Thomas Jefferson as 3rd President
Doing Things That Still Impact Us: Erin Garcha
About President Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was our 3rd president and he made choices that still make a huge difference today. As a president, there were a lot of things going on and during those times we were still trying to come together as a country. Throughout the years, these are the things that President Thomas Jefferson has accomplished.
"Revolution of 1800," The Beginning of His Presidency
The Revolution of 1800 was the beginning for President Jefferson. He ran for president with Burr and Adams. He was tied with Burr, but it was later decided that Jefferson was going to be the president and Burr became the vice-president.
Thomas Jefferson
Aaron Burr
Important Documents
The Declaration of Independence declared our independence from Britain. That's how we got to be "The United States of America." The Bill of Rights are the first ten amendments that is part of the Constitution. There are more amendments but the first ten are called the Bill of Rights because it tells us the rights we have and things that we can do that is allowed such as Freedom of Speech. These were both co-written by President Jefferson. That was before his presidency. Of course he had people helping him, but he was the main writer because he knew how to write where it was formal and people could understand.
Louisiana Purchase 1803
Jefferson always wanted to expand the United States. It did sound like a good idea and there was an offer. Napoleon Bonaparte had offered to sell his land. It was a good deal, too, only 3 cents per acre. It nearly doubled the size of the U.S. which offered more freedom to the citizens. The land was 8,000 miles long and Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to look at the land.
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Thomas Jefferson had bought the land, but before settling there, the place needed to be checked out. It's just like buying stuff at the store, you would need to see how it is before buying and start using it. What President Jefferson did was send Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to check out the Louisiana Territory. On May 14th, 1804, Lewis and Clark went on the expedition. Along the way, Sacagawea helped to guide and translate. That helped them a lot since they didn't know anything. After the expedition was over after two years, Lewis and Clark had gathered lots of information on plants, animals, and landscapes.
Embargo Act of 1807
George Washington gave his farewell address when leaving the presidency. He advised those who would take to avoid certain pitfalls. One of them was to remain neutral in foreign affairs. The Embargo Act of 1807 was something that helped keep neutrality from the British and European war. During that time British ships started to stop the U.S. ships to search for deserters. Some even took Americans and forced them, or impressed them, into military service, which was not good. Jefferson decided to enact the Embargo Act, which stated that the American Ships were prohibited from trading with the Europeans. Congress replaced the Non-Intercourse Act that let trading with European begin.
Over the years....
There is an end for presidents but President Thomas Jefferson did help keep the United States going and followed what George Washington said. He had also doubled the size of the United States which we still have today.