Thomas Jeffersons Presidential Legacy Essay - 1068 Words

Thomas Jeffersons Presidential Legacy Thomas Jefferson, our third president, was born in 1743 in Virginia. He studied at William and Mary and then read the law. In 1772, he married a widow lady, Martha Skelton and he took her to live at his partially completed home at Monticello, the plantation consisting of approximately 5,000 acres that he inherited from his father. Mr. Jefferson was considered to be a gifted writer, but he was not a public speaker. He wrote his support for the patriotic cause in the House of Burgesses and the Continental congresses but he did not give any speeches. He was a silent member, and as such, drafted the Declaration of Independence. He became the first Secretary of State under George Washington, but†¦show more content†¦The landmark case of Marbury v Madison involved William Marbury and James Madison. After his defeat in 1800, then President Adams appointed as many federalist judges to the court system as possible, but the commissions were not delivered. Mr. Marbury was appointed as a Justice of the Peace for the District of Columbia; James Madison tried to use his power as Secretary of State to shelve Mr. Marburys commission. Mr. Marbury sued in the Supreme Court for the delivery of the commission and based his appeal on the Judiciary Act of 1789. However, Chief Justice Marshall dismissed the suit, explaining that the Judiciary Act of 1789 was unconstitutional because it attempted to assign powers to the Supreme Court that the Constitution had not foreseen. He adamantly asserted his opinion that the Constitution embodied a higher law than regular legislation. Chief Justice Marshall stated that it is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is#8230; His decision greatly increased the authority of the Supreme Court; the Court now had the final say-so in the interpretation of the Constitution and to determine the constitutionality of a law. Just a few months later, in May 1804, Jefferson completed one of the largest land transactions in history. He purchased the entire Louisiana Territory, consisting of more than 800,000 square miles, from Napoleon for $15 millionsShow MoreRelatedThomas Jefferson Was The Second President Of The United States Of America1671 Words   |  7 PagesThomas Jefferson was the third president of The United States of America and one of the most influential founding fathers in American history. Thomas was born in Shadwell in Albemarle County, Virginia in 1743. His father Peter Jefferson was a well respected planter in Virginia. Not much is said about Jefferson s early life due to the Shadwell fire. The Shadwell fire destroyed many of Jefferson s person recollections in 1770 leaving much of his early history and his development into an AmericanRead MoreThe Declaration Of Independence And The Second President Of The United States Of America1656 Words   |  7 PagesThomas Jefferson, writer of th e Declaration of Independence and the third president of the United States of America, was born on April 13, 1743. The future president was born to the parents of Peter Jefferson, a well-known and successful planter, and Jane Randolph, a prominent member of a very well-known and distinguished Virginian family. Jefferson was the third of ten children who were raised on the Shadwell slave plantation in Virginia. Starting from the early age of nine, Thomas Jefferson beganRead MoreThomas Jefferson Hypocrisy Essay1621 Words   |  7 PagesThe Hypocrisy of an Icon At some point in a person’s lifetime, whether it be through educational endeavors or everyday conversations regarding political leanings, the name Thomas Jefferson has definitely made an appearance in some aspect. This may be in terms of memorizing each president and their legacy or analyzing how the actions he made in office changed today’s society as whole. As a founding father, secretary of state, vice president, and eventually then a full-fledged president, there is noRead MoreThomas Jefferson: More than a President Essay1590 Words   |  7 Pagesat the hands of many brave men and women. Prominent among these heroes and heroines is Thomas Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of Independence. Apart from the Declaration, Jefferson accomplished great achievements in his lifetime; our nation would not be the same today without his genius: â€Å"Even among that remarkable group of men known as the Founding Fathers, Jefferson was truly a giant† (Allison 9). Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743 to Peter and Jane Jefferson who lived near the BlueRead MoreEssay about Biography of President Thomas Jefferson1502 Words   |  7 PagesThomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States is one of the more lauded, revered, criticized, and respected presidents of all time. In fact, he’s better to be seen as two people: a quiet and secluded philosopher, and an informal, public and loud president; it just so happens that these conflicting personalities found their home inside of Thomas Jefferson. This paper shall cover how come these personalities came into conflict so often, by examining his philosophies, the actions he tookRead More American Jefferson Essay1134 Words   |  5 Pages â€Å"American Sphinx: The character of Thomas Jefferson† A book by Joseph J. Ellis. Copyright 1997 Vintage. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Joseph J. Ellis, a historian who was educated at the College of William and Mary and Yale, is a Ford Foundation Professor of History at Mount Holyoke University. He has written four books on historical topics, centered on the time Jefferson was alive, dealing with issues and personalities Jefferson dealt with firsthand. After authoringRead MoreFounding Brothers By Joseph J. Ellis1479 Words   |  6 Pagesthe revolution. Focusing on the more important figures from the revolutionary era, who he calls â€Å"Founding Brothers†, a slight change from the original â€Å"Founding Fathers†. They are as follows: George Washington, John and Abigale Adams, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, Arron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, and Benjamin Franklin. In this book there’s 7 sections, each showing a different problem, which Ellis tries to explain in a neutral perspective using both foresight and hindsight. He tries to show the senseRead MoreThe Presidency of James Madison1497 Words   |  6 Pages President James Madison held the white house office from 1808-1816. During his tenure he had to deal with the ramifications of his policies from when he was Secretary of State under Thomas Jefferson and The War of 1812. These two major points are what shaped most of his presidential terms. It was his second term that helped with the postwar expansion of America and the split in the Democratic Party system. It was also during his second term that he helped America gain it’s economic independenceRead MoreThe Founding Fathers : Virginia1589 Words   |  7 PagesMadison’s career in the White House began when he was chosen as President Jefferson’s Secretary of State in 1800. His primary focus in this position was to carry out foreign policies through the State Department and the Foreign Service of the United States (â€Å"James Madison’s Biography†). In 1803, Madison played a major role in the Louisiana Purchase, the land deal that America worked to neg otiate with France. He and Thomas Jefferson worked together to resolve the crisis with Spain by deciding thatRead MoreA Birth Of A Legend1663 Words   |  7 Pagesless known candidate who offered free Whisky to the voters. Though, he became a member of Virginia Council of State which was in charge of state affairs during the Revolutionary War. During his position in Virginia Council of State he met his mentor, Thomas Jefferson, governor of Virginia. He worked hard with Jefferson to design a better law for the colonies; one of them was Freedom of Religion. His unprecedented effort on freedom of religion and secularism made him fight against a law mandating religious