Thomas Jefferson Dbq

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Thomas Jefferson deemed his election the “revolution of 1800” because of his radical transformation of the presidency. Originally people were worried that his election would create a civil war and a bad reign of power. Ironically, power changed hands peacefully, and he became the third president. Thomas Jefferson was a casual and quiet man but, nonetheless, was an effective manager and cunning politician. For the most part, he upheld the founding principles of the United States. Thomas Jefferson deserves an A- for his work as president because of his actions in regards to executive power, westward expansion, and foreign policy. First and foremost, Thomas Jefferson should receive an A- because he upheld the founding principles of the United…show more content…
He showed the liberty and independence of the United States as a nation through the Embargo Act of 1807. According to the textbook, all importation of British goods into the country was banned in response to impressment of American sailors by the British. This was a strategic action by Thomas Jefferson because it was meant to forestall war and show that the United States would not continue to allow that kind of behavior. Even though the act initially sounded good, it ended up being a disaster and commerce was brought to a standstill. This was an attempt to reflect the founding principles of liberty from Britain but ended up negatively affecting the opportunity of commerce. The Barbary Wars was another act of foreign policy where Jefferson showed the country’s strength and determination. The Barbary Pirates required that the United States pay a tribute to be protected from seizures of ships. When Thomas Jefferson declared that the tribute would no longer be paid, the pirates declared war on the United States. According to the textbook, the slogan “millions for defense, but not a cent for tribute” became a popular toast at political gatherings. Jefferson insisted that he would not give into the pirates, not concerned about how much money would be spent on defending the country. Thomas Jefferson not only stood for extending powers overseas but also the liberty of the United States as an independent
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