Thomas Jefferson Research Paper

Kyle Siu May 25, 2024 Nield AP US History Thomas Jefferson “That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves,” Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, once said. Jefferson was a Virginian-raised aristocrat who led the South during America’s genesis and was an integral part of America in its early years. As president, he was best known for the Louisiana Purchase, an expansionist action which doubled the land area of the country. Thomas Jefferson was one of the key presidents and figures who defined American history because of how he shaped the country in its early years and his presidency and what he achieved then. Thomas Jefferson’s childhood and upbringing greatly shaped his future, …show more content…
Thomas Jefferson. The. History) After 8 years, Washington resigned from the presidency, and he needed to fill the vacuum he left behind.. Jefferson lost to Adams, a Federalist, in an intense election, but tied with Aaron Burr, who was in the same party as he was. Because of the flaw in the system where the president and vice president ran in the same election, dividing the votes, the Twelfth Amendment was implemented, enacting separate voting for the president and the vice president. Jefferson was then elected into office. While president, Adams proposed the controversial Alien and Sedition Act, which implicated various restrictions on immigrants to America. The actions in the Act were inadvertently harmful to Democratic-Republicans, leading to Jefferson and Madison authoring the Kentucky and Virginia Resolution, damaging the federal government’s reputation through the introduction of the concept of nullification, where state governments could deem the federal government’s actions or laws invalid. Because of such division between the two parties, Jefferson’s distrust of the Federalists began to expand. Thomas Jefferson. …show more content…
The Monroe-Pinkney Treaty was created but failed to do much. The British were searching for deserters because of their involvement in the Napoleonic Wars which swept across Europe. Jefferson decided to stay out of the war. He proposed the Embargo Act, which would block the US from closing all ports. This ultimately had a detrimental effect on the United States. A lot of traders and merchants whose businesses were exporting goods, such as the South, were out of business due to this isolationist policy. Thomas Jefferson had lost support at the beginning of his second term, and lost what little support he had left when he implemented the Embargo Act. Ultimately, Jefferson chose to stay in Monticello and did not run for a third term. Thomas Jefferson. The. History) Thomas Jefferson spent the rest of his days essentially at Monticello, where he spent his time enjoying many of his hobbies, including reading, playing the violin, gardening, and designing. However, Jefferson decided to do one more thing. Jefferson had a keen curiosity and passion for education, something he was provided with when he was

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