Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) is one of the great American Founding Fathers who played a major role in establishing American Democracy. He is known for endorsing Liberty by drafting the Declaration of Independence and A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom among other writings. He served as the third president of the United States during which time he achieved the Lousiana Purchase and took apart much of the Federalist system.
The Declaration of Independence meant that all men are created equal, and that certain people would no longer be entitled to enjoy specific rights and privileges. The new system would allow common men to have a greater role in society. This changed the meaning of freedom in America forever. One of the most famous quotes in it states:
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''We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.''
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One of the greatest achievements during Jefferson's presidency was the Louisiana Purchase, a large land mass purchased from France, which doubled the size of United States and at the same time ended the French presence in North America.
http://transcribe.archives.gov/content/message-president-jefferson-congress-regarding-louisiana-purchase.
http://transcribe.archives.gov/content/message-president-jefferson-congress-regarding-louisiana-purchase.
After the Louisiana Purchase, Thomas Jefferson dispatched Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in a mission to explore the newly acquired land, animals, plants, and hopefully discover a waterway to link the Eastern States with the Pacific Ocean. Their expedition reached the Pacific Ocean and they returned bringing a large amount of information about the region they explored and the indigenous people they found there.
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During his presidency Jefferson tore down much of Federalist system, which aimed to make United States a major commercial and military power. The Federalists believed in heavy taxation, and a powerful government where the rich and the well-born were entitled to engage in politics and hold government offices. When Jefferson became president, he downsized the government, army, and navy. He eliminated all taxes, except the tariff, and paid a part of the national debt. He aimed to reduce federal power and government control over the economy. Jefferson believed in Westward expansion and free trade, where independent farmers could market their products such as grain, tobacco, and other items, and not in a system of government favoring taxation and subsidies. He believed in a strong middle class and a more evenly distributed wealth and access to the political process. In addition, he pardoned all those who were imprisoned under the Sedition Act (the sedition act was implemented by the Federalists, and authorized the prosecution of any group of people or publication critical to the government). Jefferson believed that the greatest threat to American freedom came from the allegiance of a powerful government and a class of commercial capitalists (Foner, 188-312).
Source - Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty. Third Edition. New York, NY: W.W.Norton & Company, Inc. 2010. Print.
Source - Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty. Third Edition. New York, NY: W.W.Norton & Company, Inc. 2010. Print.
Additional Primary and Secondary Sources
Thomas Jefferson's Biography: http://www.biography.com/people/thomas-jefferson-9353715
Thomas Jefferson's famous quotes: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/jefferson_papers/mtjquote.html
Transcripts of Thomas Jefferson's writings : http://founders.archives.gov/? q=%20Author%3A%22Jefferson%2C%20Thomas%22&s=1111211111&r=1
A photo gallery of Thomas Jefferson's original documents: http://www.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en&q=primary+sources+of+thomas+jefferson&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ei=hQA6U8SdFKzLsQSRroK4Ag&ved=0CD8QsAQ
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