In 1803, Thomas Jefferson was President of the United States of America and James Madison was Vice President. In the case Marbury vs. Madison, President Jefferson commanded Madison to fire Judge William Marbury, whom was previously appointed by President John Adams as he was leaving office, along with several other judges. Marbury later sued Madison citing the Judiciary Act of 1798. This act allowed the supreme court to review cases brought against a federal official. William Marbury was a federalist which meant he was in the same political party as Alexander Hamilton and John Adams.
Thomas Jefferson was a devout Republican and viewed the Constitution as it should be followed strictly by text and empowered congress to enact laws that were mandatory and respectable. He was also a strong supporter of states’ rights and decisions should be left to them to vote on. Here is an example where his stance stood when president Washington ask for advice from his cabinet, while as Secretary of Sate if the United Sates should charter a national bank, “The Bank of the United States”. Jefferson took advantage at every opportunity to express his own views on how to interpret the Constitution and he viewed this as this was not a Congress’s obligation to raise money and was against it. Jefferson sought to limit the powers of the federal government and
There are many conflicts in the early years of the American politics. There are two famous political parties during the early years of American Independence, and their ideologies were completely opposite. Thomas Jefferson was the third American President from 1801-1809. Alexander Hamilton was the founder of Federalist party and President Washington elected him as a first secretary of the treasurer. Jefferson's democratic-republican party views are always contradictory to the Federalist party founded by Alexander Hamilton. Jefferson believes in small federal government and more powers to individual states, his policies are around people and they should rule the government. Jefferson always follows strict constitutional rules. Jefferson always believed the country economy will improve through the agriculture. Hamilton views are very contrasted to Jefferson's view. Hamilton believes in strong federal government and weak state governments. He also wants to favor rich people and insist on rich should rule the country and he has a loose interpretation of the constitution. Hamilton dreams towards country economy should
Thomas Jefferson’s works and ideas laid the foundation for several key aspects on the limits of the United States government, the idea of separation of church and state, and the importance of personal rights. Jefferson wrote many influential pieces of literature which pushed the concept of having limited government power. Jefferson wanted America not to be like the European monarchies that fell due to religious strife, so he emphasized a secular government. Jefferson, following closely with the ideas of John Locke, stressed the importance of the protection of individual rights against the government.
Jefferson, for example, switched from his strict-constructionist proclivities towards a looser constitutional interpretation involving the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. While there was nothing explicitly stated in the constitution about territorial acquisition, Jefferson accepted the deal for the good of the country. He also initiated the Embargo Act of 1807, which harmed the agriculture, mainly in the South. This goes against the Jeffersonian ideals, which value the agrarian republic over private enterprise and manufacturing. The anger in the South is demonstrated in Isaac Cruikshank “The Happy Effects of that Grand System of Shutting Ports Against the English” in which the people portrayed complained of “warehouses [that] are full” and “goods [that] are spoiling” (Doc. 6). Madison also displayed beliefs similar to those of Hamilton when he went to war in 1812. Hamilton, in “Tully No. III” maintains the necessity of force to preserve law and that “Government supposes control” (Doc. 2). Although Madison did not believe in a strong central government, he did believe that force must be applied in order to maintain laws and the order, demonstrated by his engagement in the War of 1812. John Adams, a Federalist himself, even claimed in a letter to Benjamin Waterhouse that he “give [his vote] to Mr. Madison” (Doc. 7). Madison’s policies often reflected so close to those of the Federalists that even the Federalists themselves grew to admire
Thomas Jefferson- one of the great American founding fathers with exquisite taste in architecture and French wine, but also known to hold a controversial set of ideas- fought frequently and strongly against the Federalists ideas before he achieved Presidency. Jefferson and the other republican democrats who followed suit held the belief that the powers of the federal government should be left strictly to what is granted to them in the Constitution. Those powers not specifically addressed in the Constitution would then be delegated to the state governments. This is to ensure that the federal government did not have too much power as they believe a country runs best under a form of self-government. While on the other corner of the ring, the Federalists believed that the newly founded country would run best if the national government was strong and powerful and in effect if the Constitution was loosely interpreted. This started a series of issues between the two opposing sides with the Federalists pretty much winning every issue. From the issue of funding the war debt, whether a bank of America should be created, to the Alien and Sedition Act; the two sides did not see eye to eye. However, when Jefferson became president, it could be argued that the same abuse of power that he criticized the Federalists to have done could be argued against his own presidency. It is more than fair to say that Jefferson was a hypocrite not only from a Federalist standpoint but also from the
In my personal opinion, the moral dilemma that Jefferson faced resided in political reality. Jefferson had always advocated a very strict platform of Republican values up until this point. This position had been seen early on in his disagreements with Alexander Hamilton in President Washington's cabinet. In the election of 1800, Jefferson was able to articulate a new type of government that was filled with Republicanism. Jefferson took office and acted as if he was the epitome of Republican values. Republicans believed that the role of government needed to decrease. Jefferson tried to minimize federal control through reducing its reach and scope. He pursued a laissez- faire approach to governance in his time as President, which meant that
When comparing Sam Adams, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams, we can see that there are some similarities and differences between the men. Perhaps the most notable relation this group has, is that they were all formal presidents and had some type of power or ownership. The qualities of all four men are often seen as opposed to each other. One similarity for example, with George Washington and Thomas Jefferson was that they were prosperous Virginian plantation owners and held slaves. Jefferson and Adams were both well educated people and knew about the law.
Thomas Jefferson wrote one of the most important and ironic phrases in the United States’s history: “...that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with inherent and inalienable right; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (652). The Declaration of Independence boasts that it supports that all men have a right to liberty. However, even though they declare it, it does not always hold truthful. The declaration only promotes the freedom and separation as a united country or for the men of the occupied countries. There is no reference to women, people of color, or children in regards to liberty. Meaning, that unless you are a man, technically you are still under England’s rule. I know that the document is not directly saying that and most people would assume that “men” was an all inclusive term. And yet, if that were true, we would have the same wage gap between men and women or the battle for the same civil rights that the men in 1776 were fighting for in 2016. But I digress.
Thomas Jefferson during the 1790’s-1800’s while working with federalists Alexander Hamilton, his viewpoints were different. During the 1790’s Jefferson was known to be in the democratic-republican party where he progresses an ideal structure of equivalencies between money and weight standards with the American/Spanish currency. Jefferson took charge of the republicans after a conflict created two parties, republican-democratic and the federalist, who empathized with the revolutionary cause in France. While attacking the federalist policies, Jefferson opposed a strong centralized government and granted the rights of states. While Jefferson was in presidency, he cut down on the Army and Navy expenditures, cut the U.S. budget, eliminated the tax
Thomas Jefferson and the Anti-Federalists believed in a strict interpretation of the Constitution, more power to the states, and supported trade with the French. When Hamilton issued the idea of a National Bank, Jefferson opposed it, saying that it was not a specific power given directly in the Constitution. Thomas Jefferson, however, changed his views on strict and loose interpretation of the Constitution when he purchased Louisiana territory. He used a loose interpretation of the Constitution and used treaty-making powers to seal the deal with France. Another principle was the power to the states. They believed that the power should be with the people and a strong national government would take away the rights on individuals. This idea
Thomas Jefferson had an enormous impact on the American society. He influenced America to unite as one nation. He shaped a strong central government and had a judicial exceed. If he hadn’t shaped a strong government maybe we wouldn’t have the rights we have today. He proceeded by doing this by influencing the constitution. Yes, he maybe didn’t have the best economic intentions for America. But, Jefferson created an educational program by proposing a system of public school. However, he also understood people’s powers, natural rights, and liberty. In my opinion, Thomas Jefferson respected people’s voices, made sure we didn’t turn into a dictatorship country. So yes, his precedents did matter he made sure that the people were heard, and had a
Jefferson’s Election, the “revolution of 1800” was not revolutionary in the sense of “a massive popular upheaval or an upending of the political system”. He did not beat Adams by a landslide or hugely impact society just by winning the election. When considering his election to be a revolution, he meant that America was finally going back to it’s old ways, back to the “original spirit of the Revolution. Jefferson did not agree with Hamilton, Adams or any Federalists views, he believed that they went against what the country stood for. The election of 1800 was justified because for once a president who represented “the common man” was in office. There was finally a representation of Anti-Federalists, allowing them to slowly begin to over power
I believe that political parties were developed in the United States because they allow people to make decisions based on their beliefs. Both Hamilton and Jefferson were very great men but they wanted something different with the government.