Thomas Jefferson
Looking back on the election of 1800, Thomas Jefferson described it as being "as real a revolution in the principles of our government as that of 1776 was in its form; not effected indeed by the sword, as that, but by the rational and peaceable instrument of reform, the suffrage of the people." Jefferson saw his election as reversing an earlier trend away from republicanism. The departure from true republican principles, as he judged it, had begun with the economic policies of Alexander Hamilton favoring financial and manufacturing interests and the strengthening of the national government at the expense of the states. During John Adams's presidency, Jefferson was further alarmed by the threats to civil liberties posed by the Alien and Sedition Laws restricting freedom of speech, assembly, and the press. Under the administrations of both George Washington and Adams, Jefferson was also concerned that the rituals of the presidency resembled too closely the monarchical models of !By 1800 Jefferson was convinced that the government must be put on a more republican tack if the new Republic were to succeed, and he directed his efforts in the election of 1800 toward that end. In a nation of farmers, Jeffers
------------------------------------------------------------------------ Intermingling general principles and specific policies, Jefferson promised "equal and exact justice to all men, of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political," and pledged a vigilant protection of civil liberties. He also vowed to protect the rights of states while preserving the general government in its whole constitutional vigor. The new president declared that he favored reliance on a well-disciplined militia for defense, the supremacy of civil over military authority, economy in public expenditures, the payment of debts, and the encouragement of agriculture and of commerce as its "handmaid." Though an agrarian republic was Jefferson's ideal, he recognized the necessity of commerce, and as president he was committed to its protection. Jefferson reduced the ceremonial role of the presidency that had developed under Washington and Adams. Setting a more democratic tone for the executive, he began by walking to his inauguration. His dress was that of an ordinary citizen, "without any distinctive badge of office," one reporter noted. That was a sharp contrast to Washington and Adams, who had dressed elegantly and worn swords at their inaugurations. Instead of appearing in person to deliver an annual address to Congress, as had been the practice of Washington and Adams, Jefferson sent a written message to be read by a clerk. He also eliminated formal presidential receptions, or levees, which his predecessors had held, and he ignored the formal European rules of diplomatic etiquette by receiving foreign diplomats inform
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Approximate Word count = 1087
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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