Thomas Jefferson: Pragmatics over Doctrine :: Cheathouse Essays

Thomas Jefferson Pragmatics over dogma During the period 1800-1817, the Jeffersonians to a great extent compromised their political principles and essentially go forth Federalized the Federalists. While traditional Jeffersonian Republicanism advocated a nonindulgent interpretation of the ecesis and an emphasis on an agrarian economic system, the actual policies of Presidents Thomas Jefferson and mob Madison were markedly different from their theoretical principles. This obvious compromise of Jeffersonian principles is evident in the Federal governments assumption of broad-based political exponents and institution of capitalistic Hamiltonian economic reforms, both of which stemmed from Jefferson and Madisons adoption of broad constructionist policies. Despite his many compromises however, Thomas Jeffersons designing to dissolve the national debt was to a great extent unvarying. Jefferson and his Treasury secretaire Albert Gallatin honestly feared a large federal deficit as a threat to Republicanism. To avoid this threat, the President sought to diminish the role of the federal government, and decreased the national budget. These budget cuts substantially diminished the size and resources of the American army and navy. When criticized, Jefferson defended these military cuts as being consistent with Republican policies in that a smaller U.S. Army would be seen as less of a threat to other nations and castrate the risk of provocation, resulting in the ultimate furtherance of peace.Unfortunately, the Presidents consistency with Republican principles in matters of political personnel was not nearly as strong as his resolve to reduce the national debt. Under Jefferson and Madison, the federal government assumed political powers that the validation did not allot for. While prior to his presidency, Jefferson, then a strict constructionist had argued that the government should not assume any power unless specifically provided for in the Constitution, the Lo uisiana Purchase where America purchased a vast tract of state 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 blockade of the North African coast wasted millions of dollars of the peoples money and unconstitutionally violated states rights and strict constructionist principles, in their place asserting an alien un-Republican nationalism.While the yard found in Jeffersons political and military dealings helps us understand how Madison and him out Federalized the Federalists, an examination of Jeffersons economic policies rightfully proves that in the words on one historian he was the American Sphinx.