Matt+K.+-+TJ+-+SP10

Thomas Jefferson-April 13, 1743 (Shadwell plantation, Goochland County, Virginia) – July 4, 1826 (Monticello, Virginia) Political party-Democratic-Republican // Terms of Office-March 1801 - March 1805, March 1805 - March 1809  // // Vice Presidents-Aaron Burr 1801-1805, George Clinton 1805-1809  //

Thomas Jefferson deserves a B for his presidency. Thomas Jefferson did a good job in uniting the country and winning the respect of his countrymen by sticking to his republican beliefs, repealing some very unpopular taxes and/or acts and ultimately taking some of the power out of the central government and giving it to the people. One of Thomas Jefferson’s biggest accomplishments was the Louisiana Purchase which allowed America to further expand. One of Thomas Jefferson’s actions that decreases his score is the extremely unpopular Embargo Act banning all trade with France and England.

Thomas Jefferson’s goals as president included uniting the people and restoring the values of the American Revolution. He wanted government to return to the fundamental republican beliefs. Thomas Jefferson accomplished all of this by taking power away from central government and giving it to the states. One example of this is the reduction in size of the U.S. military. This action gave more power to the states because the nation now relied on the state militias for protection instead of a government controlled army. Another goal of Thomas Jefferson was to stay neutral in the war between France and England. Jefferson accomplished this by introducing the Embargo Act which banned all trade with France or England. Jefferson also gained popularity with the people by repealing many acts and/or taxes such as the whisky tax.

Thomas Jefferson’s relationship with congress was good in both terms; most of the delegates in congress were Republican and favored his ideas. Because Jefferson had most of the delegates in Congress on his side it was much easier for him to pass laws that reflected Republican ideas and ways of governing. Jefferson’s good relationship with Congress enabled him to restore freedom of speech as well as downsize the Army and the Navy. This good relationship with Congress also enabled him to remove the Alien and Sedition acts and some unpopular taxes.

The action that had the most positive outcome in Jefferson’s administration was the Louisiana Purchase. The thought of French control of the Mississippi River startled Jefferson. Out of fear of the French establishing a French colonial empire in North America and consequently blocking American expansion, the president sent negotiators to France with instructions to purchase New Orleans and as much of the Gulf Coast as they could for $2 million. Napoleon Bonaparte had planned to use the Mississippi Valley as a food and trade center to supply the Island of Hispaniola. With the loss at Haiti, however, Napoleon Bonaparte no longer needed the land in the new world. Napoleon then offered to sell all of the Louisiana Province to America for $15 million. This greatly expanded the size of the country adding more than 2 million sq km of land extending from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains.

The action that had the most negative outcome in Jefferson’s administration was the Embargo Act. In an attempt to stay neutral in the war between the British and the French, Jefferson traded with both the British and the French. This, of course, made both sides very angry causing each to attack American merchant ships. In an attempt to stay natural and keep American merchant ships safe, Jefferson introduced the Embargo Act. The Embargo Act restricted all foreign trade (no imports or exports from foreign countries). But, the Embargo Act backfired hurting the American economy much more than the British or French would have done. This act also resulted in widespread smuggling, and job loss.

One of the most important decisions that Thomas Jefferson made was the decision to purchase the Louisiana Province from Napoleon Bonaparte. This was a very important decision because if Jefferson had not bought the land from Napoleon the French may still have control over that land today. Also, had Jefferson not bought that land, the British probably would have, creating severe problems for America for obvious reasons. If Jefferson had not bought that land America probably would eventually have been involved in another war with the British, French or both. The outcome may not have been as great as the last time America got into a war with the British or French. The British or French may have eventually taken over America.

Even though Thomas Jefferson made a few bad choices like the Embargo Act, causing America to enter an economic crisis, overall he did a good job. Jefferson always had the people in mind when making decisions and managed to give the people back some of their rights. Jefferson also more than doubled the size of America allowing for further expansion. Jefferson deserves the grade of a B.

"Biography of Thomas Jefferson, Author of the Declaration of Independence and third President of the United States." //Thomas Jefferson's Monticello//. Web. 12 Feb. 2010. . //Digital History//. Web. 12 Feb. 2010. . "President Thomas Jefferson." //American History and World History at Historycentral.com the largest and most complete history site on the web//. Web. 12 Feb. 2010. . "Thomas Jefferson |." //The White House//. Web. 12 Feb. 2010. .
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