The Wavering Position of Thomas Jefferson Between Federalists and Democratic Republicans During His Term as President of the United States

As the United States formed, two political parties emerged with the same goal of what would be the best for their country. However, both of these parties refused to listen to each other and argued what they thought was their own "perfect" ideal. When Thomas Jefferson is elected as president in 1800, he is eventually forced into a wavering position between Federalists and Democratic Republicans. Despite Jefferson's attempt to stay true to his original beliefs, his political theories about the role of government, the economy, and the military ultimately changes as he is bombarded with different conflicts that require him to alter his views about the role of the United States.

Although Jefferson initially wanted stronger state rights (Document B), he eventually utilizes his executive powers and the federal government's power more often than not in order to achieve his purposes. When elected as president, Jefferson tried not to change previous policies too extensively; for example, Jefferson did not repeal Federalists programs likes the national bank. Jefferson began to take a moderate path between the two political parties. In 1803, his path slowly swayed toward the Federalist's side when Napoleon offered Louisiana to the United States for 15 million. Jefferson was eager to accept his offer, and admitted towards taking a "loose interpretation" of the constitution in Document C whereas he has "done an act beyond the constitution." However, another step is taken towards the Federalists path when the United States becomes indirectly involved with the Napoleonic Wars by the Orders in Council, which forced Americans to be stuck between the French and the British. Jefferson issued the Embargo Act in 1807 and the Non-Intercourse Act of 1809, contrary to when he first noted that the states should have the final say in federal matters (Document B).

The two acts not only limited trade to everyone except the British and the French, but also brought upon negative views by fellow Americans who described Jefferson as "the Despot who would wrest the inestimable germ of your Independence from you..." (Document E). Jefferson in his two terms becomes aware of how significance the federal government is, and how his view of economy is also not entirely right. When Jefferson was initially elected, he desired an economy based on agriculture with few taxes. One of the first things Jefferson removed was the excise tax on whiskey as claimed in his original point of view against excise taxes. (Document A). Although keeping his stance of taxes, Jefferson realizes from the Embargo and Non-Intercourse Acts about how much America relied on trading partners such as the French and the British.

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Specifically, the farmers of the south and west relied on farming, but they also traded with other countries in order to sell their excess crops of cotton, grain, and tobacco. Jefferson recognizes that the United States needed trade, a vital part to its whole economy. Contrary to its original intention, the two acts plunged the American industry to setting off on its own, the Federalist's vision of America in contrast to the agricultural vision of the Democratic Republicans. In contrast to the Federalists, Jefferson wanted a small federal military by reducing the police establishment to only twenty-five hundred men. Jefferson was not worried about wars since the United States was mostly neutral. However, Jefferson's policy is forced to bend when the North African pirates declared war on the United States (Document D). Albeit Jefferson did not want a war, he also did not want to pay a larger tribute to the pirates.

Jefferson was then forced to raise a navy against these pirates and successfully extorted a treaty of peace. Jefferson discovers how significant a navy is, rather than small state militias. From Jefferson's initial terms a president to his final days in 1809, Jefferson remained at heart a Democratic Republican that tried to stay true to his beliefs. However, Jefferson realizes that his political theories do not always work out in reality, such as his views on trade, power of government, and military. As America was engulfed into more foreign conflicts, Jefferson's views took a shift towards the Federalist's point of view.

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