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Jefferson was the very definition of a hypocrite. In his inaugural address, he spoke of how we were neither federalist of republican, but Americans. However, his first actions as president were a power play by the republican party. Impeaching Pickering for being insane was an attempt to set a precedent that "high crimes and misdemeanors" didn't have to be an actual action. The attempted removal of Chase from the supreme court showed the ambition of Jefferson and his followers. He wanted as much power as possible resting in his party.
ReplyDeleteJefferson was definitely a hypocrite- As we discussed in class, in his inauguration speech he played down the fact that there were very different political parties and chose to identify us all as Americans. But like a typical politician, he lied during the time prior to his presidency and failed to deliver his promises once in office. He tried to sweep the Federalist out of judiciary power (unconstitutionally i might add). Also, he had originally told the public that he aimed to reduce the size of government. Of course, one of the things Jefferson is most known for is the Louisiana Purchase. Obviously, more land requires more government. Therefore, the Purchase was contradictory to his promises; his words did not match his actions.
ReplyDeleteJefferson very much was a hypocrite. Stemming from his inaugural address, he contradicted himself. He stated that the government was good and strong at the size it was, then proceeded to strip it down to a very small number. A lot of his actions were deemed unconstitutional (tying to the purge the Supreme Court of Federalist judges) yet he stressed the importance of unity and other qualities.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Christina on her point about the Louisiana Purchase. Despite the fact that one of Jefferson's goals was to limit the size of the government, the more land purchased, the more stress to expand the government.
ReplyDeleteI think Jefferson was a huge hypocrite. He preached unity in his inagural speech and how all the people in America would get along no matter if they were Federalist or Republican. However the next thing he did when he got into office was he impeached Federalist judges. It started with Pickering and then went onto Chase. He deliberatly picked these two judges because he knew that he could impeach them with no problem. He completly contradicted himself with his speech and actions because he said that he would not care about political parties but then went to impeach judges of his opposing political party.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tyler because he also said in his inagural speech that the government was strong as it was. But then he stil went on to try to make the government smaller. And by this action he showed the people that he had lied to them and the government officials.
ReplyDeleteThomas Jefferson was a hypocrite in every sense of the word, Jefferson made a lot of promises to the people of the U.S. in his inaugural address, many of which he did not execute, For example, Jefferson reached the importance keeping the government as it was, a small centralized government. However, his most well known achievement in his presidency was the Louisiana Purchase, in which he doubled the size of the nation. Another example of Jefferson's hypocracy, was the impeachment of the notoriously Federalist judges. This is contradictory because Jefferson claimed that upon his election the division between Federalists and Republicans was officially over.
ReplyDeleteI like how Laura mentions the fact the when Jefferson impeached Pickering for being insane, he "set a precedent". I also like how Brittney mentioned that Jefferson preached unity, and also did not stick to that.
ReplyDeleteLike all politicians Jefferson was a hypocrite. Dating back to the writing of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson declared that all men are created equal; however he owned slaves. Then, during his election he manipulated the people by preaching unity within the federal government. However, once he was inaugurated Jefferson attempted to repeal all of the 11th hour acts passed by the Federalists. Most specifically, he got rid of the Judiciary Act of 1801 and impeached Pickering, and then unsuccessfully tried to do the same to federalist Supreme Court Justice Chase.
ReplyDeleteAnother contradiction was his idea of following the constitution to a tee. He did not support Hamilton's economic plans because they were borderline unconstitutional, however he himself ordered the Louisiana Purchase. Was it constitutional to enlarge the size of our nation? No provision existed in the Constitution for a territorial acquisition.
I agree with Christina's point about the Louisiana Purchase, but couldn't such lands also mean that the government was being spread out. Therefore, there wouldn't be such a concentration in the federal government, but rather the purchase of new lands would expand local governments.
ReplyDeleteThomas Jefferson was absolutely a hypocrite. In his inaugural address, Jefferson expressed that the US government was already sufficient as it was, and that changing it was not necesary. He advocated unity as well. Then, as president, his actions completely contradicted his inaugural address. By trying to republicanize the entire government and attempting to impeach judges, Jefferson was making drastic government changes that defied his previous statement that the government needed no changes. On top of that, he was showing the public a power-hungry side of him. That being said, he was clearly a hypocrite. I don't see any way that someone could argue that he was NOT a hypocrite.
ReplyDeleteJefferson is very much a hypocrite in that his actions clearly contradicted the promises he made in his inaugural address. For instance, in his inaugural address, he promoted unity amongst opposing political parties, particularly the Federalist and Republican parties. However, through his actions, he showed interest in giving the Republican party primary power. He attempted to remove two Federalist judges, Pickering and Chase, through impeachment, and he shot down the Judiciary Act of 1801 that put Federalists in positions in the Supreme Court. His goal was evidently to put all offices in Republican hands. In addition, Jefferson dismantled the Federalist war program, and disbanded the Federalist's provisional army.
ReplyDeleteI like how Carly brought up Thomas Jefferson back in the days of the Declaration of Independence. It's true that he was a hypocrite even back then. Taking that into consideration, it's no surprise that he was a hypocrite as president as well.
ReplyDeleteChristina makes a valid point about how the Louisiana Purchase would require an expansion of government. However, Jefferson's main goal was still to reduce the federal government's size and limit its power. Upon leaving office, the downsizing of government was one of Jefferson's biggest contributions.
ReplyDeleteWhen looking at Jefferson's promises versus his actions in presidential office, it would seem that Jefferson is a hypocritical political leader, however, that seems to be the definition of a politician in America. From the start of the American government, leaders have had ulterior motives when making political decisions concerning the nation and its citizens. The beginnings of party division can be seen back in Washington's administration, and with each transfer of power, those divisions escalated. Jefferson's term was characterized by the greatest divergence from the unified nation depicted in the Constitution, as well as Jefferson's inaugural speech, yet he can't be solely blamed for the deviation of American politicians from the interest of the collective population, to the interest of each figures' political parties.
ReplyDeleteConversely, I think that Carly's point that Jefferson was a hypocrite before his assumption of office is valid. Looking back, it seems that Jefferson's hypocrisy in his inaugural speech portrayed a pattern of the past, and could have been foreseen.
ReplyDeleteI think it is fair to call Jefferson a hypocrite. In both his actions and speech, he contradicted himself and his "ideals" several times; the first being his owning of a huge plantation with slaves. His idea of unity for all mankind is strange, because he himself refused to acknowledge the rights of his slaves. In his inaugural speech, he waxed eloquent on the virtues of unity in manhood, and the wrongs of separate political parties. However, in the early days of his presidency, his first order was to find ways to impeach Federalist sympathizing judges from the Supreme court. This was to set a precedence amongst the judges and all other Federalists that he would not tolerate a bias against his party.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tracy's point that not only did Jefferson eliminate the opposition, he got rid of the plans that Adams hastily made in the last days of his presidency.
ReplyDeleteJefferson is indeed a hypocrite. if one were to look at the at his inaugural address compared to what he did makes him a hypocrite alone. in his address he said he would not discriminate on the basis of political party however, jefferson tried to get rid of all of the federalists in the government. he also repealed the judiciary act of 1801 which was a direct blow against the Federalists.
ReplyDeletei agree with Vishakha, especially the part on how he believed all men were equal but he still had a large plantation with slaves.
ReplyDeleteI believe Jefferson can be labeled as a hypocrite. In his inaugural speech he explained to the people of America his vision of equality and peace. Jefferson preached about how he would unite the government and stay above the opposing political parties; not taking either side. However, his actions after taking office have shown he had alterior motives. Jefferson immediately attacked the government, specifically the Judicial Branch, which was overpowered by Federalists. He got judges like Pickering and Chase impeached, giving the Republicans more power. Also, Jefferson said he wanted to reduce the size of the government and then contradicted himself by buying the Louisiana Territory, doubling the size of the country.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the point Ricky brought up. Jefferson, by repealing the Judiciary Act of 1801, really hurt the power of the Federalists. This alone shows how Jefferson was really aimed at eliminating Federalists in the government and weakening their power as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt that Jefferson, like many presidents who followed him, was a hypocrite. He directly attacked the Federalist party despite preaching unity and political equality. Also, as many people have talked about, the Louisiana Purchase was very contradictory to his philosophy of limiting government.
ReplyDeleteI like the fact that Carly brought up the contradictions that Jefferson had in the US constitution. He wrote about the equality of all men, yet he owned many slaves and also had illegitimate children with one of his slaves.
ReplyDeleteIn his Inaugural Address, Jefferson stated that there were no boundaries between Federalists and Republicans in America, only Americans. However, as soon as in office, Jefferson ended the Judiciary Act of 1801, firing all recently appointed Federalists judges. He continued clearing the Judicial Branch by targeting extreme Federalists judges, such as Pickering, on claims of so-called insanity, and Chase on grounds of biases. By the end of his term Jefferson, had wiped out a portion of Federalist judges and appointed members of only his own party. This completely went against everything he once stood for in the beginning of his presidency, regarding unity within America, rather than a division of parties.
ReplyDeleteIn a stance similar, if not identical, to everybody else in the class, I also think that Thomas Jefferson was a hypocrite. To be frank, though, he was also an elected official, so there is actually no surprise between these two qualities. Not to spark anything stupid, like an actual debate, but we still see the connection today. Remember: if a guy in a suit promises to do something in exchange for a vote, chances are he's half as likely to do it once he's elected. Or she. Whichever.
ReplyDeleteJefferson is a hypocrite because he initially promised to reduce the size of the government and rise above the political factions. But in the end, he did what he had to do and got rid of those Federalist jerks in the judiciary who got in his way. Besides doing away with the Judiciary Act of 1801, he also impeached Pickering and Chase on unconstitutional grounds. He essentially lied to the people of the United States, and secretly bent some rules in order to strengthen his party's own power over the federal government. I APPROVE.
Jefferson was most definitely a hypocrite; his inaugural address was pure lies just to get the people on board with his ideas. He talked of a united country but right when he took office tried to impeach Federalist judges to keep them out of power entirely. He got Pickering out of office but wasn’t able to get Chase out. If he cared at all about unity he would not have attacked those two judges and not have worried about which party had power. He clearly contradicted himself and was very hypocritical throughout his time in office.
ReplyDeleteTracy adds a nice point in Jefferson's dismantling of the Federalists' army and war program. The statement is yet another example of how Jefferson worked to undermine Federalist power instead of working above it.
ReplyDeleteIf this specific blog was a salad, Tracy's comment would be the croutons. Any arguments that everyone else shares would be the lettuce. Mine would be the dressing, because that's the only reason people eat salads anyway.
I agree with Carla and I think she brings up a good point about the Judiciary Act of 1801. Jefferson most definitely was a hypocrite and his main goal was to eliminate the Federalist power and not to keep the country unified.
ReplyDeleteThomas Jefferson was most definitely a hypocrite. In his inaugural address, he discussed decreasing the size of the government as well as trying to destroy the party lines between Republicans, like himself, and the Federalists who held office before him. However, right after he enters office, he attacks the judicial system, trying to remove the Federalist judges. Starting with district judges, he then moves onto the more important Supreme Court justices. Jefferson succeeded when it came to the district judge, Pickering, however failed at completing the impeachment of the Supreme Court justice, Chase.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, he went through with the Louisiana Purchase, adding more land to the country. Even though he promised to decrease the size of his government, he really increased it by placing more responsibility on the Executive Branch. Thomas Jefferson was clearly hypocritical by doing the exact opposite of what he had promised in his inaugural speech, which sadly, is not uncommon.
It is unfair to call Jefferson a Hypocrite. One of the goals in his inaugural speech was to promote agriculture. What better way to do so then purchase several thousand miles of open space west of the Mississippi River, just waiting to be tilled and farmed. Many believed such a purchase contradicted Jefferson’s aim to decrease the size of government. However, in Jefferson’s eyes the slight expanse in government responsibility was worth the opportunity for Americans to settle a new frontier.
ReplyDeleteAside from the Louisiana Purchase, Jefferson did make extraordinary strides to decrease the size of government. In particular, he dramatically downsized the military, along with decreasing spending. Consequently, Jefferson managed to halve the national debt.
Melinh adds a good point when she discusses how this practice used by Jefferson is common among elected officials today. Candidates today tend to lie or have a false campaign in order to bring in the votes.
ReplyDeleteWell, to answer the question, yes, Jefferson was somewhat of a hypocrite, that is if you want to base this solely on his inaugural address. There's really no evidence to support any claim that he is honest in this instance. Jefferson ranted on about American unity and the dissolution of political rivalry and the lessening of government, and as we all know, he didn't show this in his early presidency. Jefferson was quick to sweep through government and attempt to impeach federalist judges from the juducial branch and to repeal the 1801 Judicial Act. Plus, he made the significant Louisiana Purchase which obviously increased the size of the nation and therefore its government.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the overall presidency of Jefferson cannot be stained by this minor factor. The Lousiana Purchase was a very good accomplishment for the nation which opened up vast amounts of opportunity and the start of the goal of westward expansion. The republican sweep was probably a good idea for the overall government because the less opposing parties, the quicker things get done. Finally, his false claims of national political unity and fairness must have helped his presidency and its reputation because the average redneck American from 1802 probably just believed whatever he said and didn't notice anything bad or hypocritical about his actions.
Many above have spoken of Jefferson having partisan initiatives when repealing the Judiciary Act of 1801 and denying Marburry his commision. However, it is important to remember that one of Jefferson's major goals was to decrease the size of government. Seeing that the Judiciary Act of 1801 would have set up many more district courts and judges, it was logical for Jefferson to oppose it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Chris's support of Jefferson's accomplishments and that he did make significant contibutions to the country. However, I disagree that TJ can't be called a hypocrite because he did increase government and supported a republican sweep which contradicted many of his points in his inauguration. But I don't think that it's very important overall.
ReplyDeleteI like how Carly brought up actions Jefferson did before taking office, indicating he had always been a hypocrite. I also like Joe's different approach, stating that, though hypocrtical, Jefferson's decisions were beneficial to the nation in the longer run.
ReplyDeleteThomas Jefferson was definitely a hypocrite. His vision for the country were to form unity in America. In his inagural speech he spoke about unity and the idea that all Federalists and Republicans were equal and that they were to work together to help better the country. In reality one of Jefferson's first actions was that he targeted the Federalists judges such as Pickering, Chase, and Marshall. He wanted to impeach them and reduce the size of the national government. The ideas that Jefferson addressed in his inaugural address do not match up with what he ended up really doing. He just ended up making more division in parties.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the point that Laura made about the attempted removal of Chase showed the ambition of Jefferson and his followers. Most of the decisions made by Jefferson during his first actions contradicted what he addressed in his inaugural address and showed how eager he was to change things. In his first statement he stated that the government needed no changes.
ReplyDeleteI think Jefferson was a huge hypocrite. He preached unity in his inagural speech and how all the people in America would get along no matter if they were Federalist or Republican. However the next thing he did when he got into office was he impeached Federalist judges. It started with Pickering and then went onto Chase. Although he was unsuccessful at impeaching Chase the fact that he tried showed how biased he truly was and was not holing to his promise. In addition, he went through with the Louisiana Purchase, adding more land to the country. Even though he promised to decrease the size of his government, he really increased it by placing more responsibility on the Executive Branch. Jefferson like many politicians did not hold to his word.
ReplyDeleteJefferson was most definitely a hypocrite. As everyone mentioned, and words in his inaugural speech contradicted his later actions as well as reality. He lectured his nation on how he as a leader would restore equality as well as peace within his people-regardless of what political party they partook in. Later on, he would attack the Federalists with the Federalist Judiciary Act as well as the impeachment of Pickering and Chase, both federalists.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Christina with her comment about the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson told his people he wanted to reduce the government yet he continued to purchase more land.
ReplyDelete