Throughout Thomas Jeffersons’ Presidency, several unforeseen circumstances get in his way. These situations illustrate how the United States acquires land and how the Constitution works. One of these unexpected dilemmas, known as the Louisiana Purchase, provided the nation with the land to expand into the western portion of the United States and achieved one of the most important factors of the purchase, New Orleans. The Louisiana Purchase caused major controversy in the early 1800’s. Jefferson believed that, for a nation that was for the people, the federal government should not assume it has any power or authority over anything but what the Constitution grants. Jefferson was not legally allowed to make the purchase, but he did so for the benefit of the United States. Jefferson placed special emphasis on the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution, adopted in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights: “The Powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” Our government was founded upon a system where there would not be an overpowering government. “We the people…” in the beginning of the Constitution dictates how the citizens of the United States are just as important as the Federal Government and how their rights should be protected as it attests, “promote the general welfare”. Being of strong belief in the more elastic, stretched view of the constitution, and a firm believer in the Louisiana Purchase because of the “necessary and proper” clause, the protection of the people and their rights, Jefferson made a difficult decision that ultimately benefitted an entire nation. The Constitution was written for the people to have a set of ‘rules’ that governed them. The Framers of the Constitution summarized every section so that the United States could be uniformed and organized. Under Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, Congress has the power “to make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.” Adding on to this, the Framers wrote the Constitution in a more liberal fashion. Instead of writing down every detail and action that Congress could or could not do, they allowed for some interpretation along the way. It provided them with a much easier way to compile all of their ideas and thoughts into simple, yet complex laws that Congress and the government should follow. Anyone can see that our Constitution is not meant to be interpreted in a strict sense. The controversy began here. Many Americans believed that Jefferson was in the wrong because he purchased Louisiana from France when he was only the President. However, Jefferson was perfectly capable within his boundaries to purchase the Louisiana territory because of the “necessary and proper” clause. The government was not at fault either because of the “implied powers” that Article 1 gave to Congress by the “necessary and proper” clause. Jefferson was perfectly in the right to negotiate, purchase, and close the deal known as the Louisiana Purchase. When Jefferson was elected in 1800, he stood on the podium for the common people.
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His platform was “a program of limiting federal power; as a strict constitutionalist, he asserted that the federal government should not assume any powers not explicitly granted to it by the Constitution.” Jefferson believed that rights not explicitly stated in the Constitution should be given to the states. However, when the huge opportunity approached Jefferson to purchase Louisiana from France, he overstepped all of these boundaries. He used the governments’ power to purchase the land from France without the complete knowledge of Congress. Also, being a strict follower of the Constitution, Jefferson knew that he needed to have the offer approved yet he did not have the time. Even though many people thought that Jefferson was prohibited by the Constitution to make the purchase, the Constitution never specifically stated that the President had no rights to supervise this transaction. Furthermore, Thomas Jefferson attempted to keep the negotiations with the French a secret. The citizens of the United States were; however,
His platform was “a program of limiting federal power; as a strict constitutionalist, he asserted that the federal government should not assume any powers not explicitly granted to it by the Constitution.” Jefferson believed that rights not explicitly stated in the Constitution should be given to the states. However, when the huge opportunity approached Jefferson to purchase Louisiana from France, he overstepped all of these boundaries. He used the governments’ power to purchase the land from France without the complete knowledge of Congress. Also, being a strict follower of the Constitution, Jefferson knew that he needed to have the offer approved yet he did not have the time. Even though many people thought that Jefferson was prohibited by the Constitution to make the purchase, the Constitution never specifically stated that the President had no rights to supervise this transaction. Furthermore, Thomas Jefferson attempted to keep the negotiations with the French a secret. The citizens of the United States were; however,