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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.
Thomas Jefferson had an enormous impact on the American society. He influenced America to unite as one nation. He shaped a strong central government and had a judicial exceed. If he hadn’t shaped a strong government maybe we wouldn’t have the rights we have today. He proceeded by doing this by influencing the constitution.
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.
The Louisiana Purchase seems to have strained his belief in circumscribed government. The Legislative Branch did not accommodate with the French Government. It did not endorse the sale. The treaty and understanding to purchase Louisiana was decided by the Executive Branch alone. It was evident to Jefferson though that the purchase of the Louisiana Territory was crucial for peace and prosperity of United States.
He even aimed and tried to establish a more perfect union by sending his men to fight off the Barbary pirates who were harassing the U.S commerce. ”He also sent a naval squadron to fight the Barbary pirates, who were harassing American commerce in the Mediterranean” (Frank Freidel). Purchasing the Louisiana Territory, displayed Jefferson expanding America into a better union. “At more than 820,000 square miles, the acquisition (which included lands extending between the Mississippi River and Rocky Mountains and the Gulf of Mexico to present-day Canada) effectively doubled the size of the United States” (History.com - Thomas Jefferson). The only thing Jefferson lacked was being fair to all, or establishing justice.
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
Many people believe that Thomas Jefferson is a powerful individual who helped form our country, and was a great leader through his presidential career. He made the best out of difficult situations, when he knew the complete situation had to remain unsolved, and he also wrote the Declaration of Independence for the help of our country. On the other hand, it can also be debated that Thomas Jefferson is a hypocritic man that nearly destroyed our military,
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.
The first reason Thomas Jefferson is the strongest and best out of the three is he made the Declaration of Independance. In 1775 Thomas jefferson was on the continetial congress. He later made the declaration of Independance in 1776. This document is one of the most important document in United States History. It communicates the beliefs and the values of the American Government.
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.
Thomas Jefferson The article, “Apostle of Republican Liberty” by Eugene R. Sheridan presents a biography of Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States. Also known as the “Father of the Declaration of Independence”; founder of the University of Virginia, and author of the “Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom”. The author of this article, Eugene R. Sheridan is a member of the Princeton University Department of History, which has written couple of other books and articles about the early American history.
Some have labeled Jefferson’s actions Machiavellian. However, Machiavelli constrained the ruler’s behavior only by political necessity, separating the ruler from conventional Christian virtues. This may be the rare occasion, where Christian values and Machiavellianism can come together for a common purpose. Jefferson anguished over the decision to purchase the Louisiana Territory without a constitutional amendment, and decided it was in the best economic, political, and national security interests of the nation to proceed. Most historians agree with his conclusion; the benefits of purchasing the Louisiana Territory outweighed the cost to his strict constructionist principles.
Luis Sevilla For: Dr. Stephens History 1301 42T 12 October 2015 Review #2 Does Thomas Jefferson come across as a great man, or a petty one? That is all based on opinion. From the little that is taught about Thomas Jefferson he comes across as a great man. Jefferson is not only known as a founding father he is also a big symbol in American History
Reuven notices that Danny is very different from whom he had expected him to be. As the son of Reb Saunders, Danny shows many signs of having an intellectual passion, however he admits that studying just the Talmud is not enough and that his school life is quite boring. He feels that the teachers are too afraid of his father to challenge him, thus, he reads many books as a replacement for experiencing the challenges and excitement that he could never achieve at school. Rather than judging Danny by his appearance or position, Reuven uses this opportunity to actually listen to him, as a result, he was able to learn many things about his new friend. Prior to the novel, the same reoccurring theme of friendship seem to play an important role in
Of Thomas Jefferson’s triumphs, his advancement of personal rights has had the greatest effect on modern day America. Without his enlightenment ideas and push for the Bill of Rights, the United States would not be the same amazing country that exists today. God bless
