Jefferson Said in His Inaugural Address, “we Are All Republicans, We Are All Federalists.” Assess What He Means, and to What Extent Did He Uphold the Beliefs of This Statement in His Domestic and Foreign Policies
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Thomas Jefferson is consistently ranked among our nations greatest presidents in history, with an accumulation of achievements and honor to his name. When he was elected to office in 1800, he brought to the government an idea of unity between parties, which was unheard of since they had been created. “We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists.” Jefferson did not mean that opposing parties should adopt each others views or that they should be eliminated altogether, but that no matter what party a person favored, they were all citizens of the United States and that should be their main uniting factor.
Jefferson himself was a bundle of contradictions and could even be called a hypocrite in some stances. He was very outspoken on the matter of human freedom, yet maintained a plantation full of slaves. He was all for state rights, but did not hesitate in taking advantage of federal power when it suited him. Many of his actions contradicted his beliefs also, such as the Louisiana Purchase. But all these contradictions may be what helped Jefferson maintain a neutral standpoint between parties. Although he was officially a Republican, most of his actions did not reflect a bias towards either side. As with the Louisiana Purchase, Jefferson did what he thought was best for the country, even if it went against his personal beliefs. He did not focus on the slavery debate that came with the buying of the land, but rather diverted his attention to the fulfillment of the American dream of Manifest Destiny. This would prove tolling in the future, but was a clean decision for him at the time, one that would allow him to remain standing in his position of peacemaker between parties, and not tilt his favor one way or the other.
In foreign affairs, Jefferson was not much different. An immediate issue that came up as soon as he ascended presidency was that of the Barbary pirates. As secretary of state and vice president, Jefferson had opposed funding of the Navy for anything other than coastal defense, but in the face of threat from the pirates, he ordered naval vessels back into action. This incident shows how Jefferson tried not to be biased towards a specific party. He couldve continued paying off the pirates to keep them away from American ships so that he wouldnt have to go against his previous decisions as a Republican. But instead, he weighed the benefits of each possible action and went with the one that would be of most benefit to the country regardless of which party it would be more favorable to.
Overall, I feel that Jefferson usually did uphold his beliefs from the statement afore mentioned. He entered office with much pressure and issues to attend to, but he processed everything in a professional manner, not letting personal issues and beliefs get in the way of topics concerning the general well being of the country.