Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, a Virginia governor, minister to France, and the first U.S. secretary of state before serving as president from 1801 to 1809. He promoted an agrarian republic and a smaller federal establishment, while his presidency greatly enlarged the territory controlled by the United States. His statements about liberty coexisted with his ownership of enslaved people and political compromises that sustained slavery. ¹

The Louisiana Purchase transformed Jefferson’s foreign policy. His envoys had sought New Orleans and access to the Mississippi when Napoleon offered the much larger Louisiana territory in 1803. Jefferson accepted despite doubts about the constitutional authority to acquire it. The purchase removed a major French presence from continental North America and opened an extensive area to American expansion, with profound consequences for the Native nations whose lands it encompassed. ²

Conflict with the Barbary states and the European wars also challenged Jefferson’s preference for a small military establishment. American naval forces fought Tripoli, while British impressment and British and French restrictions on neutral trade endangered American sailors and merchants. Jefferson turned to the Embargo Act of 1807, hoping the withdrawal of American commerce would force concessions. Instead, the embargo damaged American trade, encouraged evasion, and failed to resolve the maritime disputes. ²

Jefferson reduced federal spending, abolished internal taxes, and worked with Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin to lower the national debt. His administration’s struggle with Federalist judges brought disputes over the judiciary and executive authority. He left office with the embargo being replaced by a narrower restriction on trade, passing unresolved conflict with Britain to James Madison. After retirement, Jefferson devoted substantial attention to establishing the University of Virginia. ^{3, 1}