Thomas Jefferson

Louisiana Purchase

Acquired 828,000 square miles from France in 1803., effectively doubling the size of the states.

Lewis and Clark Expedition

Explored and mapped new territories from 1804-1806.

Reducing Federal Debt

Cut military spending to lower national debt.

Abolishing Excise Taxes

Repealed taxes like the Whiskey Tax for citizens.

Free Trade Advocacy

Supported trade despite British and French interference.

Land Development

Promoted settlement of western territories post-purchase.

Navigation Improvements

Enhanced access to waterways like the Mississippi River.

Barbary Wars

Fought piracy in the Mediterranean from 1801-1805.

Embargo Act of 1807

Halted foreign trade to protect U.S. neutrality.

Non-Intercourse Act

Reopened trade with nations excluding Britain and France.

Impressment of Sailors

British seized U.S. sailors, escalating tensions.

Assimilation Policy

Encouraged Native Americans to adopt European lifestyles.

Forced Land Cessions

Pressured tribes to relinquish their lands through treaties.

Democratic-Republican Party

Jefferson's party opposing Federalist centralized authority.

Partisan Politics

Jefferson led a party despite disliking divisiveness.

Agrarian Policies

Favored Southern and Western farming interests.

Nationalism

Louisiana Purchase unified the nation around expansion.

U.S. Military Academy

Founded at West Point in 1802 for military education.

Library of Congress

Jefferson sold his collection post-1814 destruction.

Sally Hemings Allegations

Controversy over Jefferson's relationship with an enslaved woman.

Public Dissent

Opposition to the economically damaging Embargo Act.

Constitutional Controversy

Accusations of undermining the Constitution via territorial expansion.

Economic Hardship

Embargo Act caused significant difficulties for merchants.

Legacy of Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson's Legacy is one rife with contradictions. He wrote that all men are created equal in the Declaration of Independence yet he also owned slaves. He believed in a restrained and limited executive branch yet bought tens of thousands of acres of land and doubled the size of the country (Louisiana Purchase)