Thomas Jefferson Materials Quiz Study Guide

Matcher, notes, and article material

In the year 1800, Spain agreed to transfer ownership of the Louisiana Territory to France when it signed the - 

Treaty of Ildefonso

Thomas Jefferson was fearful that if France controlled the city of New Orleans and the trade which originated there, the United States would have to align itself militarily with -

the English

The problem which Jefferson perceived when Napoleon offered to sell the Louisiana Territory for $15 Million was - 

that Congress had only authorized the President to spend $2 Million, and they sought to control only the City of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast panhandle of Florida.

Which of the following is an example of Thomas Jefferson's commitment to a "strict constructionist" principles?

Jefferson's authorship of the Kentucky Resolution, inspired by his belief that John Adams had exceeded his authority as President by signing the Alien and Sedition Acts.

Hamilton and the "Broad Constructionist" school of politicians all maintained that this clause in the Constitution granted implied powers to the Presidency, allowing them to act decisively without fear of repercussion: 

The "necessary and proper" clause

How did Congress respond when Thomas Jefferson abandoned the "strict constructionist" principle by purchasing Louisiana? 

The Senate quickly ratified the treaty without questioning its constitutionality, and publicly praised Jefferson.

Stephanie Newbold suggests that Americans of the 19th Century and historians should celebrate Jefferson for violating his own principles because - 

All of these other examples justify Jefferson's decision as an act of statesmanship.

Reinhold Niebuhr makes the argument that moral decision making is different on a societal level than on the individual level because the primary interest in governing a nation is to promote - 

justice, safety, and the overall good of the state, its institutions, and its citizens.

Which Federalist Senator criticized President Jefferson harshly, by stating:

"Jefferson would possess an assumption of implied power greater than all the assumptions in the years of the Washington and Adams administrations put together..."?

John Quincy Adams

Alexander Hamilton, who was Thomas Jefferson's primary rival politically, criticized Thomas Jefferson for -

blowing up the national debt and seeking to raise taxes in order to pay it off.

Identify the author of the passage below: 

"To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to written law adherence to written law, would b to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus, absurdly sacrificing the end to the means..." 

Thomas Jefferson

According to the Newbold article, Thomas Jefferson's rationalization for abandoning his "strict constructionist" ideas is most similar to - 

Abraham Lincoln's suspension of the writ of habeas corpus during the Civil War.

Newbold's conclusion is that Jefferson's decision to violate his own "strict constructionist" principles is an example of - 

statesmanship

In 1776,  Jefferson wrote: “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.”

Declaration of Independence

Thomas Jefferson was the author of this resolution, passed by the Virginia House of Delegates in 1786.  It forbids the government from forcing citizens to pay taxes to the Anglican Church.

VA Statue of Religious Freedom

During the Presidency of John Adams, this act was signed into law, forbidding the criticism of the government in voice or in print.  It was a clear violation of the first amendment to the Constitution.

Sedition Acts

Thomas Jefferson and James Madison worked together on these resolutions, which claimed the states – individually or collectively – could reject federal laws they deemed unconstitutional.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

A deist who denied the divinity of Christ, Jefferson nevertheless admired Jesus as a philosopher.  Using only the words of Christ in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, he wrote this book, formally titled, The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, better known by this name.

Jefferson Bible

This was the first time in American history that the power of the Presidency transferred from one political party to another – and it happened peacefully, through democratic means.

Election of 1800

Thomas Jefferson went against “strict constructionist” principles when he bought this land.

The Louisiana Purchase

Jefferson was angered during the course of his Presidency by a group of North African kingdoms in Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli – where pirates had hijacked American sailors and cargo.

Barbary Pirates

English sailors attacked an American vessel off the coast of Virginia in 1807.  During the attack, three Americans were killed, four were impressed, and eighteen others were injured.  

Attack of the USS Chesapeake

Although he was a strong believer in laissez-faire economics and free trade, Jefferson chose to force this act through Congress in 1807 – to punish the British for their aggression against US shipping.

Embargo Act

This was one of the most bitter

Presidential races in the history of the

United States. Jefferson’s people

accused John Adams of tyranny – and at

the same time questioned his manhood.

Election of 1800

Jefferson saw the completion of 74 gun boats during his term in office, and he supported the ships captains and crew regardless of their political affiliations. Jefferson considered it essential to fund the construction of fortresses on the coastline to protect the nation and help facilitate trade.

Barbary Pirates —> stronger US Navy

while in office, Jefferson was fiscally ____?

conservative

Jefferson was known for cancelling ____ if he felt like they were too expensive

state dinners

Jefferson supported expansion into what direction?

West

What society did Jefferson want?

Agrarian

What land did Jefferson initially want to buy from France?

The city of new Orleans and navigation rights in the Mississipi River

How much did France offer the Louisiana Territory for?

15 million

Jefferson was a _____

meaning that he couldn’t do anything the

Constitution didn’t specifically allow him to do.

strict constructionist

What did Hamilton believe about the Constitution?

That if the Constitution didn’t specifically forbid an action, then it was acceptable

Thomas Jefferson selected a former

secretary of his, Meriwether Lewis to

lead an expedition that would explore

the Louisiana Territory. Lewis selected

the former military leader William Clark

as his co-commander, and they

assembled a team of over 80 soldiers –

Corps of Discovery

What were the corps of discovery?

part exploration, part diplomacy, and

part military. They would meet with

never before known Native American

tribes, map out the West, collect data on

flora and fauna, and make the first

claim of the USA on the Oregon Country.

When Jefferson assumed office, there were over a dozen

letters John Adams had left on his desk to be mailed.

Jefferson handed them to his Secretary of State, who

discerned that they were likely appointments to the

federal judiciary which John Adams had wanted to fill at

the last moment. He deposited them in the circular file!

When William Marbury did not receive his commission,

he sued – and the case went all the way to the Supreme

Court.

Marbury V. Madison

What did Marbury V. Madison establish?

There was nothing in the Constitution about whether or not one President had to appoint another’s preferred justices. So, they would not. But in the decision, Marshall asserted that the Supreme Court had the power of judicial review

What two states became a part of the union in 1803?

Ohio and Louisiana

What British ship attacked the USS Chesapeake?

HMS Leopard

What was Jefferson’s response to the attack on the USS Chesapeake?

He asked Americans to stop trading with the British and placed an economic embargo on it in an attempt to make the nation suffer economically

O-Grab-Me Embargo

Jefferson’s attempt to stop trade with Britain and make the nation suffer after the USS Chesapeake was attacked by the HMS Leopard

How was New England affected by the O-Grab-Me Embargo Act?

American merchants and manufacturers who were involved in the import-export business suffered tremendously

How was Jefferson’s public opinion affected from the Embargo Act?

Jefferson did not lose much popularity at the time since most Americans resented the British for their treatment of American merchant

Hypocrisy in Jefferson’s presidency

He had publicly endorsed banning slavery in Virginia and the slave trade all across America. Yet, he still owned hundreds of enslaved people at Monticello.

Who was Sally Hemmings?

A young enslaved woman who Jefferson owned. She had multiple children with him, who were eventually freed, but she was not.

What international trade did Jefferson cease?

Slave trade

What was Jefferson’s opinion on slavery?

Jefferson recognized that slavery was morally wrong, but he feared what would happen if the Congress simply passed a law banning slavery. He felt that a civil war would result from outlawing it.

What was the United States built off of?

Enslaved men and women furnishing unpaid labor under coercion and the threat of violence

Were basically all the founding fathers hypocrites

Yes

Who founded the federalist party and was Jefferson’s biggest political rival?

Alexander Hamilton

This man was a foundational figure in legal education and taught at the College of William and Mary, and was a significant figure in the signing of the Declaration of Independence. He died from arsenic poisoning allegedly by his grandnephew.

George Wythe