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Thomas Jefferson Born April 13, 1743 Died July 4, 1826 In office March 4, 1801- March 4, 1809 Political party: Democrat-republican Vice presidents: Aaron Burr (First term) George Clinton (Second term)

Theme: Slavery and it influence Thomas Jefferson along with other president all had an opinion on slavery. Jefferson’s position on slavery that I found doesn’t show that he was against or for slavery. Although the evidence leads more towards that he was against slavery. Thomas grew up around slavery all his life and when he was an older man he had a plantation of his own. This plantation had slaves. This is the reason for the confusion of his position on slavery. During his term after the Louisiana Purchase he allowed slavery in the newly acquired land. During his term he had the international slave trade outlawed by congress as it was required by the U.S. Constitution. Also during his life time he had relations with a black slave. They had children together. All of this evidence supports the reasoning to the confusion of his position on slavery.

After extensive research on our third president, Thomas Jefferson, I have concluded that he deserves a B+ for his two terms of presidency. The reason for this grade Is for all of the accomplishments he had during his presidency. Such as he reduced the national debt, he outlawed slave importation, and Ohio entered the union during his term. That’s just to name a few. He also had a few failures during his presidency. Such as allowing slavery in the newly acquired land from the Louisiana and one of the most important the Embargo act. All of these reasons contributing to his B+ grade for his presidency.

Jefferson, for his inauguration speech, dressed very plainly and entered without any introduction. He rode in on his horse and retired it himself. In plain clothes on March 4, 1801 he gave his speech. This plane style showed the people of America that he was a part of them and truly had their best interests. His goals include wanting encourage agriculture, a sparing and limited government, he also want peace, he also wanted all American citizens to have equal and fair rights. All of these goals were stated in his address. He tried his best to be a sparring president by reducing the national debt by a third, repealing taxes on slaves and also houses. During his presidency he also fired all tax collectors. During his presidency he tried his best to put regulations on the slave trade this served as protection of human rights. He also persuaded congress to reduce the price of public lands, this encouraged expansion. He also tried his best with the Tripolitan war o keep the peace. All of these attempts were a success compared to his goals which is why I gave him a B+ for his presidency.

Thomas Jefferson a Democrat-republican was still involved with Congress. During the election of 1801 Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr were tied for president, when the House elected him in as President. During His presidency he proposed to the legislation to outlaw slavery as it was clearly stated in the Constitution. Also during his presidency he got the funds that were needed for the Lewis and Clark expedition form Congress. These examples show the ties between Congress and Thomas Jefferson.

Thomas Jefferson has accomplished many things during his presidency. One of these accomplishments, which he is most known for, is the Louisiana Purchase. This purchase opened up the west and doubled the size of the U.S. This land that was purchased was one of the most fertile pieces of land on the planet. This purchase developed a lot of our western part of our country today. Without this purchase we would simply not have this large piece of land that makes up over half of the country today.

After the Louisiana Purchase Jefferson created the Lewis and Clark expedition. This expedition produced scientific and geographical knowledge about the west. This expedition was lead mainly to map and document the Americans presence before anyone else could try and claim the land. This expedition resolved the worry that someone else would try and claim a part of the territory. If the expedition didn’t exist it could have very easily given away apart of the purchase which there is a possibility that part of our country wouldn’t exist.

Some people didn’t know this about Jefferson but he created the United States Military Academy. This academy was called West Point. This academy provides well-trained officers for the professional army.

The major event that greatly affect Jefferson’s presidency was the Embargo Act. This act was passed in 1807. It was created to maintain neutrality in the Napoleonic Wars. This act ultimately failed. It was a great financial disaster because the Americans couldn’t export their goods. This means it pretty much destroyed oversea trade. Every area in the U.S. greatly suffered. The biggest thing was that farmers in the south could not get rid and dispose of their crops. In1809 Jefferson repealed the embargo after James Madison won the election. If the Embargo act wasn’t repealed who knows what would have become of our country.

All of these examples which are mostly positive shows why I gave him a B+. If the Embargo act wasn’t passed and didn’t affect so many Americans in 1807 I would have given him an A for his presidency. At the end of his term the country was better off because they acquired a lot of land that created the west part of our country. The major thing that affected his presidency was the Embargo Act. But overall yes the country was better off with Jefferson as the Third President of the United States.

Works Cited "Thomas Jefferson." //UUA Server for Other Organizations' Web Sites//. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. . "Thomas Jefferson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. . "Thomas Jefferson | The White House." //The White House//. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. . "Thomas Jefferson Â« Thomas Jeffersonâ€™s Monticello." //Thomas Jeffersonâ€™s Monticello//. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. .