The Thomas Jefferson Presidency - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... The first way is to assess the presidency of Thomas Jefferson based on how writers during or close to the period viewed the presidency. The other way is to assess it on the basis of two key indicators: 1) economic growth and economic management data during the period; and 2) political institutional data associated with his rule. Of the former, a good indicator can be provided by the inaugural statements of President Thomas Jefferson himself. ...
land, traversing all the seas with the rich productions of their industry, engaged in commerce with nations.” 7 Perhaps, the best indicator of what eight years of the presidency of Thomas Jefferson have brought to America is the presidential inaugural address of James Madison in 1809. Speaking on 4 March 1809, after 8 years of the rule of Thomas Jefferson, Madison said that the US national prosperity was “at a height not before attained.”8 Madison also pointed out that under the Jefferson administration “…the fruits of a just policy were enjoyed in an unrivalled growth” of United States faculties and resources.9 According to Madison, the proof of the unrivalled growth can be seen “in the improvements of agriculture, in the successful enterprises of commerce, in the progress of manufacturers and useful arts, in the increase of the public revenue and the use made of it in reducing the public debt, and in the valuable works and establishment everywhere multiplying over the face of our land.” 10 It is clear, therefore, that we have a good and a reliable basis to say that President Thomas Jefferson has been successful as a president of the US and his achievements can be considered as extraordinary during his time as he was credited to have expanded the United States territory through the Louisiana Purchase. The success of Thomas Jefferson is also supported by solid data. One piece of such data is growth in gross domestic product in real 2005 terms. This is documented by MeasuringWorth, a data collection institution in the internet. Figure 1 from the website is illustrative. Figure 1. US GDP in real terms, 1795 to 1820 Source: http://www.measuringworth.com/datasets/usgdp/graph.php It is clear from the MeasuringWorth data that the US real GDP data was on the ...Download file to see next pagesRead More