Jeremy Keeshin

Jefferson’s Idealistic Presidency

The presidency of Thomas Jefferson was a presidency of many contradictions.
This style of presidency was inherent to a man whose life was governed by liberty for
people, but who still managed to have slaves, the complete antithesis. His principles and
philosophies of government were no exception. His ideologies were a combination of
both idealism and pragmatism for the future of the United States. The ideas that left the
greatest legacy on his presidency were those of idealism, because they had the largest
impact in shaping the central events of this era.
Jefferson was a man who knew his beliefs and was firm in them and getting them
approved and made into law. He was an unyielding Republican, and against the Federalist
idea and their legislation. Ideally, he wanted all of their legislation repealed. The Alien
and Sedition Acts were the main laws that provoked this unrest between Jefferson and the
rest of the Republicans. His idealistic view of the way the government should be led him
to pushing for the expiration of these acts.
Another important aspect of the Jeffersonian Presidency was that he was a great
expansionist. He acquired the Louisiana Territory in the Louisiana Purchase from France.
His vehement passion for expansion and the territorial wants of the Northerners and
Southerners were main causes of the War of 1812. This was another prime example of
how Jefferson’s ideas of agrarian expansionism had a great impact on the country.
Jefferson and his idealistic views on the Hamilton’s economic plans had a drastic
effect. Jefferson was for a new banking system, not the one that was currently in place
from Hamilton’s ideas. He pushed for a new bank, and to let the old one expire, but
installing a new system into the country would be more of a hassle than it would do good.
This was an instance where Jefferson had his ideas and backed them, but they did not get
put into action.
A vital Jeffersonian idea that dictated the foreign events of this era was the 1807
Embargo Act. Jefferson was avidly behind this because since England and France were
attacking United States commerce, he wanted a means to make them suffer the loss of
American goods. This plan to revive trade was a complete failure and this idealistic
endeavor by Jefferson caused somewhat of an economic crash and severe consequences
to those places that depended on trade.
The whole era was a function of the way that Jefferson wanted things to be, and
how he went about trying to make those changes a reality. His idealistic views of
agrarianism, expansionism, decentralization of the bank, and of a self-sufficient country
were all themes behind his presidency and this period of United States history.