Did Thomas Jefferson Abandon His Ethics for the Lousiana Purchase

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Did Thomas Jefferson give up his deeply held political values in order to purchase the Louisiana Territory from the French (P. 2)? This is the major question that has led to much debate within the early history of America (P. 1). Some historians argue that Thomas Jefferson did, in fact, throw away his commitment to states’ rights and constructionism by the large purchase of Louisiana for the U.S. (P.1). On the other hand, some believe that President Jefferson supported his political beliefs, the fortification of the republican government, with the Louisiana Purchase (P. 1).
David A. Carson argues in “Blank Paper of the Constitution: The Louisiana Purchase Debates” that Thomas Jefferson did abandon his political ideals when purchasing Louisiana (P. 1). The Louisiana Territory gave the United States control of the Mississippi Valley and the mainland of North American, and it opened the doors for the expansion of slavery across the country (P. 3). Although the acquisition of Louisiana was important to the success and growth of the United States, Carson states that President Jefferson, “Saw that it threatened to make “blank paper” of the Constitution since it expanded the powers of the national government further than even the most die-hard Federalists could have imagined” (P. 3). On the 16th of July, two days after Jefferson received the purchased treaty, he called together his cabinet to help plan the course of the agreements through Congress (P. 4). The cabinet agreed to assemble Congress on the 17th of October to give both houses enough time to act before the closing day of October 30th (P. 4).
Before the acquisition of the Louisiana Territory, President Jefferson struggled with the constitutional difficulties of adding to the o...

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...vide protection to the citizens, and to ensure a progressive future for the country. I believe he or she is appointed solely for the greater good of our nation. Although President Jefferson did go against his principles of having more states’ rights and a strict constructionism for the government, he purchased the Louisiana Territory because he saw how beneficial it would be to the growth of America. As President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson was not looking at the criticism he would face, but the broader picture of how the new territory would positively affect the country. With both historians providing a sufficient amount of facts to base their arguments on, my final opinion is that President Jefferson did indeed abandon some of his political beliefs in purchasing Louisiana, but I believe that he did it so in order to better America as a growing country.

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