ipl-logo

Thomas Jefferson Unconstitutional

279 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: America and the french revolution

While the supporters of Thomas Jefferson believe that buying foreign land was necessary, those who are against him feel that what he did was unconstitutional. In the source, “Thomas Jefferson to John Breckinridge, 12 August 1803”, the text explains that what Jefferson did was allowed, as it had not mentioned that he couldn’t in the constitution. This controversy is huge, because some people believe that he did not have the right to do so. Jefferson made a point that it wasn’t mentioned in the constitution, so he decided to ratify it and pay for it. Some believe congress did not have the right to authorize this decision. Beginning in the 17th century, France discovered the Mississippi River valley and established scattered settlements in
Show More
Related
179 Words | 1 Pages

Jefferson’s election in 1800 marked the first peaceful transfer of power between political parties in U.S. history. This showed that the country could transition power without getting into violence or conflict. Jefferson believed in limited government and states rights, which means that he thought the federal government should have less power and the states should have more. Jefferson's purchase of the Louisiana land in 1803 doubled the size of the United States and expanded executive power by allowing the President to make large land purchases without approval from Congress.

Read More
311 Words | 2 Pages

When purchasing the Louisiana Territory, President Jefferson faced the risk of being prosecuted for violation of the Constitution, which was different from Hamilton’s creation of a national bank because it was illegal. To begin, after the French acquired the Louisiana Territory 1802, Jefferson worried that the French would no longer allow American farmers passage on the Mississippi River or the right to trade at New Orleans, so he sent Robert Livingston to France to negotiate to purchase New Orleans. When Livingston arrived, he was surprised by France’s offer to sell the US the entire Louisiana Territory for just 15 million dollars. Livingston knew he was not authorized to purchase the territory but he also knew that if he waited to ask Congress, the deal might be gone already, so he purchased the territory.

Read More
703 Words | 3 Pages

At the time, the United States only inhibited from the edge of the Mississippi River to the Appalachian Mountains. The purchase of the Louisiana territory expanded USA’s land two times its original size. With the purchase of the territory, came the free reign over the Mississippi River, which played a major role in economics and agriculture. The U.S. sailors and merchants relied on the Mississippi River for transportation of their goods. It was inexpensive, safer, and all together more convenient.

Read More
485 Words | 2 Pages

When Napoleon of France realized his plan to use the Louisiana territory was unsuccessful, he made a deal with Thomas Jefferson to buy the land with only fifteen million dollars (class lecture). A deal that cannot be ignored with a land that’s only about three cents an acre, Jefferson again had to bend his belief of strict interpretation of the constitution and admitted to the Senators (class lecture, 214). Thomas Jefferson’s decision was accepted, and the senators registered their prompt approval of the transaction (214). Jefferson again deserved the B+ because he changed and adjust his belief to benefit the common good of the United States, which was doubling its size by purchasing the Louisiana Territory

Read More
303 Words | 2 Pages

The document, Thomas Jefferson’s secret message to Congress about the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1803, tells us about Jefferson’s views of westward expansion and Native Americans. Jefferson really liked the idea of westward expansion; in addition, he saw the remarkable opportunities associated with it. Jefferson believed that the Native Americans could be coaxed into willingly giving up their land. The Americans were more deserving of Indian territories in the eyes of Jefferson, so he wanted to change their minds and get the Natives to hand over their land. Jefferson wanted to utilize two tactics to achieve this goal.

Read More
795 Words | 4 Pages

Thomas Jefferson during his time in office faced many challenges with the new country. One major challenge and one of the biggest accomplishments during his presidency was the Louisiana Purchase. This turned out to be a huge issue for Jefferson because of the ordeals and the way he wanted to run the government. This was a major conflict in interest for Jefferson because he was a strict constitutionalist and followed it word for word. In the end what he did was completely overstep his powers as president doing what he feared would happen by purchasing the Louisiana territory without any approval from congress for 15 million dollars.

Read More
875 Words | 4 Pages

Also, Jefferson completely ignored his original views when confronted with the purchase of the Louisiana Territory. The Louisiana Territory was a large mass of land acquired from France in 1803. Napoleon wanted to sell the land due to the fact that he no longer saw the possibility of a French Empire in North America, so he planned on selling it to the United States. Jefferson completely agreed to the purchase. However, many saw this as unconstitutional as the Constitution does not explicitly allow the government to purchase foreign

Read More
182 Words | 1 Pages

In 1803, Thomas Jefferson made the most controversial purchase regrading to the constitution. The Louisiana Purchase went against everything Jefferson believed in. Jefferson faced heat from both parties whether it was to accept or that he will be a hypocrite for accepting it. With this purchase Jefferson made the best decision of his time because of all the benefits the land gave the country. Thomas Jefferson was the direct definition of an anti-federalist.

Read More
778 Words | 4 Pages

Louisiana Purchase was one of the biggest land transaction in our antiquity. In the year 1803, United States compensated around the ballpark figure of fifteen million dollars for over eight hundred thousand miles of estate. This purchase was one of his most glorified deal that he ever made but also posed a major philosophical dilemma for Jefferson. He was against the strong, central government but felt it was necessary in terms of abroad affairs.

Read More
685 Words | 3 Pages

If we were to find the unit price of how much every acre of land cost for this purchase, it would amount to four cents per acre. Which is four cents for every 43,560 square feet of land. With this land, and the amount of resources we could gain from it, we could easily repay our debt with trade after gaining an abundant amount of new resources, which is why I don’t think this argument that The Columbian Centinel made is very valid. With this land, we gain more power, and power can easily lead to money, yet with the $15 million, we wouldn’t gain as much power as we would with buying the land. In summation, the reason why I would’ve approved of the ratification of the Louisiana purchase is because America’s land would be doubled in size, many new opportunities and minerals would be discovered, and the amount of money we would have to pay compared to the amount of land was so little, which made the bargain too good of an offer to pass.

Read More
299 Words | 2 Pages

I believe that Thomas Jefferson did the right thing even though he might have thought it went against the constitution. I also believe that if an offer comes up that you cannot refuse then you need to take it no matter what the consequences. The rest will work its self out. In 1803, Thomas Jefferson took the offer and bought the Louisiana

Read More
781 Words | 4 Pages

The Louisiana Purchase was a “land deal” made between France and the U.S. in December of 1803, where France sold America 828,000 miles of land along the west side of the Mississippi River for 15 million dollars (approximately 4 cents per acre). People regard it as Thomas Jefferson’s greatest achievement because of how drastically it changed the United States. The purchase greatly expanded America and brought many other benefits along with it. Although it was definitely a major benefit to the United States, even Jefferson had his doubts about the purchase. But despite many doubts, the U.S. made the decision to ratify the purchase, and because of that decision, America has changed for the better.

Read More
818 Words | 4 Pages

He was a strong believer in states' rights and thought that rights not explicitly stated in the Constitution should be given to the states. However, in writing the Constitution, there was no way to predict that a deal such as the Louisiana Purchase would ever be possible. Therefore, the power to purchase land from another government, thereby expanding the size of the United States, was never explicitly given to the federal government. Although Thomas Jefferson realized what a deal the Louisiana Purchase was, he had lots of moral doubts about completing the

Read More
473 Words | 2 Pages

Also, powers that aren’t authorized to the United States in the Constitution, constrained by it to the States, are subsequently for the people or the States. Since the power of buying land isn’t directly admitted to the Federal Government in the Constitution, the tenth amendment states that the Federal Government doesn’t have the power to purchase land. Jefferson also believed that the Federal government shouldn’t spend money if they did not have it, and the Louisiana Purchase very much contributed to the insufficiency. Thus violating at his own risk, he purchased Louisiana

Read More
917 Words | 4 Pages

One of the most influential decisions made in the history of The United States was the infamous Louisiana Purchase. The Louisiana Purchase was a deal made in 1803 between Napoleon, a French emperor and Thomas Jefferson, the current leader of America, in acquiring a whopping 825,000 square acres of land. This investment would double the amount of land and profit America would hold. 15 states were eventually created from the land deal and became one of the few greatest occurrences during Thomas Jefferson’s presidency. Although this opportunity seemed undeniably beneficial, many other citizens at the time, most often Federalists, exposed the numerous flaws that came with this transaction.

Read More

More about Thomas Jefferson Unconstitutional

Related Topics

Open Document