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__**Thomas Jefferson**__ // April 13, 1743 (Shadwell, Virginia)-July 4, 1826 (Charoletteshville, Virginia) Political Party: Democratic-Republican (Anti-Federalist) Terms in Office: March 1801-1805, March 1805-1809 Vice Presidents: Aaron Burr (Term 1), George Clinton (Term 2) //

One of the most influential men in US history, Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, was the third president of the United States, acted as the US ambassador to France, acted as the War-time Governor of Virginia, and founded the University of Virginia. __If graded, Jefferson's performance as president would deserve a "B".__ Some of the most significant events that occurred under the Jefferson Administration were the Louisiana Purchase, the Expeditions of Lewis and Clark, the successful victory of the First Barbary War, the abolition of the slave trade, and the decision to stay neutral throughout the Napleonic Wars. However, with success, comes failure, and The Embargo Act of 1807 was a huge failure.

Jefferson's immediate goals were to accomplish a greater unity between the states; in his inaugural speech Jefferson held out an olive branch to his political rivals and invited them to leave the partisanship of the past decade behind them and unite as Americans. Jefferson believed that in order for the nation to be successful, the people had to be united. Jefferson's immediate political goals were to reduce taxes and cut military spending, which was widely supported by the American people. Both of these goals were accomplished; the tax on whiskey, which was extremely unpopular, was eliminated, and spending was reduced greatly on both the army and navy. Jefferson also repealed the Judiciary Act of 1801 and removed many of the "midnight judges" from office. Despite the decreases in taxes, the national debt was reduced by one third- a good way to begin a presidency.

At the beginning of his term, Jefferson enjoyed good relations with Congress. Both the House and the Senate had Democratic-Republican majorities, and he did not veto any bills. They worked well together, working towards having a weaker central government, and giving states more authority. He cut both taxes and government spending on the army and navy, which was supported by Congress. Congress widely supported the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the United States for a measly 15 million dollars. They also agreed upon the First Barbary War(1801-1805), and declared war upon the Barbary States. However, later in Jefferson's presidency, particularly in his second term, ties with Congress began to weaken. The Embargo Act was not popular among Congress, as it was an inefficient and weakened the American Economy. On April 25, 1808 Congress proposed that once the European wars had ended Jefferson could repeal the Embargo Act, which he did in fact do, 3 days before his term ended. This represents how Congress had patience for Jefferson and suggested a way for him to rid the nation of the useless act. Despite the failure of the Embargo Act, Jefferson's relationship with Congress can be classified as a friendly one.

Jefferson's greatest success was clearly the Louisiana Purchase(1803). At the time, France was desperate for money in order to pay for an inevitable war against Great Britain, and Jefferson captalized perfectly upon this opportunity, buying Louisiana for a mere 15 million dollars. In doing this, he doubled the size of the U.S.A. overnight, a territory which would eventually engulf the area of 15 future US states. This purchase had an enormous effect on the future of the U.S.A., gaining land where millions of Americans live today, and thousands of pioneers would begin to venture out into these new lands. Jefferson sent out an expedition led by Lewis and Clark, which gave Americans vast amounts of knowledge about the frontier, which would fuel future the migration of future generations out West. Jefferson also is notable for abolishing the slave trade, which banned the importation of slaves into America. This was huge, as it slowly lowered the number of slaves into the US, and was the first government act towards the outlawing of slavery.

Although the beginning of Jefferson's presidency could be considered effective, the latter was plagued with ineffective policies and mistakes. The greatest of these blunders was The Embargo Act. War was brewing between England and France, and the fledgling nation of the U.S.A was not ready to partake in any foreign wars, or else risk being taken over and made back into a colony. The neutral U.S. ships which did trade in the Mediterranean were being harassed by the British and French, and events such as the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair convinced Jefferson that an embargo was necessary. Passed on December 22, 1807, the Embargo Act banned all imports and exports of the U.S.A. It was designed to make Britain and France realize the rights of the U.S.A, but failed horribly as the nation suffered economically from this temporary isolationism. The Embargo Act was Jefferson's greatest failure as President, and was a bad way to end his presidency. 3 days before turning over his power to James Madison, Jefferson signed an act repealing the embargo.

Overall, the nation was better off after Jefferson was in office. Although he did weaken the economy with Embargo Act at the end of his term, the economy would quickly recover, and the nation would go on to prosper through the good things that Jefferson throughout his presidency. The Louisiana Purchase was huge, it gave the United States the freedom to expand far beyond its previous borders, and allowed the population to grow without having to crowd the small Eastern seaboard. The abolition of the slave trade was a big step in the future freeing of all slaves, and Jefferson also did a good job of lowering the national debt throughout his presidency, which would put less economic pressure on the infant nation in years to come. Jefferson rightfully deserves a "B" for his presidency; though he did not improve the economy much, he doubled the size of the nation for a considerably cheap price, which will forever be remembered as a huge step in the expansion of the United States.

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