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[] // Thomas Jefferson // // April 13, 1743- July 4, 1826. // // Political Party: Democratic- Republican Party // // Terms of Presidency: March 4, 1801- March 1805; March 1805-March 3, 1809 // // Vice Presidents: Aaron Burr (1801- 1805); George Clinton (1805- 1809) //

Thomas Jefferson unquestionably had an impact on America during his presidency. __Because there were both positive and negative outcomes during his presidency, Jefferson is worthy of receiving a “B” for his terms.__ During his presidency, Jefferson had numerous accomplishments. They included purchasing the Louisiana Territory, reducing the nation’s debt, eliminating the tax on whiskey, specially selected Lewis and Clark for the expedition into the west and the elimination of the slave trade to America. Negatively, however, Jefferson passed the Embargo Act in 1807 which greatly damaged his reputation.
 * Thesis **

Thomas Jefferson set many goals for his presidency which he delivered in his inaugural address. One goal of Jefferson’s was to reduce the nation’s debt. America, now struggling from the Revolutionary War, needed to find a way to get out of debt. This goal was accomplished during Jefferson’s presidency. He was able to lessen the nation’s debts by decreasing the size of the U.S. military. Another goal was Jefferson’s vision to rebuild the principals from the American Revolution. These principals included the need for unity within the nation. ** "Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none," were also ambitions of Jefferson (Jefferson, Thomas). Jefferson carried out this goal to an extent. He didn’t get America involved in alliances as he stated; however, the aspect of an “honest friendship with all nations” may not have been completely accurate after Jefferson’s presidency. The passing of the Embargo Act somewhat angered Britain and France. ** The Louisiana Territory is mentioned frequently in Jefferson’s second inaugural address. After Jefferson is successful in obtaining the Louisiana Territory (Louisiana Purchase) from France, he sends Meriwether Lewis and William Clark out to explore it. Relationship with Congress ** Jefferson had a good relationship with Congress during his first term as President. Most of the House consisted of Democratic-Republicans, which helped Jefferson get elected. Jefferson functioned well with Congress, and was able to reinstate freedom of the press, as well as decrease the size of the military. In addition, Jefferson and Congress were able to abolish taxes within the country and started to reduce the nation’s expenses. Although Jefferson’s first term as President was successful; his relationship with Congress declined during his second term. One negative event that shrunk the good connection between Jefferson and Congress was the rebellion into the west that was headed by James Wilkinson and Aaron Burr. While Jefferson was able to defeat this uprising, he had a hard time doing so and afterwards had to regain control of Congress. In Jefferson’s entire presidency however, he never vetoed a bill.
 * Goals **

Thomas Jefferson did a lot to help the growing nation of America. There were multiple positive outcomes during his terms of presidency. One thing Jefferson was able to do was reduce the nation’s debt. He did this by repealing multiple Federalist taxes such as the tax on whiskey which earlier led to the Whiskey Rebellion. Jefferson also reduced the size of the U.S. military which he thought was a pointless use of the nation’s resources. One of the most important factors of Jefferson’s presidency was his purchase of the Louisiana Territory (Louisiana Purchase). The Louisiana Territory was bought from France who was in need of money due to the fact that it was on the verge of war with Britain. This was a significant purchase; it more than doubled the size of the United States and it was purchased for a remarkable price of $15 million. Another valuable decision made by Jefferson was the elimination of the slave trade. Starting in 1808, the importation of slaves to American was banned. This significantly lowered the amount of slaves in America. An additional positive decision made by Jefferson was his arrangement of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Jefferson directed Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to survey out the areas west of the Mississippi River. The two explorers made scientific surveillances, as well as prepared maps, and gathered information on the Indians inhibiting the region. Negative Outcomes ** In 1807, Jefferson along with Congress passed the Embargo Act in an attempt to stay out of the Napoleonic Wars. The Embargo Act was intended to make Britain and France value the United States neutrality by stopping American shipping to both nations. This led to Americans smuggling in order to ship resources to Europe. Jefferson was then compelled to use the military to patrol the American coast in order to try an enforce the act. New England in particular suffered from this act. Since New England was dependant on trade for economic survival, New Englanders sided with the Federalist Party. The Embargo Act lost many supporters for Jefferson and hurt his reputation greatly. Future Impact ** Many aspects of Thomas Jefferson’s presidency have impacted future generations. One decision made by Jefferson, such as the purchase of the Louisiana Territory, more than doubled the size of the United States. Today, this portion of land amounts to 23% of the United States. This expanded the American’s territory and encouraged the nation’s growth. Jefferson’s first election in 1800 also impacted the future. This controversial election led to the 12th Amendment which initiated double balloting in the Electoral College. Conclusion ** In conclusion, America was better off after Thomas Jefferson’s first term, but was worse off after his second term. Jefferson’s first term included his most notable achievement, which was the Louisiana Purchase. This greatly encourages Jefferson to receive a high grade due to the fact that it more than doubled the size of the United States. In addition, Jefferson then selected Lewis and Clark to explore this land. Jefferson also assessed the nation’s debt during his first term. He eliminated the tax on whiskey and was able to reduce the nation’s debt by decreasing the size of the military. During Jefferson’s second term as president he also had accomplishments such as ending the slave trade to America, but he also passed the Embargo Act. The Embargo Act proved to be unpopular and unenforceable. Because of Jefferson’s support of the Embargo Act, his reputation suffered immensely. Therefore, because the majority of his presidency was beneficial excluding the Embargo Act, Thomas Jefferson deserves a “B” for his terms as President.
 * Positive Outcomes **

"A.P.E. - Thomas Jefferson's Domestic Policy." //Oracle ThinkQuest Library//. Web. 07 Feb. 2010. . Bailey, Thomas A. //The American Pageant//. 12th ed. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. Print. //Digital History//. Web. 07 Feb. 2010. . "The Election of 1800." //Ushistory.org//. Web. 07 Feb. 2010. . "The Electoral College - Controversial Elections." //FairVote - Home.// Web. 07 Feb. 2010. . "Lewis and Clark Expedition | Lewis and Clark: Louisiana Purchase--Thomas Jefferson | World Book Encyclopedia." //World Book Home//. Web. 07 Feb. 2010. . "President Thomas Jefferson." //American History and World History at Historycentral.com the largest and most complete history site on the web//. Web. 11 Feb. 2010. . "Thomas Jefferson Biography.” //Encyclopedia of World Biography//. Web. 07 Feb. 2010. .
 * Bibliography **