Kathryn+Ad.+-+TJ+-+SP10

=** Thomas Jefferson **=

Thomas Jefferson

born: April 13, 1743 died: July 4, 1826

Political party: Democratic-Republican

first term: 1801-1805 second term: 1805-1809

Vice President(first term): Aaron Burr Vice President(second term): George Clinton

Jefferson was a perfect match for a president during politically divided times. He provided political views form both parties but held the label of Republican. Although it may have been in good intention Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase, and sent solders for the war with Tripoli. Although he did these without consulting congress he did them in the best interest of the colonies. He also passed laws that infringed on the rights of blacks and others that were hated by the colonists. Jefferson deserves the grade of a B- for the positive impact that he had on the colonies but also taking into consideration the faults that he had as president.

Thomas Jefferson was the first Democratic-Republican president to be elected to office so he referred to his election as a revolution. Jefferson aimed to undo what he viewed as the mistakes of the previous Federalist presidents. Thomas Jefferson strived to keep Americans united and peaceful between not only foreign countries but also their own fellow colonists. He wanted to unite America in a time where it was very politically divided.

Jefferson had a good relationship with congress. During his presidency he passed the Embargo acts, a bill that made the importation of slaves illegal and a bill forbidding blacks from carrying mail. Some legislation was also repealed such as the judiciary act of 1801, the whiskey tax and the Alien and Sedition acts. Being a Republican Thomas Jefferson was the same political party as the majority in congress for seven of his eight years allowing for a better relationship with congress. For Jefferson’s first year in office the majority party was the Federalists but for the remaining seven years the majority party in congress was the Republican Party.

Although the right to purchase land was not listed as a presidential power Jefferson bought the Louisiana for 15million dollars. The Louisiana Purchase was the most important event in Jefferson’s presidency. Jefferson saw it in the best interest of America to own this land to protect from conflict. This proved to be a wise decision doubling the size of America. It also triggered the Lewis and Clark expedition and allowed the colonists to move west word. Possibly the worst dissision of Jefferson’s presidency was the Embargo act. The idea was to hurt the French and British economy into submission but it only showed the dependency of America on foreign trade. The act was very much hated throughout the colonies and harmed the American economy instead of the intended French and British.

Once again the Louisiana Purchase had the largest effect on America doubling its size. The deal with Napoleon change America’s future drastically by triggering major historical events such as the Lewis and Clark expeditions and the movement of settlers out west. The land that Jefferson purchased is still being lived on today by Americans and if it had not been purchased by Jefferson who knows what could have happened.

The country needed a president like Jefferson whom was diverse in their political views and not afraid to not fallow everything directly as interpreted. If Jefferson would not have been president we may have never purchased the Louisiana Territory or learned the errors the Embargo acts. Taking the good with the bad Thomas Jefferson deserves the grade of a B-.

Bibliography: "3.Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)." //The White House Washington//. The White House. Web. 17 Feb. 2010. . Jefferson, Thomas. "Thomas Jefferson." //Bartleby, great books online//.Web. 19 Feb. 2010. ."Louisiana Purchase." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 9 Feb. 2010. Web. 19 Feb. 2010. . "Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present." //United States Senate//. United States Senate, 2010. Web. 19 Feb. 2010. . "Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)." //American President An Online Reference Resource Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)//. University of Virginia, 2009. Web. 17 Feb. 2010. . "Thomas Jefferson." //History Central//. Web. 19 Feb. 2010. . "Thomas Jefferson." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 10 Feb. 2010. Web. 19 Feb. 2010. .