Thomas_Jefferson_vs._Andrew_Jackson

Previous to the civil war rose two characters, two heroes, in Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson. Both serve as compact symbols representing the ideology of their own generations. Jefferson exemplifies the aristocrat, the democratic politician, writer extraordinaire, and the pacifist. Jackson epitomizes the common man, the farmer, the politician, military prowess, and the democracy of the period. Together their philosophies define an age in American history. These philosophies however, weren’t alike in any sense. Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson had a different philosophy for just about every topic that presented itself during their lifetimes. Thomas Jefferson, the tall, sandy haired, Virginia lawyer of 33, served as the prosecuting attorney against Britain in 1776. Serving the fiery Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, he was led by his pen in his masterpiece, the Declaration of Independence. In his acts of rebellion against King George III’s presumably tyrannous misdeeds ultimately led to the separation of the colonial people into the Tories and the Whigs, the loyalists and the patriots. Jefferson continued his pacifism and anti-entanglement philosophies in his turn as president. But when Napoleon forced Spain to cede the Louisiana territory to France Jefferson got worried. This land was of no threat to us in Spain’s hand but with Napoleon in charge, his plans for world domination would mean us fighting for our own land eventually. This would also mean us uniting with Britain to fight him off. Jefferson knew we were not strong enough to contest Napoleon but the last thing he wanted was to come to terms with Britain. Eventually Napoleon lost use for this land though luckily and sold it to us pocketing the cash for his own future battles with England. Jefferson had sent men with $10 million for Louisiana and anything they could get east but came they came back with a $15 million deal for Louisiana and practically everything west. This put Jefferson into a dilemma over its constitutionality. When he presented the treaties to the senate he told them it was unconstitutional but they didn’t care and went ahead and signed it anyway.