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Was Thomas Jefferson A Man Of His Word?

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Was Thomas Jefferson a Man of his Word? Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States, a helper in writing the Constitution and the U.S ambassador to France. Jefferson was responsible for U.S successes such as the Lousianna purchase, but did he follow through on all of his promises? Thomas Jefferson, who was loved by many, was not a man of his word. Jefferson’s writing and words were not always followed through by his actions.

In 1787 in a letter to Edward Rutledge Jefferson writes, “"I congratulate you, my dear friend, on the law of your state [South Carolina] for suspending the importation of slaves, and for the glory you have justly acquired by endeavoring to prevent it forever,” Congratulating his friend on the abolishing …show more content…

As a Democratic-Republican, Jefferson believed that the Constitution should be interpreted strictly. Jefferson also believed in more of a “power to the people government.” Jefferson wrote this about government power in 1791. “I consider the foundation of the Constitution that 'all powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States or to the people.' [the 10th Amendment] To take a single step beyond these boundaries, is to take possession of a boundless field of power.” The government should not do things that are not explicitly stated as a power they possess. The Louisiana Purchase was actually a direct violation of the 10th Amendment. Despite Jefferson's desire to never violate the Constitution, it seemed he had crossed his own line. According to the 10th Amendment, the government cannot be granted powers not delegated to it by the Constitution and nowhere is it stated in the Constitution that the president has the ability to purchase land from foreign powers. Jefferson knew this was an amendment to the Constitution. However, he directly violated it by buying land from the French. Jefferson did not follow through with the things he said and

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He also knew that he would need to justify this because it was technically a violation of the Constitution, since only Congress has the authority to negotiate treaties with foreign nations. By purchasing the Louisiana Territory, Jefferson faced the risk of punishment for violating the

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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

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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

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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

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I agree with the view that the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 contradicts Jefferson’s stance on not granting the federal government too much power because in fact, the purchase of this vast territory by the government did give federal authorities more power than was acceptable to the people. Additionally, purchasing new land was not stated in the Constitution; therefore, government did not have the right to take this course of action. As stated in “Jeffersonian Ideology” from Jefferson’s point of view: “Limiting the federal government flowed from his strict interpretation of the Constitution.” Jefferson had always been known to make strict interpretations of the federal government’s powers, but because of his desire to acquire new land in the

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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.

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As much advantages that President Jefferson had with the Louisiana Purchase there was as much disadvantages. How did the Louisiana Purchase come about first? That’s what we all need to talk about so we know how it started? Well in 1802 a Spanish administrator in New Orleans did not allow Americans crop farmers to deposit crops from the port of New Orleans. So when that came to be known from all the farmers they believed it came from Napoleon.

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Jefferson’s dilemma in the Louisiana Purchase In April of 1803 Thomas Jefferson was faced with many moral dilemmas in the process of buying the Louisiana territory. Though the price for the territory was beyond generous, Jefferson felt that by purchasing the territory he would be going against his beliefs that the constitution should be followed word for word. The constitution said nothing of the president having the power to purchase land from another government, or to use money of the states for the same purpose (“the moral dilemma”). Another problem was once the land was purchased, there was a fear that it could have been a waste since they had no way to know the layout of the land, and what it would be useful for.

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government. Another reason why Jefferson would be a better president than Adams would be because of his reasoning that the people should have the rights to elect their executive and legislative branch, but also decide by jury themselves. Jefferson thought this because without having the right of the people to vote in their government would make the government be too much like a monarchy. To prevent the government to be like a monarch he proposed a right that ,”all power is inherited in the people: that they may exercise it themselves, in all cases to which they think themselves competent, as in electing their functionaries executive and legislative, and deciding by jury themselves...that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed. ”(-Jefferson)

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Thomas Jefferson, strict constructionist? One of our most contributing founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, once stated that “A Bill of Rights is what the people are entitled to against every government, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on interference.” This clearly implies that he’s a man of the people. Although he thought a “president above parties” was the way to go or that “we are all republicans--- we are all federalists” he was sure enough an Anti-Federalist, by far, between the mid 1700s.

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Thomas Jefferson was a founding father and the third president of the United States. He is an important part of American history and most people have a positive image of him. Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia provides an instant shock to the reader by revealing a very negative side of the third president of the United States. In this work, he is very detailed in providing a undesirable description of the characteristics of African-Americans. His choice of words makes it easy to see how African-Americans and people in general could be offended by reading this part of his work.

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Thomas Jefferson postulated in the Declaration of Independence that slavery was inhuman yet was a callous hypocrite that treated his slaves brutally. Moreover, Jefferson asserted to Edward Rutledge, former governor of South Carolina, “I congratulate you… on the law of your state for suspending the importation of slaves… There is a bench reserved in heaven for those who hasten [slavery].” ( Jefferson letter to Rutledge: 1787, July 14). Jefferson incorporates religious beliefs into his letter to amplify the gravity of the situation similar to recent historical events such as the Salem witch trials which leveraged off of the skewed perception of religion.

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However, later on, when Thomas Jefferson becomes President he abolishes the Alien and Sedition Acts. In addition, according to Document 4, it states "I informed the Indians inhabiting parts of Georgia and Alabama that their attempt to establish an independent government would not be allowed by the Executive of the U.S, and advised to emigrate beyond the Mississippi..." This shows how the early Presidents didn't have a positive outcome on the people since President Andrew Jackson decided to move the Native Americans out of their homelands which wasn't fair because in a way they were still people of the United States. However, he was trying to protect Native Americans from

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The Louisiana Purchase was historic and significant event to the United States because, under President Thomas Jefferson, it basically added tremendous land opportunities to the colonists' farmers and provided property to many buyers. This moment in history was essential because the Jefferson saw it necessary to literally buyout France occupation of the territory. Jefferson knew that his presidency didn't limit his power to make such a huge achievement. "... Jefferson had to abandon his conviction that the federal government was limited to powers specifically mentioned in the Constitution, since the document said nothing about buying territory from a foreign power"(304). The Louisiana Purchase provided a new chance for total power through land.

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During Thomas Jefferson’s presidency, the Louisiana Purchase became one of the most important events during the time according to World Book. The purchase not only heightened the amount of economic resources, but it also doubled the size of the U.S. Many different events led up to the 15 million dollar purchase of the Louisiana territory. As stated in American History, we are all still uncertain if the U.S had demonstrated signs of wanting to purchase the territory or if France proposed to sell the land to the United States. But as soon as Jefferson started his political career, he began to become more and more interested in learning more about the uncovered lands that lied West of the Mississippi River.

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