Throughout the history of the United States, many Presidents have taken actions that greatly impacted the foreign and domestic policies of the nation.These actions had both positive and negative effects on the United States. Two important examples are Emancipation Proclamation issued by Abraham Lincoln and Purchase of the Louisiana territory by Thomas Jefferson. Both of these decisions had help change the US foreign and domestic policies in its time and made an impact in our present time. The issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation help push the freedom of the slaves, and the Purchase of the Louisiana territory led to the expansion of the United States territory. Before the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, the idea of freeing the slaves was a controversial topic between states. It was decided through an election in 1860, in which the electoral majority favors the freedom of slaves. Ultimately, it led to conflict between states and into the Civil War. During the Civil War, Lincoln primary goal was to preserve union and peace at first. However, later on …show more content…
Jefferson action was considered to be one of his greatest achievements of the third president. Afterward of the purchase has a great result on American society, doubled the size of previous US territory allow the westward expansion “Lewis and Clark expedition”. “The Lewis and Clark expedition” help America expand into different lands. They had full control over the Ports of New Orlean and the Mississippi River, which help the farmer ship their goods in a faster trading routes help the US commerce in their domestic policies.Originally, the constitution states nothing about the president power to be able to purchase land. However, Thomas Jefferson action of purchasing Louisiana allows the American society and its economy to flourish, without this action, the US wouldn't have become as
The most controversial document in Abraham Lincoln’s presidency was the Emancipation Proclamation. It was met with both hostility and jubilation by the North. The proclamation declares that everybody that was held as slaves within the rebellious states,the southern states in rebellion, were going to be free. Most people do not know that it was written twice.
The significance of President Lincoln’s election was that the South took it as an indication that there was to be no compromise. The Emancipation Proclamation freed no slaves, as it only freed slaves in states in rebellion. The Emancipation Proclamation was effective January 1, 1863. Lincoln intended to eliminate or restrict slavery, believed the Southern states and this was one of the causes of the American Civil
Events were going as planed in the first year of the war. In the second year of the war, the battles’ results were too ugly due to the incompatibility between the new weapons and the old war tactics with no concrete signs of possible future improvement. Therefore, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation in September 1862, despite opposition even from some Northerners. Lincoln declared war for the sake of union. Southerners were motivated to secession by their greed for control and the fear at the same time of the Northerners domination.
He was a strong believer in states' rights and thought that rights not explicitly stated in the Constitution should be given to the states. However, in writing the Constitution, there was no way to predict that a deal such as the Louisiana Purchase would ever be possible. Therefore, the power to purchase land from another government, thereby expanding the size of the United States, was never explicitly given to the federal government. Although Thomas Jefferson realized what a deal the Louisiana Purchase was, he had lots of moral doubts about completing the
Also, his actions toward the Nullification Crisis in the South Carolina, which was threatening the Southerners with military intervention, shaped who he was on the eyes of the American citizens. When it came to foreign affairs, Jefferson passed the Embargo Act, which halted the trading with all countries in
While the supporters of Thomas Jefferson believe that buying foreign land was necessary, those who are against him feel that what he did was unconstitutional. In the source, “Thomas Jefferson to John Breckinridge, 12 August 1803”, the text explains that what Jefferson did was allowed, as it had not mentioned that he couldn’t in the constitution. This controversy is huge, because some people believe that he did not have the right to do so. Jefferson made a point that it wasn’t mentioned in the constitution, so he decided to ratify it and pay for it. Some believe congress did not have the right to authorize this decision.
Jackson’s policies regarding land distribution helped our country, as he thought that the land owned by Native Americans would be put to better use by American farmers, with his laws passed leading to massive amounts of fertile land being sold to the American public (Whaples 546-548). Additionally, Jackson’s policies brought with him the abundant use of gold and silver over paper currency, which greatly aided the American economy, as shown by both the increase in money after the end of the Bank of the United States and the economic boom after the Species Circular (Whaples 548-550). Furthermore, perhaps the most important policies expressed by Jackson was shown through his determination to paying off America’s national debt, as through his refusal to borrow money and his stinginess in spending more money, as well as reformations to American laws passed by Congress, Jackson successfully paid off the American national debt and brought forward a surplus of money for the first time in American history (Whaples 552-553). All in all, despite Andrew Jackson bringing much controversy into the White House during his 8 years as the president of the United States, his unique policies greatly aided America’s economy, bringing our country immense economic
President Jefferson did however make an outstanding purchase of the Louisiana Territory which, in turn doubled the size of the United States. Besides the gallant purchase of the Louisiana Territory, it seems as if President Jefferson has been on a bit of a downward heading recently. The extremely
Michael, you are right when you state the purpose of the document was to stop the South from successfully seceding. Lincoln knew that if the Union was going to when the war the Union needed to get more supporters, especially soldiers. The Emancipation Proclamation did exactly that. The African Americans were exhilarated to be free; therefore, they were willing to fight for the Union cause. Although the document was not very effective, the Emancipation Proclamation did start the wheels to turn towards abolishing slavery.
The Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana purchase was one of the biggest land purchases in history. In 1803, the United States paid around $15 million dollars for around 800,000 square miles of land. This was arguably the greatest achievement of thomas jefferson’s presidency. The louisiana territory was a wild card in the european game of imperialism.
In America’s history there have been many events or times that have in a way changed and shaped how we live today. The Louisiana Purchase could be recognized as one of the best and most impressive real estate purchases of Thomas Jefferson’s past. Also, this purchase could be looked at as one of the most important events in America’s past. Many historians would agree on this, but many opinions would be different on the fact if this purchase was actually worth the buy or not. Even Jefferson himself would have some doubts about the purchase.
The Louisiana Purchase Treaty was signed on April 30, 1803, in Paris, France, during Thomas Jefferson’s presidency. It was a significant milestone in our history and set a precedent for future generations. While people were not convinced that this was a good idea and felt it would be a waste of money, Jefferson envisioned more freedom from foreign superpowers, more land to farm, and unrestricted access to the Mississippi River which was controlled by the more-powerful France. Acquiring the Port of New Orleans and the Floridas from France was the biggest and most important real estate deal in history. It gave people opportunities to settle into unsettled territory, strengthened our nation and paved the way for future land purchases.
Jefferson's contributions go beyond that, as he served as the first governer of Virginia, and the first Secretary of State. Eventually he rose up the ranks and became the Vice President of the United States, and afterwards became the President of the United States. One notable thing about Jefferson is the Lousiana Purchase from France. This expanded America greatly, and eventually he sent two explorers named Lewis and Clark to explore these new lands. Along with expanding the United States, Jefferson decided to launch the Library of Congress, and create the first university in
When the Confederacy did not yield, Lincoln put the final Emancipation Proclamation into effect. After it was put in effect with the civil war was concluded, Lincoln could not have been prouder of enacting the order. “Heralded as the savior of the Union, President Lincoln actually considered the Emancipation Proclamation to be the most important aspect of his legacy. “I never, in my life, felt more certain that I was doing right, than I do in signing this paper,” he declared. “If my name ever goes into history it will be for this act, and my
Somebody once remarked, “No man is good enough to govern another man without the other's consent” (“Abraham Lincoln Quotes"). At the initial view, the Civil War was going to be won by the South. Nonetheless, all that changed when Abraham Lincoln constructed the Emancipation Proclamation because it did not solely free slaves, it further altered antiquity for the salutary and assisted the North in the war, which led to their triumph. The Emancipation Proclamation was Abraham Lincoln’s greatest achievement as president.