The Firefly

The Firefly

testIntroduction
.
• Elected President in 1801-1809 (served 2 terms)
• Married to Martha Wayles Skelton in 1772
• Jefferson wasn't much of a public speaker. He always tried to avoid it.
• He was a great writer though! He is the author of the Declaration of Independence. He drafted it when he was 33.
• He is also a great designer. He designed his mansion Monticello and the University of Virginia!
• Before being president, he used to be the U.S. Minister of France, the Governor of Virginia, the Secretary of State under George Washington, and Vice President under John Adams.
• He died on July 4, 1826-- which was the day of the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Foreign Issues:
• The Barbary Pirates- They were Muslim pirates from North Africa and they received huge tribute payments (up to $$millions!) from the U.S. They captured Christian slaves to sell at slave markets.
• The Louisiana Purchase- Land purchased from Napoleon for $15 million in 1803. This was beneficial to the U.S. because it doubled our land and doubled our trade.
• The Embargo Act- It was an act that stopped all trade with any other country. It was so that Britain and France could stop restricting trade with America.
Domestic Issues:
• Slavery- Thomas Jefferson was unable to remove slavery because of the Southern Plantation system. He himself owned slaves but by law couldn't set them free.
• The Judiciary Act of 1801- Was to reduce the number of justices but congress repealed. There was fear of empowerment by judges so they tried to remove by impeachment.
• The Federalist Protest- Feared that the Louisiana Purchase would be a threat to the economy and thought of breaking up the Union and setting up a northern confederacy so that settlers from new lands won't control Congress.