Thomas Jefferson- A Great American President
Obtaining the Presidency of the United States is an arduous challenge itself, but living up to the expectations and gaining the respect of the public is even more demanding. Where many has succeeded in their administration, many have fell into the grueling abyss of embarrassment and failure. At times, the presidency has even ruined the lives of many individuals such as Andrew Johnson and Richard Nixon. However, although many could not establish themselves as exceptional leaders during their term, Thomas Jefferson managed to succeed. Standing at six feet, two inches, Jefferson looked down upon failure and concentrated on his political quest to establish the United States of America as a dominant nation among the world. He was destined to follow in the footsteps of another great American president, George Washington. Winning his first election through the House of Representative's vote, Thomas Jefferson proved to encompass all the necessary qualities of an illustrious American President. Ranking at number five during the 1962 Historians Poll (there was only 31 presidents at that time), no one can argue that he definitely "preserved, defended, and protected the constitution of the United States." Even though this maybe the f
act, how did Jefferson fulfill a task where many have failed or barely accomplished? Well, he managed to express certain aspects in a president that gave his impressiveness, especially in the categories of experience, charisma, and foreign affairs. Thomas Jefferson was a natural diplomat at heart. With such great charisma, it comes to no surprise that he is incredibly good at handling foreign affairs. As mentioned before, Jefferson did a superb job as minister in France for the United States. He kept track of European events and was extremely careful not to accidentally involve the U.S. into any of it. The first major world event Jefferson had to deal with was the war with Tripoli, which started in 1801 and ended in 1805.(Schachner 781) The pirates of the Babary states had control of the Mediterranean Sea traffic and demanded tributes from other nations. However, the United States refused and were lunged into war. Naval battles immediately occurred after war was declared and with Jefferson's careful planning and strategies (with the aid of his cabinet members), the U.S. won and Tripoli finally recognized the United States.(Schachner 783) If Jefferson were not careful in this situation, he would have caused a blow in the country's reputation and navy. In 1803, the proposal came up by Napoleon to sell all of Louisiana to the United States for only $15 million because he was in desperate need for money due the to French Revolution.(Peterson 759) Jefferson, worried that he might change his mind, immediately accepted the offer and the Senate ratified the treaty by a vote of 26 to 5. This purchase doubled the size of the United States and it became Jefferson's greatest achievement during his administration.(Peterson 759) Finally, during the Napoleonic Wars, both France and Great Britain constantly bullied America. Ships were being harassed and trade was always being interrupted. In order to solve this foreign conflict, Jefferson created the Embargo Act (1807-1809), which prohibited any American ship to travel to foreign ports.(DeGregorio 50) This was devastating to the American conflict. This literally stopped all trade, ships were idle in ports, merchants were running out of business, and many necessary imported items were not being brought in. This was one of the worst mistakes of the Jefferson administration. However, knowing that Jefferson can not be perfect, he did mange to achieve the goal of the Embargo Act, which was to keep America's neutrality in the high seas.(DeGregorio 50) Jefferson knew that if he had sided with either one of the countries, the result would usually mean war. He tried immensely hard to keep the United States out of h
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Approximate Word count = 1808
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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