Especially during his second term, Jefferson had to contend with growing conflicts between the French and the British. Both sought an elite status of supreme power in Europe, and Jefferson tried to sidestep the conflict by remaining neutral, believing that aligning himself with either side would destroy the American progress he had been able to forge.
United States relations with Britain became increasingly tense following Napoleon's Berlin Decree, which forbade travel with Britain; Britain responded with Orders in Council, which initiated a blockade of French-controlled Europe. Jefferson decided to proclaim an embargo on all foreign trade, which actually did not have much effect on Britain's economy. This balance of maintaining peace with both world powers at the time was a tricky sea to navigate.
As pirates from North Africa increasingly raided supply ships in the Mediterranean, Jefferson felt compelled to increase safety in trading. He ultimately gave orders for American warships to confront the pirates, and this Naval push had initial success until the pirates were able to capture an American frigate. This continued to be a source of tension throughout Jefferson's presidency.
He likely had a fear of speaking in public, which would be even more difficult in the absence of modern technologies. His speaking disposition has been described as "weak," and he lamented that he could not orally deliver speeches as passionately as he could write them. His inaugural address is described as having such a low tone that few could hear it.
Jefferson also had to contend with the issue of slavery during his terms in office. South Carolina had reopened international slave trade, and Jefferson denounced the violations of human rights innate in doing so. He passed the Act Prohibiting the Importation of Slaves, but this act did not address the domestic slave trade, which was a growing issue of concern.
As a new country, Jefferson was tasked with leadership in complex issues which would define the ultimate direction of the United States, and he was therefore embedded in numerous international and domestic issues of policy.
Jefferson had many obstacles, both foreign and domestic. One obstacle was the Federalist Party. After Adams lost the 1800 election, many in the party thought that the United States would fall apart or at least undergo a violent civil war. Jefferson had to deal with the Federalist judges put into power by exiting president John Adams. Jefferson also had to deal with a partisan press that was willing to slander his name and other Democratic-Republicans. Of course, Jefferson also had his own newspapermen who did the same thing to prominent Federalists.
Internationally, Jefferson sent a naval force to defeat the Barbary pirates. In retaliation for stopping ships at sea, Jefferson leveled the Embargo Act against Britain and France; this also killed American trade in Europe and only increased Federalist disapproval. Jefferson also had to handle problems with Indians on the Western frontier who were being armed by the British.
One of the greatest challenges to Thomas Jefferson’s presidency were the Federalists....
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After Jefferson and Burr won the elections, the Federalists tried to vote against Jefferson. However, abstention by some Federalists saw Jefferson assuming the well-deserved title of president.
As president, Thomas Jefferson attempted to reform the judiciary, but his attempts failed. Jefferson was interested in removing partisan judges from public office, but Federalist appointees to the judiciary and other Federalist members fought successfully against the plan.
In the Louisiana Purchase, Thomas Jefferson was forced to set aside his philosophy in order to secure the deal. He understood that the Constitution did not provide explicit procedures with regards to foreign territory, but the land was important for the greater good of the people. Some Federalists challenged the purchase based on the lack of constitutional provisions to make new land purchases. However, the President made his move, and the land was purchased. The purchase was approved by Congress five months later.
Thomas Jefferson faced several obstacles while he was president. One of those obstacles dealt with events at home. Jefferson was a Democratic-Republican. The courts had many judges who were Federalists, and they blocked many of his ideas.
Another issue dealt with our relationship with other countries. Britain and France were at war. Neither country wanted us to trade with the other. Thus, both Britain and France interfered with our trade. Jefferson tried a total stoppage of trade to keep our sailors and merchant ships safe. (Embargo Act of 1807) However, our economy was very dependent on trade, causing this policy to fail.
Jefferson did stand up to the pirate countries of North Africa. We refused to pay them bribes so that they would leave our ships alone. We fought them, and they stopped attacking our ships.
Jefferson had a moral conflict regarding the Louisiana Purchase. When Spain (and then France) wouldn’t let us use the port of New Orleans, Jefferson offered to buy this area from France. When Napoleon offered the entire area of Louisiana, Jefferson wasn’t sure he could legally buy all of this land. He believed in a strict interpretation of the Constitution. Nowhere in the Constitution did it say the president could buy land. Jefferson was persuaded to make the purchase!
What obstacles did Thomas Jefferson overcome?
Thomas Jefferson certainly faced many obstacles, which should not be surprising for a leader of a revolution and founder of a nation. The other educator mentions some great examples. I will mention a couple more you might consider that occurred during his presidency.
When he was president, Jefferson really wanted to expand the country's role in international commerce. Unfortunately, the Barbary pirates of North Africa were seizing American ships and demanding huge tributes. In fact, in 1800, twenty percent of the federal budget went to paying pirates. The next year the United States fought its first foreign war against the Barbary pirates in order to end this tribute system. This meant building and outfitting a sufficient navy for the young country.
Back at home, Jefferson faced the embarrassing trial of Aaron Burr, his former vice president. It had come to light that Burr was conspiring to seize land in the southwest of the country and part of Mexico and might be establishing an independent nation. Jefferson was compelled to issue a warrant for Burr's arrest and charge him with treason. Ultimately, Burr was left uncharged, as there was not enough evidence to convict him. This was a political embarrassment for the Jefferson administration but it did negate any future political aspirations of Burr.
Further Reading
What obstacles did Thomas Jefferson overcome?
One of the first major obstacles Jefferson faced was the responsibility to draft an acceptable first version of the Declaration of Independence. There were a variety of competing interests involved in the approval of the document and Jefferson had to overlook some of his own interests in order to win approval of the Continental Congress. For example, he had to remove a part of the draft that attacked King George III and the slave trade in order to appease some representatives who felt he was going too far. But he understood that he would have to make personal compromises in order to accomplish a larger goal.
He had to deal with the national debt and the question of where to put the capitol of the United States while he was serving as Secretary of State. He faced similar obstacles while pursuing major political goals like the Louisiana Purchase and funding and sending expeditions into the western portion of the continent when others felt that the money could be better spent.
What obstacles did Thomas Jefferson face while he was president?
The first obstacle Thomas Jefferson faced was simply becoming the President. In the presidential election of 1800, Jefferson tied with Aaron Burr in the dysfunctional Electoral College. The House of Representatives had to break the tie, and it did so after 36 ballots.
Upon assuming office in 1801, Jefferson faced another challenge as he sought to move the government away from the Federalist policies of his predecessors. The Founding Fathers had not foreseen the development of political parties, but it became a reality during the terms of the first two presidents from 1789–1801. As a Republican, Jefferson fought hard to return more power to the state and local governments.
Jefferson's biggest accomplishment was the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803. It doubled the size of the nation. Jefferson was troubled by his acquisition because the Constitution did not specifically authorize it. Ultimately, he had decided to proceed with the purchase, fearing that Napoleon might change his mind.
Another obstacle that Jefferson faced was the threat to American commerce on the high seas. Britain and France—at war with one another—preyed upon American merchant ships. Jefferson was not successful at dealing with this issue, and it eventually led to the War of 1812.
What obstacles did Thomas Jefferson face while he was president?
I'd note, first of all, that Jefferson was only the third president of the United States, which is quite significant, given just how early in United States history his administration still was. While I don't think his particular situation was quite as challenging as it would have been during the immediate postwar years or under the Washington administration, it should be noted that he was still in the very early stages of American history, with the country far removed from the international great power it would later become.
Additionally, Jefferson was involved in shaping the first political parties, and political parties, even in these early years, were still very heated and very divisive. Each party was willing to criticize the other viciously in order to attain a political advantage. Furthermore, note that the second president, John Adams, had himself been a Federalist: the transition from Adams to Jefferson was the first transition from one party to another in the history of the United States. Finally, consider that the Judiciary had become dominated by Federalists, most notably Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Marshall.
In addition to the internal politics, there was also international politics to consider, particularly as far as it applies to the war in Europe and its impact on American trade. Meanwhile, there is also Great Britain's use of impressment, a factor you should additionally keep in mind. Jefferson's response to this situation was to call for an embargo in the hope that it would establish respect for American neutrality from both Britain and France. This embargo significantly hurt the American economy.
What obstacles did Thomas Jefferson face while he was president?
Thomas Jefferson faced several obstacles while he was President. One obstacle was trying to stop the midnight appointments of former President John Adams. John Adams appointed many federalists as judges just before he left office. Some of these appointments did get completed before the term of President Adams ended. President Jefferson ordered his Secretary of State, James Madison, not to complete the appointments that weren’t completed.
Another obstacle President Jefferson faced was the court system. President Jefferson knew the judiciary would be an issue for him since many of the judges that were appointed by John Adams throughout his presidency were Federalists. Some of President Jefferson’s initiatives were blocked by the courts, which were controlled by Federalist judges.
President Jefferson faced some issues in foreign policy. The countries on the North African coast supported pirates. These pirates attacked our shipping unless we paid them a bribe to leave us alone. When we began to refuse to pay the bribe, we fought those countries supporting the pirates for the right to be able to freely trade. We were successful and no longer paid bribes to them. We also had issues with Great Britain and France. Both countries were interfering with our trade because they were at war with each other. Neither country wanted us to trade with the other country. When we decided to stop all trade with the Embargo Act, this policy failed, as trade was too important for our country. Even cutting off trade only with Great Britain and with France didn’t work because most of our trade involved these countries.
President Jefferson faced many obstacles while he was President.