How Did Lewis And Clark Influence On Thomas Jefferson

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Having a presidential term from 1801 to 1809, Thomas Jefferson was able to succeed in being the third president of the United States of America. Not only was Jefferson the president of the United States, but before he was also the Secretary of State for President Washington. For most of his life, Jefferson was actively involved in shaping America and is greatly remembered by being one of our Founding Fathers. Since Jefferson studied government and practiced law during college, he seemed fit to help draft and write the Declaration of Independence since he was in the Continental Congress. This document proclaimed individual rights’, which Jefferson was a fan of. Jefferson was a strong believer in strict construction, which was abiding to what the Constitution specifically states, and not stretching its boundaries. This belief would affect the choices he made for this country. Hamilton believed in loose construction, which is the complete opposite of Jefferson’s idea, and was also pro-British, where Jefferson was pro-French. These disagreements would cause these two men to clash, causing Jefferson to step down since Washington was more influenced by Hamilton than him. (Kelly. "Thomas Jefferson - Biography."). Right when Thomas Jefferson began his first term of presidency, he gave a righteous inaugural speech which was successful in uniting the country. He started off his leadership by repealing the Alien and Sedition Acts and repealing the whiskey tax. These actions were beneficial in helping the people of America, farmers and the economy. The power of the government shifted peacefully from the Federalists to the Republicans. (Boyer. “The Nation Expands”). Internationally, there was an “undeclared war” between the British and the French, Jefferson, though favoring the French, thought it was best that the United States remained neutral and stay out of disputes between other nations. there was the issue about Spain controlling Louisiana. In secret, the French leader, Napoleon, regained Louisiana from Spain. Napoleon offered Louisiana to America, and James Monroe offered 15 million dollars for it. (Boyer. “The Nation Expands”). This land deal allowed the United States and the French to create a friendship and goodwill. Though this man was originally a strict constructionist, Jefferson was smart in investing in Louisiana since it was the start of building modern day America. He went against his own principles because the Constitution does not say a word about purchasing land. Nevertheless, this may be one of Jefferson’s most important presidential accomplishment, because it allowed the United States to have more control and focus on building our country. He acted on what was best for the country, since it …show more content…
Since this land was new and unknown, “Jefferson initiated an exploration of the newly purchased land and territory beyond the “great rock mountains” in the West.” ("Teaching With Documents: The Lewis and Clark Expedition."). Jefferson chose Meriwether Lewis and his friend, William Clark, to explore the unsettled area because they were trained and informed men on how to map, navigate and explore areas. Jefferson relied on Lewis and Clark to write down and map everything they saw. In the end, Lewis and Clark discovered fertile land, vast plains and buffalo herds. ("Teaching With Documents: The Lewis and Clark Expedition."). These findings helped advance the nation into becoming a first rank

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