Thomas Jefferson Presidency

Brief Biography ► Jefferson was born April 13,1743 in Shadwell, Virginia and died July 4, 1826 at his home Monticello ► Attended William and Mary College, practiced law, served in local government and was a member of the House of Burgesses ► Married Martha Wayles Skelton when he was 29. Lived together happily for 10 years until her death. They had 6 children, but only two survived until adulthood ► Jefferson inherited a landed estate from his father, slaves from his father –in-law. Of the approximately 200 slaves, 80 lived at Monticello and the others lived on his other estates (Freed two in his lifetime and 5 in his will – all members of the Hemings family)

Jefferson’s life long accomplishments ► Public  Elected to House of Burgesses  1775 Elected to Continental Congress  1776 drafted Declaration of Independence  Governor of Virginia  1783 Elected to Congress  Served as First Secretary of State  Served as Vice President  served as President of the United States  1803 launched Lewis and Clark Expedition  1815 sold 6,700 volume library to Congress, the foundation of the Library of Congress  1817 began building of University of Virginia

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Jefferson’s Presidency ► Vice Presidents  Aaron Burr  George Clinton ► Political Party  Democratic –Republican ► Strict interpretation of Constitution ► State’s rights

Foreign Affairs ► Jefferson continues to avoid foreign affairs with other nations ► Kept the United States neutral in the midst of a conflict between Britain and France

Domestic Policy ► 12 th amendment added to Constitution after the election of Split electoral votes for President and Vice-President into two ballots

Louisiana Purchase ► As US expanded westward, navigation of the Mississippi River and access to New Orleans had become critical to commerce ► 1802 Spain’s King transferred territory to France and its leader Napoleon Bonaparte ► Jefferson sends James Monroe to Paris to deal for land on the east of the Mississippi and New Orleans – 10 million dollars

Louisiana Purchase ► Napoleon’s plan to reassert itself on North America was falling apart because the French Army was occupied in Haiti suppressing rebellion and war with England inevitable – he wanted to sell ALL the land! ► Monroe and Livingston reached an agreement that exceeded their authority and the bought all the land for 15 million dollars! ($18 per sq. mile)

Louisiana Purchase 827,000 sq miles, doubled the size of the United States

Louisiana Purchase ► Jefferson has created a dilemma for himself….  No where in the Constitution does it say that the US can buy land!  Jefferson saw 2 major benefits…… ► Doubled the size of the US ► Full control of the Mississippi Jefferson later admitted that he had stretched his power "till it cracked" in order to buy Louisiana, the largest single land purchase in American history. As a result, generations of Americans for nearly 200 years have been the beneficiaries of Jefferson's noble vision of America and his efforts at expanding the continent.

► In this critical cartoon, Thomas Jefferson as the cock or rooster, courts a hen, portrayed as Sally Hemings. Contemporary political opponents of Jefferson sought to destroy his presidency and his new political party with charges of Jefferson's promiscuous behavior and his ownership of slaves. The cock was also a symbol of revolutionary France, which Jefferson was known to admire and which, his critics believed, Jefferson unduly favored.

Mad Tom in a Rage ► Who are the men holding the rope? ► Was this cartoon drawn by a Federalist or a Republican? ► What is the man trying to pull down? Don’t worry son I will give you all my strength This thing is strong, but with your help I will bring it down!

Lewis and Clark Expedition Origins “On January 18, 1803, President Jefferson sent a confidential letter to Congress asking for $2,500 to fund an expedition to the Pacific Ocean. He hoped to establish trade with the Native American people of the West and find a water route to the Pacific. Jefferson also was fascinated by the prospect of what could be learned about the geography of the West, the lives and languages of the Native Americans, the plants and animals, the soil, the rocks, the weather, and how they differed from those in the East.” confidential letter confidential letter

Lewis and Clark – Corps of Discovery ► Jefferson chooses Captain Meriwether Lewis to lead the expedition ► Lewis gets instructions from Jefferson to learn about the geography – lat and long, make maps, learn about the Native populations, what they eat, what they know and what remedies they use, they are to take notes on game and vegetation. They are to be friendly! ► Jefferson uses a coded message