Thomas JeffersonWhen Thomas Jefferson was President of these United States, he decided that he wanted to buy New Orleans from France. He wanted to buy it without any war being made, so he sent Robert Livingston to France to try and buy it. Not only did France offer them New Orleans, but they also offered them the whole Louisiana Territory! France offered to sell it for fifteen million dollars! The United States was allowed to spend ten million dollars, but they still agreed because that was a great deal! There were a couple problems though. One of them was that Thomas Jefferson did not believe that the Constitution allowed him to buy it.

Jefferson was a strict constructionists. He thought that Congress should be allowed to exercise only a few implied powers so that the government would stay small. While buying the Louisiana Territory, he was going against his beliefs because by being a strict constructionist he did not believe that the government should be used to organize banks, build roads, and invest in other things that would be of use to the United States. There were opponents and supporters of the Louisiana Purchase. The supporters said that the fifteen million dollar price tag was a really good deal, and the Louisiana Territory would double the size of the United States. But some of the opponents worried that the purchase was unconstitutional, and did not know if it was proper to give citizenship to the foreigners.

Even though Thomas Jefferson does seem like a hypocrite for going against what he believes in; I still think he showed great leadership. I think leaders should do whatever they think is right, and not follow what others believe in, unless they also believe in it. Jefferson was staying true to himself by buying the Louisiana Territory. He did it, and he didn’t let anyone stop him just because he was a strict constructionist. I also think that to show leadership, you must also show bravery. It was very brave of him to buy it, knowing that people were going to judge him because he went against his original beliefs. I think that he didn’t properly interpret the Elastic Clause. The Elastic Clause is a statement in the Constitution that allows Congress to pass all laws that are necessary. Buying the Louisiana Territory was not necessary for the United States to do, but it still was a good decision because if it wasn’t purchased, then our whole country would be extremely different today!

This whole scenario reminds me of a time when I was shopping at the mall actually! France offered the United States the whole Louisiana Territory for just fifteen million dollars! That was a great deal! Well one time, I went to the mall specifically for just a little bit of makeup. I went to a makeup store called MAC, and the sales person offered me a lot of makeup for a really good price! Even though I didn’t need all that makeup, I got it anyways because the price of it was great! This relates to Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase because at first he only wanted to buy New Orleans, but once France offered him the whole territory for a good price, he took it! My connection can help me get a better understanding of Jefferson’s decision because in a way it’s like I was in his shoes with the decision of purchasing something. I know how he felt while buying it because even though my situation wasn’t as dramatic as his was; they are still almost the same!
Link to picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arthur_chapman/4018415202/