The Jefferson Administration
Jefferson was the author of the Virginia Resolution which opposed the Sedition Act. Once Jefferson was elected
president he worked to have the Sedition Acts repealed. Once Jefferson repealed the Sedition Acts, he pardoned
(released from punishment) everyone who had been convicted. This was part of Jefferson’s goal to reduce the influence
of the national government in the lives of the American people.
Reducing Government
To accomplish his goals, Jefferson reversed much of what the Federalists had done, including the Sedition Acts. Of
course, Jefferson’s effect on government went beyond style. Together with Congress, he reduced the amount of taxes
paid by the American people and severely cut the size of the federal bureaucracy-the departments and workers that
make up the federal government. (This reduced the size of the government, and resulted in less money people needed
to pay in taxes) Jefferson also shaved the size of the army to just over 3,000 men. Jefferson’s goal was to limit the
national government’s presence in people’s lives.
Jefferson was a strict constructionists, which meant he believed you should follow the Constitution exactly as it is
written. However, this would change when it came to American expansion west, Jefferson and his supporters used the
power and money of the national government boldly.
The Land Act of 1800
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 had established a process by which territories, as land in the West were called, could
become states. The Jefferonians encouraged the development of the frontier-which now extended only as far west as
the Mississippi River-through a new federal land policy. Under the Land Act of 1800, Americans were able to buy land in
small parcels and on credit. Federal land offices appeared across the West, making the transfer of land easier from the
government to private citizens.
The Louisiana Purchase
American farmers in the West depended on the Mississippi River to transport their crops to foreign markets. The French
controlled the mouth of the Mississippi at New Orleans. The French used this control to extract large sums of money
from American traders who had no choice but to travel the Mississippi. Fearing French control and Napoleon’s
ambitions of establishing colonies in the area Jefferson appointed James Monroe to go to France and buy the city of
New Orleans. Congress instructed Monroe, along with Robert Livingston to pay up to $10 million for the land. What
happened next was one of the most fateful events in American History.
A rebellion in the French colony of Haiti influenced Napoleon to quickly change his mind. Rather than sell only New
Orleans to the United States, Napoleon wanted to sell all of the French claims known as Louisiana. Not daring to ask him
to wait for weeks or months for an answer, Monroe and Livingston offered Napoleon $15 million for the Louisiana
Purchase. They desperately hoped that Congress and the President would support their decision.
When Jefferson heard of the agreement with the French, he was troubled. The Constitution did not mention the
purchase of foreign lands. He was also wary of spending large amounts of public money. Jefferson overcame his
doubts, however, and urged Congress to approve the sales. With the stroke of a pen, the Louisiana Purchase
dramatically increased the national debt and the size of the United States. The Louisiana Purchase would have an
enormous impact on the history of the United States.