Jefferson Compromises His Beliefs for a Huge Achievement
The Louisiana Purchase was one of the largest land deals in history. In 1803, the United States paid $15 million dollars for over 800,000 square miles of land. This land deal was arguably the greatest achievement of Thomas Jefferson's presidency but also posed a dilemma for Jefferson. While he might have written the Declaration of Independence, he did not author the Constitution. Thomas Jefferson apposed a strong federal government, and favored states rights. He felt that all powers given to the National Government were enumerated. If they were not expressly mentioned in the Constitution then they were reserved to the states.
How does this relate to the Louisiana Purchase? By completing this purchase, Jefferson had to put aside his principles because the allowance for this type of transaction was not expressly listed in the Constitution. Waiting for a Constitutional amendment might cause the deal to fall through. Therefore, Jefferson decided to go through with the purchase by stating that he was simply making a treaty with France, and he convinced the Senate to approve the treaty. Luckily, the people of the United States agreed that this was an excellent move.
Why did Jefferson feel this deal was so necessary? France suddenly posed a threat to America. There was a fear that if America did not purchase the port town of New Orleans from France, it could lead to war. Therefore, Jefferson sent representatives to France to purchase New Orleans. Instead, they returned with an agreement to buy the entire Louisiana Territory. The Mississippi River and the Port of New Orleans were important to western farmers to transport their produce to the ports along the Atlantic coast. With the purchase of this new territory, the land area of America nearly doubled. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led a small expeditionary group called the Corps of Discovery into the territory. They are just the beginning of America's fascination with exploring the west.
What were the effects of Jefferson's decision to go against his own philosophy concerning a strict interpretation of the Constitution? It can be argued that his taking liberties with the Constitution due to time and need, would lead to future Presidents feeling justified interpreting the elasticity of Article I, Section 8, Clause 18. Jefferson should rightly be remembered for the great deed of purchasing this enormous tract of land. But one wonders if he might regret the means in which he earned this fame.
Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of loose-leaf paper. Please use pen.
1. Since the Constitution said nothing about a President’s power to buy land, do you feel that Thomas Jefferson loosely interpreted the Constitution by stating that the Louisiana Purchase was a treaty? Support your answer.
2. Why do you think the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans were so important to western farmers? Think about the fact that there were not many roads in the U.S. at this time.