Don 't Let Your Dreams Be Dreams

Thomas Jefferson, born 1743 in Virginia, was a self-made man. He had many activities, such as law, and politics in addition to running a 5,000-acre plantation that he inherited from his father. Jefferson graduated from William and Mary College, and was a talented lawyer. Jefferson was an awful public speaker, but he was a great diplomat, which he proved throughout his life. He then went on as a member, Secretary of State, of

Lewis was very brave when he fought off a group of Blackfeet Indians after being attacked (1). The Corps stayed over the winter at Oregon after they reached the Pacific Ocean and then returned home to complete their approximately 8,000 mile journey. When the group returned Thomas Jefferson was excited and he payed Lewis with a salary, 1,600 acres of land, and he was named governor of the Louisiana Territory. Sadly he died on October 12, 1809, near Nashville Tennessee, where he committed suicide, but some people think he may have been murdered (2).

(Doc. A) One would assume that commerce would increase after a war, due to friendlier relations with foreign countries and a growth in population. However while the population in the United States continued to grow after the revolution the exportation rates slowly evened out. (Doc. B) The statistics alone prove the ineffectiveness of Congress’ ability to control and improve American commerce.

A Wilderness so Immense by John Kukla explores the events leading up to and the enduring effects of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. Kukla begins his story almost twenty years before Jefferson bought the Louisiana territory from France and analyzes how factors ranging from major revolutions to personal relationships all culminated to make the most famous land acquisition in American history possible. He argues that the Louisiana Purchase was not only a case a good luck on Jefferson’s part or solely the result of Napoleon’s failed caribbean ambitions, as some historians that came before him argued. Rather, Kukla explains that the roots of American expansionism are older than the republic itself. American politicians worked and made very

Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, at Shadwell, the family farm in Goochland (now Albemarle) County, Virginia. (The date was April 2 by the calendar then in use.) He was the third child in the family and grew up with six sisters and one brother. Two other brothers died in infancy. His father, Peter Jefferson, had served as surveyor, sheriff, colonel of militia, and member of the House of Burgesses. Thomas's mother, Jane Randolph Jefferson, came from one of the oldest families in Virginia. Thomas developed the normal interests of a country boy—hunting, fishing, horseback riding, and canoeing. He also learned to play the violin and to love music. Jefferson was 14 years old when his father died. As the oldest son, he became head of the family. He inherited more than 2,500 acres (1,010 hectares) of land and at least 20 slaves. His guardian, John Harvie, managed the estate until Jefferson was 21. Thomas began his studies under a tutor. At age 9, he went to live with a Scottish clergyman, who taught him Latin, Greek, and French. After his father died, Thomas entered the school of James Maury, an Anglican clergyman, near Charlottesville. (Thomas Jefferson : a life / Willard Sterne Randall. Published: New

Jefferson believed the nation's quality lay in its agricultural roots. He bolstered an agrarian nation

In Thomas Jefferson’s ideal world, America would be an agrarian utopia with each farmers independent and from the centralized, industrial cities, unlike Europe. He wanted them to be educated, informed and as far away from mercantile as possible. While he was not anti-capitalist, he was anti-mercantile. He made progress with this goal in doing away with all of the taxes sans tariffs and managed to pay off some of the national debt. He was also the last Republican president to shrink the military (when he shrunk the navy). Jefferson also did away with the Hamiltonian bank when the charter expired. However, he counteracted much of this progress with an English embargo. American exports

Britain therefore determined American industry at this point due to its need of cotton and 'It was the behaviour of prices that decided the way southern development was to take place.'

Drew McCoy’s paper includes much more depth into the Jeffersonian mindset. The American economy depended largely on the exportation of farm-grown items. Clearly, access to foreign markets is a must for success. These markets were made inaccessible by the presence of British ships scattered about the passageways to France and other European countries. Jeffersonians, peaceful by definition, suggested a lengthy embargo. This holdout would put pressure on Americans to manufacture within their country, thus building a feeling of unity. However, the embargo lasted for a little longer than a year and a half, yielding no positive results for America. Jefferson himself was attacked and accused of resisting commercialism. It was soon decided that foreign commerce was best for the country’s economic welfare. As McCoy states, the Jeffersonians were presented with two options: “… accept the failure of peaceable coercion to remove restrictions on American commerce and submit to the British orders-in-council, or they could attempt, through military means, a forcible assertion of America’s right to an independent and unrestricted access to

This showed how good of a decision maker he was. The evidence that shows this is document B when the text states “The Louisiana Purchase demonstrates Jefferson's ability to make pragmatic political decisions.” This shows how this purchase benefited united states for their growth.

Hamilton thought that it would be more efficient to set up manufacturing establishments with the land used by the farmers, because it would be more efficient (Doc B). He also claimed that it would bring more money to the nation and provide it with more employment opportunities. Jefferson opposed his thoughts once again by issuing an alert to how it would ruin the agriculture business. Jefferson believed that the power of manufacturing should be in the power of each individual state (Doc A). The driving force of this belief from Jefferson relates back to who he trusts, the yeoman farmers. These people are poor, and all they have is their farm, but Jefferson wants to fight for these people because he is always going getting into financial issues himself, and he wants to do good for them. People like Hamilton could hurt these farmers even more in Jefferson’s eyes by making manufacturing establishments. The people who agreed with Hamilton would benefit from this idea, and those who wouldn’t were considered republicans and they sided with

Thomas Jefferson believed that the new republic would only grow if the balance of power was held by its farms and planters. If society was ran by men who earned their living from the earth. His argumentation had to do with the Roman republic, where Cicero had made the same point. Cicero believed farmers were more honorable

“Jefferson’s ideals came from a hypothetical yeoman farmer, whose hard labour on the land will offer the best judgment on the rights of people.” (Sturgis, pg 7) At times, Jefferson had made uncomfortable decisions that opposed his ideals and beliefs, such as the Louisiana Purchase from Napoleon. This forced a removal of the

Among his many accomplishments as a founding father, writer of the Declaration of Independence, and agriculturalist; Jefferson also was driven to introduce the newly formed United States as a world power in the area of agricultural production and exportation. Jefferson knew how to accomplish this task and it was through rice. Rice had been grown and exported from the United States for almost 80 years by the time Jefferson was elected to be the ambassador of France, but not in any significant scale and Jefferson wanted to change this. During his time spent in France as ambassador Jefferson quickly came to realize that the French people did not like the rice that was imported from the United States. They much preferred a rounder slightly more sticky rice that would be used in risotto. The Lowcountry rice from America could not compare to the quality of the French rice, which was being imported from Italy, Indochina India and many other

Lying rather uncomfortably on my bed while facing the bright ceiling lights, I fidgeted nervously, desperately trying to ignore the gloominess of the situation. I attempted to focus on staying warm in a bitterly cold room, but a few thoughts kept running through my mind. As a child, I grew up watching American films and as a result, have always been fascinated by the United States and more so by its people and its unique culture. Living in Hollywood and brushing shoulders with celebrities was a part of my dream as I was growing up. Thus, over the years I have taken steps to make my dream into a reality. As a high school student, I realized that the mustard seed I had once planted was becoming a huge tree. Therefore, in my senior year, I started looking for a major to pursue and a school to attend. Making these decisions was the hardest and most stressful period in my lifetime, but my well and perseverance to take the right steps towards a successful life and a carrier kept me going.