Thomas Jefferson
General Information:
Major "Events" of his Presidency:
- Thomas Jefferson had been the third President of the nation with Aaron Burr as his Vice President for his first term and George Clinton as his Vice President for his second term.
- Terms as President lasted from 1801 to 1809.
- Author of the Declaration of Independence.
- Succeeded Benjamin Franklin as a diplomat to France.
Major "Events" of his Presidency:
- He doubled the size of the United States with the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803 (although there had been a possible issue with constitutionality regarding the purchase).
- He had commissioned the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804 to 1806.
- He had sent naval forces to the Mediterranean Sea to fight off the Barbary pirates, yet achieved little success.
- Tripoli declares war on the United States with the symbolic cut of the flagpole at the U.S. consulate (a foreign diplomat's place of business).
- He greatly reduced the Army and Navy expenditures, national budget, and national debt (by a third).
- The Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves of 1807 had stated that no new slaves were permitted to be imported into the United States. However, the act had not been heavily enforced, especially in places throughout the South, and further led to separation between the North and the South.
- The Chesapeake-Leopard Affair of 1807 had nearly led to the declaration of war between the United States and the British Empire. However, after backing away from violent conflict, the United States government had been forced to resort to economic warfare.
- Introduced the Embargo Act, in conjunction with the Force Act, in 1807 in order to both restrict commerce and to grant the government the ability to enforce the embargo.
- The Embargo Act was later replaced with the Non-Intercourse Act of 1810 which sought to mend the damages done by the depression caused by the embargo.