When the opportunity to purchase the Louisiana territory presented itself, Jefferson could not pass it up. However, being a strict constructionist, Jefferson strongly felt that any powers not specifically given to the federal government were reserved for the states. Obtaining the Louisiana territory would be very beneficial to the growing United States, but Jefferson opposed "manipulating

" the constitution to allow him any power he wanted. So Jefferson proposed the idea of possibly making an amendment to the constitution that made it possible for the president to purchase land for the United States. The problem with this idea was time. It would take over three months for the amendment to be approved by the House, Senate, and appropriate number of states. Napoleon started to wish he had not signed the treaty and looked for any reason to break it. If a decision was not made soon, Jefferson would lose the opportunity all together. Jefferson had to find a way to make the Louisiana purchase without the danger of it being ruled unconstitutional.

Jefferson's dilemma was tough, his decision hard, and the consequences hard felt. But all in all, the

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Approximate Word count = 519
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)