Thomas Jefferson Essay, Research Paper

The Election of Thomas Jefferson

Consensus historians paint Thomas Jefferson as the great male parent of democracy, mentioning to his election to the presidential term as the? revolution of 1800. ? In actuality, Thomas Jefferson was an inconsistent adult male, who was philosophically against the Federalists, but who did non convey about any important political or ideological alterations during his presidential term. Recently, revisionist historiographers have begun to oppugn the impression of Jefferson as the? representative of the common man. ? Many of these historiographers now agree that Jefferson? s life was wrought with contradictions, and that his policies, as a president, really reflected a synthesis of the Federalist and Republican political orientations. ? We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists, ? Jefferson stated in his first inaugural reference. Many Americans were shocked to hear those words come out of the same oral cavity that had supported the bloody struggles of the Gallic Revolution old ages earlier. Jefferson? s many political theories, and personal letters, sometimes reflected an involvement in the common adult male and democracy, while his existent patterns were drastically different.

Politically, the Jeffersonian party was insecure and inconsistent. After being elected president, Jefferson did nil to increase the degree of democracy in the authorities. Traditionally, the Jeffersonian motion and the Republican Party have been seen as anti-capitalist, advancing the involvements of the common adult male, and prefering a rigorous reading of the fundamental law. The Hamiltonian motion and the Federalist Party represented the elect capitalist category, prefering a concentration of power in the State, and a loose reading of the fundamental law. Revisionist historiographers have argued against this position. They argue that the Jeffersonian and Hamiltonian motions are non significantly different, but instead each represents different cabals of elites. There are legion illustrations that show the truth of this revisionist position. In the election of 1800, the Federalists were forced to vote for one of the two Republicans running. Many of them favored Burr, as the less extreme of the two, until Hamilton convinced them of Jefferson? s moderate purposes. ? He [ Jefferson ] is every bit likely as any adult male I know to temporize- to cipher what will be likely to advance his ain repute and advantage ; and the likely consequence of such a pique is the saving of the systems, though originally opposed, which, being one time established, could non be overturned without danger to the individual who did it. ? The revisionist position that Thomas Jefferson did non stand for the multitudes, but simply a different cabal of elites, has much back uping grounds. Jefferson? s involvements in the common husbandman were 2nd to those of the Southern landholder. Jefferson deviated even from this prospective, traversing the line on many issues into what would look Federalist actions. One historiographer, Peter S. Onuf, went so far as to nickname it? Jeffersonian Federalism. ? One illustration of this is the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson deviated from his rigorous reading of the fundamental law in order to buy Louisiana, which would profit land speculators and Northern capitalists, stating the Senate to sign it? with every bit small argument as possible, and peculiarly so far as respects the constitutional difficulty. ? Morton Borden points out in his essay, ? Thomas Jefferson: political compromiser, ? that Jefferson took a decisively Federalist attack to the armed forces every bit good, contrary to what many Federalists thought would go on. In less than three months after being elected, Jefferson attacked the Barbary plagiarists without inquiring permission from Congress. Many of Jefferson? s political via medias were reflected in his economic determinations.

One of the chief contradictions of the Jefferson disposal was its acceptance of Federalist economic policies. Jefferson had no clear economic program ; he theorized about the acceptance of a individualistic policy, and the devastation of the Hamiltonian system, but did nil approximately this as president. Jefferson, by and big, maintained the Federalist system throughout his presidential term. One of the first things Jefferson did was to get rid of the despised excise revenue enhancements on whisky. In order to make this, he had to happen another manner to get financess. Therefore he justified increasing protective duties.

This rendered the abolishment of the whiskey revenue enhancement simply decorative, as the direct revenue enhancement was reduced, but the monetary values of all trade goods were raised. Jefferson besides had the national bank destroyed, but re-instituted it in 1816 in order to raise national financess. His party? s legislative assembly began to publish charters freely to local Bankss. Jefferson made no efforts to set an terminal to many parts of the bing Federalist system, such as land guess on public land. In add-on Jefferson developed the substructure, passing $ 20 million on a web of national roads and canals. Hoffsteter provinces, ? Since his policies did non divert excessively widely from the Federalists, Jefferson hoped to win over the centrists from their ranks? shortly the republican machines began chat uping with the fiscal involvements they were sworn to oppose. ?

Through analyzing his personal letters and private life, we find many serious incompatibilities in Jefferson? s political orientations. One issue that has been scrutinized recently is Jefferson? s positions on bondage and adult females. Many consensus historiographers argue that Jefferson was a benevolent slave proprietor, and advocated for the abolishment of bondage. A revisionist historiographer will go on to state you that while he wanted to get rid of bondage, he stated that inkinesss and Whites could ne’er both unrecorded freely in the same society. As Conor Cruise O? Brien pointed out in his article, ? Thomas Jefferson: Extremist and Racist, ? ? In theory Jefferson? s solution to slavery consisted in? colonisation? : the exile of all the freed inkinesss from the United States. ? Jefferson ne’er considered a signifier of racial coexistence, and believed adamantly that inkinesss were inferior. ? This unfortunate difference of colour, and possibly of module, is a powerful obstruction to the emancipation of these people, ? Jefferson wrote in his Notes on Virginia. This program for? colonisation? was highly impractical, and was ne’er a possible option. Jefferson acknowledged this himself subsequently in life, and altered his program, suggesting that the authorities purchase newborn slaves, and pay for them to be raised to an appropriate age by their parents, at which point they would get down working to compensate the authorities until they could be sent off. O? Brien besides puts accent on the fact that Jefferson examined inkinesss for features of lower status. Jefferson one time stated that black males preferred white adult females for sex, while black females preferred Pongo pygmaeuss. Richard Hoffsteter remarks on the topic, ? [ Jefferson ] could state that a adult male? s rights were? inalienable? at the really minute when he owned several twelve souls. ? A related issue is that of his sexual relationship with his mulatto slave Sally Hemings. In her book, Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, Annette Gordon-Reed gives significant grounds refering the thirty-sever twelvemonth opprobrious affair between Jefferson, and his slave, Sally Hemings. She besides goes on to depict his positions on adult females in general. Jefferson did non believe that adult females should be educated in the same manner as work forces. He stated that the object of their instruction should be to do them better company for work forces. In add-on, many people would be surprised to larn of Jefferson? s attitude towards the common people. While in some of his theories he stated that he had faith in the common husbandman, he besides shared the same fright of the multitudes as the Federalists. He did non believe that the authorities could trust on adult male? s virtuousness. Many historiographers are outraged by the footings with which he referred to the multitudes, naming them? boorish battalions? in one missive and? canaille? in another. Jefferson believed that the authorities must be able to look into the people. Many Americans are shocked to larn of the complete lip service of the? male parent of democracy? s? political orientations towards slaves, adult females, and the multitudes.

Thomas Jefferson is frequently described by revisionist historiographers as holding? outfederalized the Federalists. ? This is the antithesis of the belief held by many historiographers that the election of Thomas Jefferson was a? revolution, ? In actuality there were no important political, economic, or ideological alterations made. Some of Jefferson? s theories and political Hagiographas deserve virtue for recommending human rights and democracy, while his actions deserve disapprobation for ignoring his ain philosophical beliefs in order to stay popular. Jefferson was both contradictory and inconsistent, frequently synthesising Federalist and Republican policies.