions through the acceptance the National Bank, western expansion through the Louisiana Purchase, and foreign affairs by the Embargo Act of 1807 in Jefferson’s