During our nation’s early years, Thomas Jefferson was considerably very important to the history and growth of the United States. Born on April 13, 1743 in Shadwell, Virginia Jefferson was noted for his heavily involvement in the United States (U.S.) government. Jefferson served as a representative in the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1769 then eventually got a seat in the Second Continental Congress in 1775. From there was when Jefferson had presented and submitted his draft of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson returned to Virginia where he became the governor in 1779, later “in 1785 he succeeded Franklin as minister to France.”1 Then in 1789, Jefferson would become Secretary of State where he “was chiefly engaged in fruitless negotiations with the European powers”2 Finally, Jefferson became President of the U.S. on March 4, 1801, until 1809. Although Jefferson’s decisions on enacting the 1807 December Embargo act and cutting funds to the U.S. Army and Navy were unsuccessful and ultimately backfired, his negotiation with the French on the Louisiana Purchase and his funding for the expedition of the Lewis and Clarke expedition overall outshined the negatives, I consider the presidency of Thomas Jefferson to have been a success.
In the year 1801, the French had secured their territory of Louisiana from Spain; this affected the U.S. when a restriction was imposed on American trade in the port of New Orleans. In response, the Jefferson administration sought to negotiate a deal with the French in order to purchase New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte was on the verge of war with the British and knew that he would not be able to defend the Louisiana territory so instead of just offering New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, he offered the entire Louisiana territory. “The agreement itself required the United States to pay $11.5 million and to forgive $3.5 million in French debts.”3 The citizens of the U.S. were ecstatic to see their nation grow and more importantly “the Purchase had achieved a peaceful settlement.”4 his dream and the citizen’s dreams of expansion, of Manifest Destiny was in our nation’s minds and was our long time goal, to which Jefferson was making the necessary steps to secure.
President Jefferson was not perfect; he made some decisions that had a negative effect on the U.S. such as the Embargo in 1807. Due to the chaos from the Napoleonic Wars in the Atlantic, American ships were getting caught in the crossfire and their neutrality was doing nothing to ease the conflicts.” Finally there appeared to be no escape from war except by withdrawing from the oceans.”5 In December of 1807 a total Embargo was placed on all outgoing sea commerce, the Embargo failed to do what it was intended for, “to bring Britain or France to justice,”6 instead it had only backfired on the U.S. economy until it was finally repealed by congress. A way to have prevented or have protected themselves more would have been easier if Thomas Jefferson had not scaled down and cut funding to the Army and Navy of the U.S. during this time. It left the U.S. merchant ships vulnerable to being destroyed or being stolen by the British and French. These decisions had caused a damaging effect on the U.S. economy and were overall very destructive to our growing nation.
Another perk to gaining the territory of Louisiana was the opportunity to explore what exactly the U.S. had gotten. Jefferson “asked Congress for authorization and funding of $2,500 for an expedition to explore the Missouri River to its source in the Rocky Mountains, and then down the nearest westward-flowing stream to the Pacific.”7 Jefferson picked his private secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lewis asked for permission to bring his friend William Clark to lead this expedition along with several recruits. The goals of the expedition were more than just exploration, “They were instructed to
Gaude Mrs. Benton Eng. Comp 1 11 November 2013 Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson, who was born in 1743 in Albermarle, Virginia, was a self-made man. Jefferson spent most of his childhood roaming in the woods and studying his books on a remote family owned plantation in Virginia. Jefferson received his education in law from William and Mary College. Jefferson was not what most people consider attractive, with red hair and freckles. Jefferson married widowed Martha Wayles Skelton and took her…
33807400 020000 right0 020000 Family: Father: Peter Jefferson, 1708-175, a slave owning surveyor and farmer, whom Jefferson idolized, 1755-1815Mother: Jane Randolph, 1720-1776, the wealthy descendant of an aristocratic Virginia family, cousin of Peyton Randolph, the head of the Virginia House of Burgesses.Eldest Sister: Jane, 1740-1765Elder Sister: Mary, 1741-1804Younger Sister: Elizabeth, 1744-1774Younger Sister: Martha, 1746-1811Younger Brother: Peter, 1748-1748Younger Brother: Unnamed, 1750-1750Younger…
Jasmine Mitchell 3rd period Civics The childhood of Thomas Jefferson Born on 13 April 1743 in Virginia, Thomas Jefferson was the third of eight children of Peter Jefferson and Jane Randolph. His father, who was of Welsh descent, was a ship’s captain and worked as a planter for some time. In 1745, his family moved to Tuckahoe and lived there for seven years before they returned to their home in Albemarle after his father was appointed to the colonelcy of the county. Jefferson’s education began…
Makeiah Adams Mr. Anderson 28 February 2015 HIST 2001 Thomas Jefferson: The Man Who Started It All Thomas Jefferson was a powerful political figure and leader in our country. He made numerous contributions to the United States ranging from inventions to legal documents. He also made a few wise decisions that forever affected our country and the world we live in today. Thomas Jefferson made a decision to purchase Louisiana Territory from France which then led another great decision to enlist two…
Student Name Final Teacher 3 May 2012 Thomas Jefferson Known to Americans as one of the Founding Fathers and the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson is among United States history as one of the greatest Americans to live. Jefferson was the third child of 10 in his family and was born on April 13th, 1743 in Shadwell, Goochland County, Virginia. His father Peter Jefferson was a planter and slaveholder whom meets…
The election of Thomas Jefferson in 1800 was significant in many ways. Jefferson himself even called his election revolutionary and is an example of how America re-invented itslelf once again. For the first time in our country's history governmental control and power was transfered from one party to another. Power was transitioned from the Federalist party under Washington and Adams, to the Democratic/Republican party under Jefferson. Aslo, Jefferson's election marked the emeregence of a two…
Roger Murphy Mrs. Fatheree American Literature I 19 November 2014 Why We Should Study Thomas Jefferson. “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This quote, written by Thomas Jefferson, comes from the Declaration of Independence which the United States of America was founded upon. This is one of the most important documents in…
Federalists- term used to describe Alexander Hamilton and some of his less-moderate supporters. They wanted the naval war with France to continue and also wanted to severely limit the rights of an opposition party 15. Aaron Burr- Vice president under Thomas Jefferson who killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel and eventually hatched schemes to detach parts of the west from the United States 16. lame-duck- period of time between an incumbent party's or officeholder's loss of an election and the succession to…
that money is the main source for happiness. On the other hand, there are others who believe that happiness comes from their spirituality and God. Two authors Thomas Jefferson, “The Declaration of Independence” and Davis Simon’s “There are Now Two Americas. My Country is a Horror Show”, both agree that we as people should be happy. However, Thomas believed that Independence and our rights to be treated equally was our only key to happiness. On the contrary, David believe that with a minimum wage job…
The Jeffersonian Era Chapter #7 Study Guide Main Themes: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. How Americans expressed their cultural independence. The impact of industrialism on the United States and its people. The role that Thomas Jefferson played in shaping the American character. How the American people and their political system responded to the nation’s physical expansion. How American ambitions and attitudes came into conflict with British policies and let to the War of 1812. How Americans…