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Document Interpretation 4
The document I have chosen to interpret is titled Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural
Address. This is a primary source document written by Thomas Jefferson for his inaugural
address.
The Revolution of 1800 was, for the most part, a peaceful time. During the election of
1800, there was a peaceful transfer of government from the leaders of one political party to
those of the opposition with no riots, no attempted coup, [and] no secession from the Union
(Brands, et al. 191). Basically, the American people accepted Thomas Jefferson as their
president. Before Jefferson was elected as president, there was a huge debate as to how the
United States government and its people should function. For example, back in the late 1700s,
the Republicans and the Federalists debated on how United States economy should be managed.
The Republicans placed their trust in the people to resist greed and crass materialism and to
sustain the virtue of the republic (Brands, et al. 171). In other words, Republicans argued that
the American people themselves possess the ability to take charge of the economy. On the other
hand, the Federalists insisted that strong financial institutions take charge of the economy. This
back and forth arguing between Republicans and Federalists extended to other issues, and the
rebuttals from one another almost led to political violence (Brands, et al. 171). In the Election
of 1800, the Republican idea of letting the people take charge showed to be what the people
wanted, as Republicans Thomas Jefferson and his running mate Aaron Burr each received 73
votes from the electoral college, and the tie was due to an accident where a Republican elector
voted twice (Brands, et al. 189). Thomas Jefferson ultimately won the election when the
Federalist-run House of Representatives decided that Jefferson had more stable political views in
comparison to Burr. The Federalists labeled Burr as the most dangerous man of the community

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(Brands, et al. 190). The Republicans and the Federalists ultimately learned from their rebuttals
that they had to listen to the voices of the people and do what was best for everyone.
In Jeffersons inaugural address, the most significant line from it is We are all
Republicans, we are all Federalists. Jefferson included this line in his inaugural address to tell
the people that aside from their political ideals, Republican or Federalist, the people should
nevertheless work together for the well-being of the United States as a whole. Jefferson also
implied that, on the surface, it may seem like Republicans and Federalists have significant
differences in political ideals, they both share goals pertaining to the ultimate welfare of the
United States. Basically, this line from Jeffersons inaugural address was aimed toward partisans
fearful of the republican ideals that would follow Jeffersons presidency, which helped instill
confidence into partisans. Jefferson ultimately described the Election of 1800 as revolutionary
and a fulfillment of the principles of 1776 (Brands, et al. 190).

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Works Cited
Brands, H. W., et al. American Stories: A History of the United States. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Boston:
Pearson Education, 2012. 171-191. Print.