Sarah Haskins' Discussion Questions 12/4-127
Reminder--Papers are due in lecture Thurs and there are no sections this week. Also, for those writing papers on the sentimental novels, you need to compare and contrast two of the novels (not just Charlotte Temple).
For the final blog discussion I want you to read Jefferson's First Inaugural Address in the online reader. How does this address reflect Jefferson's view of the future of the new republic, especially in comparison with the defeated Federalists? Connect his view with the lectures at the beginning of the course referring to sectionalism and the Civil War. Was his experiment a success or a failure and why? Was Jefferson even being realistic considering the tensions and conflicts already dividing Americans?
For the final blog discussion I want you to read Jefferson's First Inaugural Address in the online reader. How does this address reflect Jefferson's view of the future of the new republic, especially in comparison with the defeated Federalists? Connect his view with the lectures at the beginning of the course referring to sectionalism and the Civil War. Was his experiment a success or a failure and why? Was Jefferson even being realistic considering the tensions and conflicts already dividing Americans?
posted by shask at 5:42 PM
15 Comments:
Jefferson’s first inaugural address reflects his vision for the future of the new republic. In the first paragraph, Jefferson used the phrase “the weakness of my powers so justly inspire.” This really symbolizes what Jefferson thought government was supposed to be: very limited with only the powers that the Constitution expressly states. His republic would have a weak government. Jefferson says, “If there be any among us who would wish to dissolve this Union or to change its republican form, let them stand undisturbed as monuments of the safety with which error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.” Rather than making opposition to the government a crime, Jefferson welcomed this dissent and arguments as he felt it helped to make democracy and the republic the strongest and best government. Jefferson called for “…the support of the State governments in all their rights, as the most competent administrations for our domestic concerns and the surest bulwarks against antirepublican tendencies; the preservation of the General Government in its whole constitutional vigor, as the sheet anchor of our peace at home and safety abroad…” By saying this, he says the national government is basically merely a warden with the state governments still maintaining many rights but with the Constitution as the utmost authority. These ideas were very contrasting with the view of the Federalists. The Federalists wanted a national government that could do pretty much anything without anyone having any power to say otherwise, even state governments. This was obvious with the passing of the Alien and Sedition Acts as well as the use of coercion such as in the Whiskey Rebellion. They wanted the new government to have complete control.
Jefferson’s view fits more closely to the view of the South during the time of sectionalism and the Civil War, mostly because he is for states’ rights as well as because he didn’t feel the government should do whatever it wanted to. However, I don’t think he would have agreed with secession. He was fine with argument and dissention, but I don’t think he would have agreed with dissention to the point of secession. He wanted the union to be perpetual. Ultimately, Jefferson’s experiment was a failure as the union gave way under sectional conflict, and the Civil War began. I think he was oblivious to, or maybe just didn’t want to think about, the effect that dissention and division could have.
In his first inaugural address to the nation Thomas Jefferson's view of the future of the republic is seen as optimistic. He is quoted as calling the republic a "rising nation." Throughout the first couple of paragraphs he seems very excited and enthusiastic about the privilege to have such an opportunity. I think that Jefferson believed that the nation held a lot of potential. Even when it came to the freshly defeated Federalists Jefferson is quoted as saying that it was a “united nation,” that “we are all Republicans, we are all Federalists.” When it came to the debate over the strength of the government Jefferson stood firm in his belief of a republican government. He dared anyone to test its strength.
Jefferson begins the inaugural address with a positive and open view of what is to come. He states, "I approach it with those anxious and awful presentiments which the greatness of the charge and the weakness of my powers so justly inspire." By this statement, it is shown that Jefferson truly has the desire to do good during his presidency however he does not show that he has a great deal of work cut out for him. He also shows no signs of separation of the Federalists. Jefferson states, "...see the honor, the happiness, and the hopes of this beloved country committed to the issue and the auspices of this day." This was a fairly bold thing to say with all of the things going on in the country during the time period, but he really does want the country to be viewed as a whole. I feel that Jefferson was being realistic, but also very hopeful in his wishes and demands for the country.
The first inaugural address of Jefferson covers his beliefs on how he believes the country will work best. He first discusses the optimism he has for the success of the country, but then he states that its current state is turmoil. He says, “[Let Us] steer with safety the vessel in which we are all embarked amidst the conflicting elements of a troubled world.” This quote states that they are going to begin to attempt to change the bumpy course the country was headed down. Before Jefferson was elected, Federalists were in charge of the government, and states were beginning to pull away from acts declared by them and states also began to demand their right to follow rules installed by state governments. Congress realized that they either elected Jefferson, or faced a civil war. Next in his inaugural address, Jefferson covers what his plans are for the country. He talks about how he supports what was written about equality for men, and he also was to have friendly relations with all nations. He wants to repay debts and focus on becoming a peaceful nation. He says “A wise and frugal government which shall restrain men from injuring one another…shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned.” This quote shows his longing for peace, and his aggression towards murder and full out wars. He wants to avoid killing people and allow them to instead work in the country and contribute to is success. The Inaugural address covers everything that Jefferson really supported, especially mutual affection between all (hopefully this would help avoid a civil war), a non-authoritarian government, and expansion and prosperity for America.
In Jefferson’s first Inaugural address he stresses heavily that a Republican government is strong. He claims that the Republican form of government works great and refers to it as “the world’s best hope.” He challenges people to realize this and in turn attacks monarch stating, “Sometimes it is said that man can not be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the forms of kings to govern him?” Here Jefferson brings up a very strong point showing that people must voice their opinions themselves and not just be ruled by a single monarch. He goes further saying that what is necessary is a wise and frugal government which will leave men free to make continuous improvements in society and to expand and better society as a whole. Ultimately Jefferson’s experiment was very bold and wishful thinking on his part. He was in a sense trying to do what some would call impossible. While some may of agreed with his views and ideals, to convince the masses during that certain time of turmoil may have just divided Americans further.
Jefferson's fist inaugural address is very uplifting and creates confidence with his optimistic views of the "united nation" even though in the end the division was incredibly great and ultimately caused a civil war. Jefferson was obviously blind-sided by the civil was because he atagonized others including federalist to great opposition against the republican by stating that “If there be any among us who would wish to dissolve this Union or to change its republican form, let them stand undisturbed as monuments of the safety with which error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.” This arrogant statement conveyed his obvious feelings towards the future of the republic as being bright and great. He also compared the republic government to the federalist, in a republic the government is under restrictions that are upheld through the states and people, this creates a government that the republic will help keep us away from the craziness of the other side of the world and in a republic "with room enough for our descendants to the thousandth and thousandth generation; entertaining a due sense of our equal right to the use of our own faculties, to the acquisitions of our own industry." In comparison to the lectures about sectionalism and the civil war along with his experiment and if he was being realistic, I believe he was more idealistic than realistic because the nation had a growing division that clearly wasn't helping the government or peace, therefore when Jefferson allowed and encouraged opposition to the government he basically told the federalist we were the superior government and in the state of havoc the nation was already in antagonizing the federalist wasn't his best idea.
Jefferson showed a lot of confidence in the new republic and he stated that in his first inaugural address. Some of that confidence could have been misplaced though. Tensions were growing but he wanted to avoid a Civil War. I would almost say it was a failure in the fact that a Civil War still ended up breaking out. I think he thought he could keep the country together in peace when in reality that wasn't the case. Jefferson talks about the new republic as being superior to other forms of government. Whether this is true or not it still ended up facing some problems.
Thomas Jefferson sees a very positive future ahead of the new republic. His confidence in the new republic is evident in his First Inaugural Address. Jefferson includes some aspects of his opinion on how the new republic should be run in order to achieve optimum success. Jefferson feels a republic is a strong government, much stronger than the government the federalists were proposing. Jefferson was certain that the new republic would keep the United States unified. Contrary to his belief, in later years the United States became very divided. The North and South did not get along. A civil war was even fought as the south tried to become its own nation. Jefferson obviously did not envision his beloved republic coming to this. Jefferson may view his experiment as a failure because of the civil war. In reality, it was most certainly not a failure. When looking at the big picture the republic has been a huge success. Jefferson may have been a little naive when having such high hopes for the country but maybe that is just what America needed.
Jefferson’s views of the new republic are specifically stated in his first inaugural address. He mentions the Federalists and that he wants things to be peaceful between the two parties no matter who was on what side. For example Jefferson says, “the preservation of the General Government in its whole constitutional vigor, as the sheet anchor of our peace at home and safety abroad” (Jefferson Inaugural Address). He views the government along with the Constitution as the anchor to America or something that we could build off of. He also wanted every one to follow and uphold the constitution with the laws and rights gained, including equal and exact judgment to all men.
Jefferson’s experiment was a success because it helped to hold the nation together at a time when the sectional crises was just beginning and nearly ripped the nation apart through the party system. However, Jefferson caught this problem before it broke into fighting and conflict among states. He was able to get everyone cooled down and get things in order. Essentially he helped the government get on its feet and running.
Really I do believe that Jefferson was being realistic considering the tensions and conflicts already dividing Americans. For one he saw the nation as a unified country, one that stuck together and agreed on things. Jefferson felt so strongly about this because he had written the Declaration of Independence and was one of the instrumental men in pushing for the Revolution. Jefferson knew that the nation was in a mess and that he had to pull it back together if it was ever going to make it and be able to stand up to other nations. In a sense Jefferson mended the sectional crises for a short while satisfying most people and bring the nation closer together, creating the American society as we see it today. Jefferson is one of the most important men in American history and was instrumental in unifying the United States of America once and for all.
In Jefferson’s first Inaugural Address he is very optimistic in his views of the future of the new republic. Even though he points out that the current state of the country is in turmoil, he still sees it as a “rising nation”. As Jefferson continues in his address to the nation you see that he believed in a limited government, using only powers that the constitution clearly states. This clearly differs from what the defeated federalist believed in, a strong national government that could do almost anything it wanted.
Jefferson goes on to state that the republican government is the strongest and best form of government. He also states that the nation is united and strong and challenges anybody to rise up and challenge it. It is this statement that would end up ruining his vision of a united nation. People did rise up and challenge the government and ended up succeeding. This would lead to the failure of Jefferson’s experiment. While Jefferson did try to be optimistic about the state of the union, there was already too much tension for the plan to be realistic.
In his first inaugural address, Jefferson vies the new republic as a united nation. Though many of the federalists felt defeated and feared the ideas Jefferson and his followers had (i.e. assuming they conspired with the French), Jefferson wanted to assure all his citizens that the country was still one united and democratic country. He also views the country as being strong enough to handle the different views of two different parties, "Let us, then, with courage and confidence pursue our own Federal and Republican principles, our attachment to union and representative government." He believed America to be extremely strong and able to withstand opposing views within its citizens. His ideas were a success, although they were definitely tested by Civil War when tensions arose between 2 parties. Overall though, his sentiments were correct and his beliefs were strong.
Jefferson firmly believed that the nation should be strong and united, even if its people were different. It wasn't very unreasonable of a goal, despite the turmoil already brewing in the nation. At the time, it seemed very possible that the country could get through it without very major changes in the country. However, this ended up not being the case, and the country did fall apart. So, in some sense, Jefferson's experiment failed, because the nation did not remain united. After the Civil War and even in to present day, his general ideas remain in play, so while his experiment did not specifically succeed, it did have very long-lasting effects, with people still firmly believing in the republic as a nation, and remaining united as a country despite our political differences.
Thomas Jefferson seemed extremely optimistic about the new republic during his first inaugural address. He referred to the republic as "a rising nation" and stated that he believed the republic was advancing rapidly to destinies beyond the reach of mortal eye. As for his comparison with the Federalists, Jefferson said, "We are all republicans, we are all federalists. If there be any among us who wish to dissolve this union or to change its republican form, let the stand undisturbed as monuments of the safety with which error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it." By this, Jefferson made his attempt to persuade the republic to unite as one; differences of opinion would find a way to work themselves out. He later explained that his form of government would be weak, but would also contain the necessary principles required for a successful government. I would not consider Jefferson's experiment as a failure, rather an attempt to save his republic. Ultimately, Jefferson could have done nothing to prevent a civil war.
Thomas Jefferson excepted his new position proudly, and with thoughts full of hope for restoring his country. Jefferson in his speach stated that "we are all republicans, we are all federalist", therefore saying, there is no difference between us, so do not separate yourselves, lets join together. Although Jefferson knew that these two parties had differences of opinion he still felt that the country could successfully handle this and would under his leadership, rise above it. He also reassures his country that he will abide by the law;abide by the consitution, when he states that "in high authorities provided by our Consitution I shall find resources of wisdom". Which I seriously doubt the people believed because laws of the consitution were so flexible there was no possible way the constitution would be followed in every situation. Finally Jefferson states that this governement will be a wise and frugal government which shall restrain men from injuring one another, but will also be a weak government. In so many words, Jefferson was so optimistic about becoming president and all the new ideas he had that he wasn't being true to himself and true to how he knew the citizens of his country thought. In reality he knew he could not persuade all those people to join together because their views were so different and they in the past were know for being stubborn. For Jefferson, it was a good try, but what he stood for ultimately failed.
Jefferson’s First Inaugural Address was a collection of his new ideas and thoughts about the new republic. As stated, Jefferson feels that everyone should “arrange themselves under the will of the law, and unite in common efforts for the common good”. Jefferson wanted the new republic to be controlled by the people. Jefferson talked about being banished from their land because of religious intolerance. He wanted to make it clear that it wouldn’t happen again under the rule of the new republic. Jefferson strongly believed that all men were created equal, therefore minorities should “possess their equal rights.” Jefferson also emphasized that citizens should always practice their good moral beliefs and not let greed and envy take over their lives. Working together and living together was the key for the new republic to be successful, and that is exactly what it was. His new position forever changed American history. With Jefferson’s views of ending slavery, and establishing equal rights, he started to bring the country together as a whole. He strived for happiness and freedom of all. His beliefs and goals brought about the Civil War, which led to the abolition of slavery. Jefferson’s main concentration for rebuilding the country was to “retrace the steps and to regain the road which alone will lead to peace, liberty, and safety”, and that is exactly what Jefferson did. Jefferson will always be known as one of the most influential founding fathers.
Post a Comment
<< Home