Kelsey+S.+-+TJ+-+SP10

April 13, 1743 - July 4, 1826 Political Party: Democratic-Republican Terms in office: Term 1 (March 4, 1801-1805) Term 2 (1805-March 4, 1809) Vice Presidents: Aaron Burr (1801-1805), George Clinton (1805-1809) __ Thesis: __ Thomas Jefferson, besides being known as the writer of the Declaration of Independence, is one of the most famous presidents of the United States. He was a very accomplished man. During his presidency Jefferson ended the Judiciary Act of 1801, won the First Barbary War which was America’s first important war overseas, and bought Louisiana from France, increasing the size of the nation. Thomas Jefferson earns a B+ as president because even though he passed the Embargo Act of 1807 banning trade between the United States and other nation, he achieved so much and put forth a great effort.
 * Thomas Jefferson **

__ Goals: __ Jefferson had many dreams for America and its future. He wanted the nation to be a place of equality and unity. As he said in the declaration, “"We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal,” he tried to create equality. Jefferson made an effort to give blacks a better life by making slave importation illegal in the United States. Jefferson also wanted to minimize the federal budget and expand the United States, so he hired Albert Gallatin as Secretary of Treasure because they both felt that a national debt was not a good idea. Gallatin decreased the national debt using a strict economy. Jefferson felt that the government had too much power. He wanted to give more freedom to the people by giving more power to the states and less to the federal government. He wanted to give more religious freedom but some saw this as him wanting to burry the Bible, a Philadelphia woman wrote to her sister-in-law about the pride she felt on the occasion of Thomas Jefferson's inauguration "I have this morning witnessed one of the most interesting scenes a free people can ever witness."

__ Relationship with Congress: __ Right after Jefferson was elected he was determined to weaken the Federalist grip on the Judiciary system by ousting the newly Adams’s appointed justices. Jefferson adopted many of the Federalist programs already in place in Congress, and showed that a change in regime need not be disastrous for the defeated group. Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republicans defeat of John Adams and the Federalists marked the first shift of party political power in American history.

__ Positive Outcomes: __ During his presidency, Jefferson had many positive accomplishments. Jefferson won the First Barbary War, which was the first American war overseas and it was very important to the nation because it showed that they were capable of winning a war away from home and that the Americans could fight together and united. Jefferson also annulled the whiskey taxes and freed anyone imprisoned by the Alien and Sedition Acts. In 1803 Jefferson purchased Louisiana from France, which doubled the size of the nation. He felt it was necessary to buy the land because he was worried that France and Spain had power to block American trade. Thomas Jefferson minimized the nation debt as well, with the help of his Secretary of Treasure, Albert Gallatin. Then in 1807, Jefferson signed a bill to ban slave trade in the United States. __ Negative Outcomes: __ One of the biggest negative outcomes during Thomas Jefferson’s presidency was the Embargo Act of 1807. The Embargo Act was a bill that banned trade between America and other nations and prohibited any ships from leaving American ports. Jefferson established this bill because he did not want the nation getting involved with the Napoleonic Wars. This bill crushed Jefferson’s reputation among the nation because people were outraged by it because it caused an economic depression. The bill was repealed in 1809 immediately after Jefferson’s second term ended.

__ Future-Effecting Decisions: __ The Louisiana Purchase probably had the biggest influence on future generations. After Jefferson bought the Louisiana land from the French, American’s began expanding westward and settling. The Louisiana Purchase also caused the future exploration of Louis and Clark. The Naturalization Law of 1802, which reduced the required fourteen years of American residency to the previous five years, affected future presidential administrations. Jefferson’s abolishment of slavery was also a big influence on future generations. Slavery partially caused the civil war and the abolishing of slavery eventually led to the equality of blacks in America. Jefferson’s republicanism was the foundation of democracy. Republicanism and Democracy became major political parties for all future generations, and are the two remaining political parties in the United States today.

__ Conclusion: __ Conclusively, the nation was better off at the end of Thomas Jefferson’s presidency. Throughout his presidency, Jefferson doubled the size of the United States with the Louisiana Purchase, and he reduced the national deficit with the help of Gallatin. Jefferson accomplished major history-changing events and helped our country gain the power to bloom. I reward Thomas Jefferson with a B+ due to his wonderful efforts and accomplishments.

__Sources:__ "A.P.E. - Thomas Jefferson's Domestic Policy." //Oracle ThinkQuest Library//. Web. 12 Feb. 2010. .Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas A. Bailey. //The American Pageant//. Print."Thomas Jefferson -." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. Web. 11 Feb. 2010. ."Thomas Jefferson on Leadership." //Presidential Expert: (888) 377-4455//. Web. 12 Feb. 2010. .