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Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the 3rd President of the United States from 1817 to 1825, and is well known for being one of the Founding Fathers.
3,845 Questions
Why did Jefferson not want to give these men the commissions to which they were entitled?
Thomas Jefferson was afraid his Federalist policies would be erased by the Anti-Federalist judges.
Another View:
Thomas Jefferson was the Anti-Federalist; the six members of the US Supreme Court were Federalists. Jefferson may have been concerned about the effect of the Judiciary Act of 1801 on his government policies, because that legislation expanded the Judicial Branch and allowed former Federalist President John Adams to "pack" the Article III "constitutional courts" with members of his own party. Judges and justices of these courts serve "during good behavior," which typically means "for life," so they posed a legitimate threat to Jefferson's policies.
Marbury, on the other hand, was appointed to a five-year term as justice of the peace for the District of Columbia under the Organic Act of 1801. Adams had appointed more than forty men to serve in this capacity, probably as a matter of patronage (essentially rewards for major political supporters) because the positions held no judicial power. They posed no threat to the Jefferson administration. Jefferson allowed approximately 20 of Adams' justice of the peace commissions to be delivered (plus five new appointments of his own), but he reportedly thought Adams had made an excessive number of appointments, and reduced the number by approximately half.
Was Thomas Jefferson a good leader and why?
This all depends on the criteria used to evaluate a good leader. Do you use a standard that involves character, political philosophy or how well the person adhered to his own philosophy? It's also important to remember that Jefferson had a political career long before being elected as our third president. If one wants to evaluate his leadership over the broad spectrum of his career as opposed solely to his presidency then this would also be a factor. Jefferson unlike today was not seen by all as a heroic figure. During the American Revolution he was criticized for his lack of leadership and of even abandoning Virginia during a British invasion for which he was accused of being "pusillanimous [lacking courage] conduct". This would cause his political career to halt for awhile. He would be appointed to the state legislature of Virginia after this in 1783. Everyone identifies Jefferson as being the author of the Declaration of Independence. However while not being inaccurate it is misleading. Jefferson was on a committee known by its creative name, the Committee of Five, that was formed to draft such a document. The other members being Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman. Jefferson was selected to write what was always expected to be an initial draft that would be and was in fact edited by other members. The original of Jefferson was significantly different. Some even accused Jefferson of plagiarizing John Locke. Depending on your personal political philosophy Jefferson was either one of the greatest, worst, or somewhere in between other leaders. If judged on his presidency alone then a case be made that he was a good but imperfect leader. He repealed many direct taxes, repealed the illegal Alien and Sedition Act, pardoned those convicted under such Act, supported an expedition to the western frontier, fought and won the First Barbary War, and established the United States Military Academy at West point. However as with most politicians he also failed to live up to his own principles. By his own admission he acquired a huge portion of land unconstitutionally with the Louisiana Purchase. Another political fallout came when he imposed the draconian Embargo of 1807 which called for restrictions on Amercan shipping. Rhode Island was devastated by this embargo This was inconsistent with his understanding of state's rights. Jefferson also enforced the forceful removal of Indians from their lands. On a personal level, the accusation of having had an affair with his slave Sally Hemming has no conclusive evidence to support it. It was first brought up by a disgruntled muckraking political opponent. His views on slavery were realistic for his time. He was progressive in that he desired to see the awful institution abolished forever and never had anything positive to say about slavery. His language on the subject was appropriately harsh. However the realities on the ground kept him form seeing how abolition could be carried out in his lifetime. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was based on an earlier ordinance by Jefferson and was the basis for the 1787 ordinance's outlawing of slavery in the territories. Unlike Washington, Jefferson believed Congress had the authority to abolish slavery in the territories. A recent book by libertarian writer Ivan Eland called Recarving Mount Rushmore surprised many by giving a less then satisfactory appraisal of Jefferson from a libertarian criteria. Surprising because Jefferson is usually seen as a patron saint among libertarians. However Eland's analysis is fair and accurate and is worth reading since his rankings of presidents is based on different criteria then other rankings.
What other colonial leaders helped Thomas Jefferson write the Declaration of Independence?
The Continental Congress created a draft committee consisting of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman. However, the actual writing of the Declaration of Independence was performed by Jefferson alone.
The Planter Elite was the highest class of Southern society in the 1800s leading up to the Civil War. They were the minority of the population at the time, controlling 90% of the South's wealth through the ownership of various cotton plantations.
How did Lewis and clark find what they were looking for on the expedition?
They just need to go West that was there job they need to explore the new land bought by Thomas Jefferson called the Louisiana Purchase.
What were Thomas Paine's occupations?
He did many things, writing was probably his most important. Paine wrote The Case of The Officers of Excise, Common Sense, Rights of Man and many more. He served as a secretary, held interests in science, worked on an iron bridge and smokeless candle, sailed, was an excise officer, was in the Continental Army, and helped write a new constitution for France.
Which document is based directly on john Locke's ideas?
In both Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
Why was it called the revolution of 1800?
Because this was the first peacful transaction of political power between two parties. (Federalist and Antiferderalist)
In response to the seizing of Unites States' ships by France in the 1790s Congress did what?
established a Navy Department.
Who was thomas jeffersons wives?
No. His first wife died before he entered political office- specifically the White House. He has a mistress, Sally Hanson, who was an emancipated Black Woman who had some educational travels in Paris. Books have been done on this romance. Jefferson was never married to Miss Hansen. I do not know if she was buried on the grounds of Monticello- or not.
What was Thomas Jefferson's point of view on the size of the federal Government?
Jefferson wanted small Federal Government, but larger State Governments. He didn't want the Federal Government to make all of the decisions, he wanted the states to focus on the people of that state instead of the Federal Government to control everything.
Who said 'We are all republicans you are all federalists'?
The quote is "We are all federalists; we are all republicans." Thomas Jefferson
What characteristics did the American founding fathers have in common?
most were lawyers, they were well educated, they represented the aristocracy of the day. many were free thinkers capable of thinking "outside the box".
Did Jefferson reduce the size of the army and navy and cut back on military spending?
yes... idk when tho :(
from ~10k men to ~2.5k men
How did Jefferson expand the US?
purchasing land west of the Mississippi river and forcing native Americans to move west
How did Thomas Jefferson view slavery?
Jefferson's views on slavery were contradictory: On one hand, Jefferson was morally opposed to slavery. He felt it was evil and wrong. His original draft of the Declaration of Independence condemned it in no uncertain terms. As Governor of Virginia, he proposed legislation to abolish it. On the other hand, despite his moral opposition though, he owned a significant number of slaves and even fathered children with one of his slaves, Sally Hemmings.
How did Jefferson respond to the interference of American shipping?
The Embargo Act of 1807 came about as a result of tension between the United States and both France and England. The Napoleonic Wars pitted France and England against each other, and both violated American neutrality at this time.
Did Anti-federalists become Democrats or republicans?
After the dissolution of the Federalist party, former federalists split into both Republicans and Democrats, but the majority became Republicans.
Who wrote the French Declaration of Rights of Man?
This document was created by the council that took control of France after the revolution, and was a collective work. Therefore it cannot be attributed to one single author.
Essentially it can be said that it was written by the revolutionaries who dethroned (and beheaded) Louis XVI.
Why did Thomas Jefferson purchase the Louisiana Territory from France?
Jefferson bought the land because he had thought there were much better natural resources. He also thought it could expand America, there would be better trade, better hunting and better land compared to the western side because of mountains.
By completing the Louisiana Purchase, Thomas Jefferson went against his own philosophy concerning anti-federalism and a strict interpretation of the Constitution, but felt that the purchase was necessary to avoid a potential future war with France who controlled the port in Louisiana. Jefferson thought the purchase would lead to a more agrarian society.
Additionally, he basically followed the line of thought exercised by Napoleon. Napoleon believed that in the coming European war, France would be unable to hold the port city of New Orleans from the British.
With the US now owning the City of New Orleans, Napoleon believed that the Americans were in a strategically stronger position to keep the British from taking control of this geo-politically important city.
Which enlightenment philosopher most influenced the writing of the declaration of independence?
A careful reading of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution clearly show a tone of solemnity and telltale merging of two metaphysical concepts, that of God (The Great Spirit) and freedom and individualism, so peculiar and unique to the Iroquois and later the proponents of the Revolutionary War. The tone and philosophical underpinnings of the founders
What five things did Lewis and clark bring with them on their expedition?
Lewis' and Clark's journals of the expedition describe the natural resources and native peoples of the West and contain information on many scientific matters. Over the two year journey, the expedition had made more discoveries of landscapes, rivers, native cultures, zoology, and botany of North America than any scientific expedition. Their results/contributions were many and lasting.
One of the most significant contributions of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was a better perception of the geography of the Northwest and the production of the first accurate maps of the area. During the journey, Lewis and Clark prepared approximately 140 maps.
A second achievement of the expedition was a better understanding of the country's natural resources. During the journey, they were able to find and categorize 122 new animals and 178 plants.
They brought back valuable scientific and geographic information.
