Erik+Ri.+-+TJ+-+SP13

Thomas Jefferson April 14, 1743 Shadwell, Virginia - July 4, 1826 his home of Monticello outside of Charlottesville, Virginia Political Party: Democratic-Republican Terms of Office: March 4, 1801 - March 4, 1809 Vice Presidents: Aaron Burr during 1st term (1801-1805), George Clinton during 2nd term (1805-1809)  Thomas Jefferson was a double edged sword as President of the United States in terms of Globalization. During his Presidency, Jefferson had the displeasure of sharing the United States territory with the French, specifically their military genius Napoleon Bonaparte. With the threat of possible bloodshed over the Louisiana territory, Jefferson decided it was crucial to acquire the territory on peaceful terms, because a war with the powerful French would require an American alliance with Britain for a victory. With the peaceful purchase of the Louisiana Territory, Jefferson was able to remain alliance-free and open up the “Valley of Democracy” for expedition. However, all was not well during Jefferson’s presidency. When the United States was caught in an indirect conflict between the French and British forces, Jefferson was forced to encourage Congress to pass an Embargo Act, in an attempt to make foreign powers crumble and respect American’s commercial rights. To its misfortune, the Embargo Act’s theory of “peaceful coercion” failed. The New England states almost seceded from the Union and Jefferson had greatly miscalculated the unpopularity of the Embargo Acts. Bustling ports were deserted and raw materials began to pile up all over the country. Jefferson was fortunate that his mistake did not cause more harm to the United States. Globalization was a great part of Jefferson’s Presidency and Jefferson’s decisions were likely to bring great change to the idea of globalization in America.
 * Thematic Context **

 Jefferson and his administration deserve a C+ for their contributions during their time in office. As President, Jefferson was able to realize that peaceful solutions to complex problems provided America with the best conditions to thrive. He successfully doubled the size of the United States without the loss of lives on American soil. Although Jefferson had success, he made rash decisions. If Jefferson were to have responded with a better solution than the Embargo Act when America was caught in indirect warfare between France and Britain, then his presidency would have been highlighted with greater honor. His efforts to encourage peaceful solutions marked his success, but his inability to solve America’s problem of foreign commerce with the French and British, contribute to his C+.
 * Thesis Statement **

 **Goals**  In Thomas Jefferson’s first inaugural address, he highlighted the importance of republicanism. In Jefferson’s own words, “...all will, of course, arrange themselves under the will of the law and unite in common efforts for the common good” (Thomas). He preached the importance of defending the Constitution and living under a government which would cease the day where people hurt each other, but defend the day where the freedoms of the people are safeguarded. Under his presidency, Jefferson argued that under his government, he would encourage agriculture and leave people free to regulate their own pursuits of industry. He would also stress the importance of no entangling alliance, but peaceful ambitions of commerce abroad. In his second inaugural address, Jefferson defended his purchase of the Louisiana Territory. He fought to explain that humans are unable to comprehend the bounds of democracy and that this new territory would not threaten union. But Jefferson’s one fear that could threaten the union is war, which he stated is reserved for crisis. He wanted to avoid a war with Britain and France by way of the Embargo Act. Jefferson encouraged Congress to pass the law which would forbid the export of all goods departing from the United States by way of foreign or American ships. He stood to defend the law by recognizing the fact that war could be more costly than an Embargo, which would last until those it was imposed against would realize their reliance upon the United States of America. Consistency, a trait on Jefferson’s, shined like the illuminating sun when Jefferson protested against long term alliances. In his first and second address, Jefferson rightly explained the importance of remaining neutral at all costs, so as to protect the United States. What Jefferson sought to protect in office, he rightly defended.

**Relationship With Congress**  Jefferson has an astounding relationship with Congress. Before Jefferson stepped into office, the dreadful Alien and Sedition Acts had been passed by Congress. Of their many problems, the Alien and Sedition Acts attacked freedom of speech and freedom of press. Jefferson, with the help of Congress, was able to restore freedom of the press and defend it during his presidency. Reducing the means and powers of government was also a focus of Jefferson’s during his presidency. Together, Jefferson and Congress halted internal taxes and worked at beginning to pay off the national debt left by Alexander Hamilton’s economic plans. Congress even aided him in scaling down the army and navy to reduce the costs of the nation’s defence. But as is true in Jefferson’s presidency, the beginning was stronger than the finish. In Jefferson’s second term, Aaron Burr was dropped from the cabinet and joined a group of Federalist extremists attempting to relinquish New England and New York from the union. Later, Burr even helped plan a separation of the western part of the United States from the eastern part. Burr stirred up Congress with the threat of a revolt in the west, but Jefferson was still able to maintain a good relationship with Congress. In the final years of his presidency, Jefferson and Congress passed the Embargo Act, which was later repealed because of domestic costs piling up.

 **Positive Event**  Perhaps Jefferson’s greatest action was sending James Monroe to Paris to join Robert Livingston in the process of buying New Orleans and as much land to the east as possible for ten million dollars. Jefferson knew the what was at stake when he sent them. France would either sell the precious port, or Americans would have to fight against the famed general Napoleon Bonaparte. A fight with France would also force America to, “..marry ourselves to the British fleet and nation,” as Jefferson once wrote. Bloodshed and alliances were two things Jefferson feared, and two circumstances he would prove to avoid with his brilliant decision. Little did he know at the time, but Jefferson picked the perfect time to assert his delegates in Paris for the purchase of the “Louisiana Godsend.” Napoleon was pressured by the failing Santo Domingo island, which New Orleans was intended to provide foodstuffs for. To add, Napoleon was craving money for schemes he was plotting closer to home. He even believed that with the acquisition of New Orleans, America would stay out of an alliance with Britain and one day become a dominant naval power, forcing Britain out of maritime dominance. Within a year from when he sent James Monroe to help negotiate the purchase, Livingston was proud to report to Jefferson that he had not only acquired New Orleans, but he had commandeered a tract of land that would more than double the size of the United States. Upon hearing the news, Jefferson had thought that it may not be in his power to negotiate a treaty of land where many indians have settled, but when Congress approved the notion, Jefferson was able to realize the great opportunity he had been given. In purchasing the Louisiana Territory, Jefferson was able to add a vast majority of land to the United States without starting a bloody war. Unknowingly, Jefferson had also established a precedent. Governments would now be inclined to occupy foreign territory by purchase. Jefferson even revived the spirit of adventure in the United States with the Lewis and Clark expedition. Little did Jefferson know what he had truly stumbled upon.

**Negative Event** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Jefferson’s kryptonite came in the form of the controversial Embargo Act. When Congress signed off on the Embargo Act, Jefferson did not foresee the ability of the French and British to sustain themselves, and or the trouble the Embargo would bring to America’s economy. As a law passed to prevent the “slavish submission” to the French and British when American merchants were forced into foreign navies, the Embargo Act prevented the export of all goods from the United States. Jefferson thought this would slowly crumble the foreign powers and force them to admit their reliance to the United States. His actions may have been rushed because he failed to recognize the already staggering American economy, which was one of the main reasons John Adams had avoided war with France previously. To Jefferson’s disapproval, American citizens began to curse the Embargo Act because it had turned their bustling ports into ghost towns. Material, which would have been shipped to Britain or France as raw material, was now sitting along the coast waited for the go ahead to begin trade again. But Jefferson had miserably miscalculated the sustainability of the French and the British. Each of them relied on other colonies while still tarnishing American pride by seizing American merchant ships. Jefferson was forced to admit failure with the passing of the Intercourse Act, which repealed various parts of the Embargo Act. This event is a determining factor of why Thomas Jefferson receives a C+ for his time in office.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Influential Decision** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Shortly after purchasing the Louisiana Territory, Jefferson send the legendary team of Lewis and Clark to explore the newly acquired space. The expedition traveled all the way through the Missouri River, through the Rockies, and set foot on the Pacific Coast. Under Jefferson’s request, Lewis and Clark were able to provide of plethora of scientific observations, as well as detailed knowledge of Native American tribes they encountered along the way. Lewis and Clark would later learn that the observations they recorded about the native inhabitants, natural resources, and geography would inspire many individuals to expand west. The expedition came at no greater time because Jefferson was fearing a divided nation, but the expedition sparked a sense of national pride, that may very well have been a small part of the glue that held the nation together. Jefferson’s decision to explore the western territory encouraged western expansion and would force future Presidents to make crucial decision about the interesting western territory.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> In short, America was in a better position after Jefferson left, but there could have been a things that Jefferson could have done to improve the state of the union. On the positive side, Jefferson was able to expand the nation westward in a peaceful way. He was able to set an example to future Presidents on the right type of relationship to have with Congress. Jefferson was able to show citizens that a President could promote state governments, while respecting the rights of the Constitution and other branches of the federal government. Jefferson’s greatest struggle came in the form of the economy, when he halted exports to foreign nations. But even after the devastating results of the Embargo, there was a shimmer of light. New England was able to reopen old factories and build new factories. Jefferson unknowingly had laid the foreground for America’s modern industry, even though he openly promoted agriculture ahead of industry. His contributions to republicanism, the absence of alliances, and his will to obey the Constitution in all matters earn him a C+ for his time in office.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Conclusion **


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Works Cited **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Bailey, Thomas Andrew, David M. Kennedy, and Lizabeth Cohen. The American Pageant. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. Print.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Thomas Jefferson Biography - life, family, death, history, wife, young, son, old, information, born, college." Encyclopedia of World <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Biography. Advameg, n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2013. <http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ho-Jo/Jefferson-Thomas.html>.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Thomas Jefferson: "Inaugural Address," March 4, 1801. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=25803.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Thomas Jefferson: "Inaugural Address," March 4, 1805. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=25804.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> "Thomas Jefferson." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Feb 18 2013, 07:32 http://www.biography.com/people/thomas- <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> jefferson-9353715.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> "What effect did the Lewis and Clark expedition have on America." The Q&A wiki. Answers Corporation, n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2013. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> <http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_effect_did_the_Lewis_and_Clark_expedition_have_on_America>.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Wikipedia contributors. "Thomas Jefferson." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 14 Feb. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 2013. Web. 16 Feb. 2013.