Great American Political Thinkers In the year of 1776, the United States became an independent country. At that moment, the great men who fought for its independence began to create the government and shape American politics. In Richard Hofstadter's The American Political Tradition and the Men Who Made It, he identifies twelve of the most influential men and the political traditions they created, including the Founding Fathers who started it all. Additionally, Hofstadter informs the reader of other significant government officials including Andrew Jackson and his democracy, the progressive, trustbuster Theodore Roosevelt, and ending with Franklin D. Roosevelt and his programs of the New Deal. Richard Hofstadter's ideas are brilliantly
Jefferson used his strong reasoning and logic to lead him through his presidency. Born into aristocracy, Thomas Jefferson had a varied early life, was involved with politics from a young age, and advocated for the pursuit of happiness. Thomas Jefferson, born into Virginia aristocracy, was very generous, fascinated with mechanical arts, a pacifist, and was a nationalist. Although he was president, he did not enjoy power, could not bear publicity, was sensitive to criticism, and hated controversy, but he did not lack courage. Thomas liked the farmers. He believed that they were the chosen people of God, planting and taking care of the Earth. He once stated, “I think our governments will remain virtuous for many centuries, as long as they remain chiefly agricultural.” His strong views on agricultural were brought into his political life many times with the many jobs he took on. At 24, he was admitted to the bar, 26 elected to a seat in the House of Burgesses, and was a successful lawyer at 29. He wrote many bills, some of which had more of an egotistical motive than others. In 1774 he wrote the natural rights doctrine, he created the decimal system of coinage, was American Minister to France in 1785-1789, passed the Embargo Act, wrote the Declaration of Independence, and wrote bills destroying primogeniture and entail in Virginia. The Embargo Act, an attempt to bring the North and South to terms by withholding food and other supplies was a complete failure.