Steven Capogna
Mr. McGoldrick
U.S History Section 2
5 May 2015
Thomas Jefferson’s Vision for America
During 1789, the year George Washington was elected president of the United States, he appointed Thomas Jefferson to be the secretary of State during his time in office. Jefferson was a man who believed that the government should not be in any part of the citizens’ lives during a period in time where America was trying to break away from Great Britain’s ways. He was a man who wanted the government to stay out of his business and worry about problems that had to do with the country and not individual states. He believed in a small government, a weak army, and an agricultural society. He also had a “rivalry” of some sorts with Alexander Hamilton who disagreed with every belief that Jefferson had. Jefferson was also the author of the Declaration of Independence. He was a believer in running your own household the way you wanted to run in. His vision was a country where you have a government that stay out of problems that weren’t worth getting into like state problems and a country where the people would live a life of freedom and prosperity.
Having a small army may come as a question for some people wondering what advantages came from having a weak military. Thomas Jefferson thought otherwise. He knew the consequences of having a large strong army and what came with it after. Having to big of an army means chance of being overthrown because of the power that they
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.
Thomas Jefferson once said, “When the people fear the government there is tyranny, when the government fears the people there is liberty.” Thomas Jefferson believed the best government was the one that governs the least . Jefferson stressed how a small government with limited powers is most likely to leave the people alone and have them enjoy the Blessings of Liberty. Furthermore, Thomas Jefferson was a man who had numerous accomplishments in his life. He was the author of the Declaration of Independence, author of the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, founder of the University of Virginia, and the third President of the United States. His strict interpretation of the Constitution was due to his belief that the charter was designed to provide the people with a say in governmental affairs. Mr. Jefferson won the approval from the working class because he fought for them and not the powerful interests of the wealthy. Although Jefferson was a vocal and active leader in the rights of states, his recommendation of the Embargo Act and his support of the Non-Intercourse act resulted in his failure as the Commander In Chief.
A Vision Achieved Jefferson envisioned a government that allowed its citizens to exercise inalienable rights. In exact words, he states, “ We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” To be more evident, how can we define these “inalienable rights” of “life”, “liberty”, and the “pursuit of happiness?” Have these inalienable rights, achieved Jefferson’s goal? I am convinced, Jefferson’s revolutionary vision of life, liberty, and happiness has at last been achieved in America.
Jefferson’s idea of the citizen’s natural moral wisdom convinced him that limited government, where power remained in the hands of the people, was the best structure to ensure America’s freedom. He stated, “A wise and frugal Government…shall leave them [men] otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned.” Jefferson pushed for a government with a strict interpretation of the Constitution in order to limit governmental powers to those that were
He believed that it was time for America to break away from Britain’s rule and become its own nation, which could govern itself. To do this, though, it was necessary to write some sort of document which would state to the world the basic beliefs on which the nation’s new government would be built. This document was the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson felt that Britain was doing nothing but hurting America with unfair rules and all sorts of ridiculous taxes. The colonies and colonists had no rights in determining the very laws which dictated the way they led their lives. The Declaration of Independence was a formal document stating that the people of America were breaking away from Britain and that the American colonies were now “Free and Independent States.”
Thomas Jefferson represents the common man. He believes in strict adherence to the constitution. Jefferson wants the rights of an individual state to trump federal government regulations. The reason Jefferson believes in states’ rights is that he believes the government can better relate to the people in this form. He envisions the United States as a primarily agrarian society. Hamilton in favor of strong government and believes consolidation equates to efficiency and order. He envisions the United States as a primarily manufacturing society.
Thomas Jefferson, who led from 1801-1809, was an avid enthusiast of the common man and self government. He believed that the sole purpose of the government was to look out for and support the interests of
Jefferson wanted a separation of powers within the government in order to prevent one person or group having a tyrannical hold over the nation. He believed
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
Before he was elected Thomas Jefferson did not like the idea of a large military, because of his principles of Republicanism.
We always hear about Thomas Jefferson in our history classes, as one of the most influential American politicians at the time of the nation’s birth. Though, we don’t always take the time to understand why this is the case. Looking at what he accomplished as president and politician seems mind boggling. In my blog, I will discuss Thomas Jefferson’s major accomplishments, his leadership lessons, and criticisms of his actions.
Thomas Jefferson was an agrarian soul who favored popular rule. He placed his trust in the land and the people who farmed it and desired that America would remain a nation of farmers. He emphasized liberty, democracy, and social welfare and believed that
Jefferson, as a Republican, believed in a society that distrusted the rich and that was run by farmer-citizens. He was a strong supported of not the upper class but, "the people". A defender of human liberty, Jefferson believed in a minimum of government and favored power at the local level. Jefferson also believed that if people were given the opportunity, they would be decent and reasonable. Jeffersons supporting party disagreed with many of the things that Hamilton and the Federalists proposed and passed as laws, including the idea of the national bank. Madison, in fact, argued on behalf of the Republicans that the federal government had no righ to establish a federal bank because it was not among the enumerated powers of Congress found in the Constitution. The Republicans also ignored the Naturalization Act, nor
Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, was an American founding father who positively shaped our country and impacted the American people. He was a spokesman for democracy, which allows the people to have their voices be heard for policies regarding the government. His views opposed a strong centralized government and helped show the potential of states rights. Jefferson was a powerful advocate for liberty and was well educated, benefitting him when writing the Declaration of Independance. He communicated well with others, which put him in the position of negotiating trade with other countries and gaining alliances. Jefferson was not known for
Jefferson was the founder of the Democratic-Republic Party and believed in an agrarian society with strong local governments (i.e. a weak central government). He thought that the states should yield most of the power so that the citizens could control what happens to them