Thomas Jefferson: Pragmatics over Doctrine :: Cheathouse Essays

doubting doubting doubting Thomas Jefferson Pragmatics over Doctrine During the period 1800-1817, the Jeffersonians to a great fulfilment compromised their political principles and essentially out Federalized the Federalists. While traditional Jeffersonian Republicanism advocated a stark interpretation of the Constitution and an emphasis on an agrarian economic system, the true(a) policies of Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were markedly different from their theoretical principles. This unequivocal compromise of Jeffersonian principles is evident in the Federal governments assumption of broad-based political precedents and institution of capitalistic Hamiltonian economic reforms, both of which caulescent from Jefferson and Madisons adoption of broad constructionist policies. Despite his many compromises however, Thomas Jeffersons intent to dissolve the national debt was to a great extent unvarying. Jefferson and his Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin honestly fea red a large federal famine as a threat to Republicanism. To avoid this threat, the President sought to minimize the role of the federal government, and decreased the national budget. These budget cuts substantially decrease the size and resources of the American army and navy. When criticized, Jefferson defended these forces cuts as being unvarying with Republican policies in that a smaller U.S. Army would be seen as less of a threat to other nations and reduce the risk of provocation, resulting in the ultimate promotion of peace.Unfortunately, the Presidents consistency with Republican principles in matters of political power was not to the highest degree as strong as his resolve to reduce the national debt. Under Jefferson and Madison, the federal government untrue political powers that the Constitution did not allot for. While prior to his presidency, Jefferson, thusly a strict constructionist had argued that the government should not assume any power unless specifically provided for in the Constitution, the Louisiana Purchase where America purchased a Brobdingnagian tract of land for $15 million, compromised these lofty ideals. In terms of the military, Thomas Jefferson had come to power vowing to reduce military size and power. Contrary to those principles, the Barbary War, where for nearly three years the American military exercised a naval foreclose of the North African coast wasted millions of dollars of the peoples notes and unconstitutionally violated states rights and strict constructionist principles, in their place asserting an extraterrestrial being un-Republican nationalism.While the evidence found in Jeffersons political and military dealings helps us understand how Madison and him out Federalized the Federalists, an examination of Jeffersons economic policies truly proves that in the words on one historian he was the American Sphinx.