James Madison And Thomas Jefferson

Through the Presidencies of both Jefferson and Madison, the nation had drastic changes. Each of the Presidents showed their views of being loose constructionists of the Constitution by their actions in office. These Presidents helped further the Republican ideas, like a small central government and the support of the lower class farmers. The powers of the Federalist Party slowly diminished as the Republican Party became the overwhelming majority. Thomas Jefferson made his inaugural address on March 4, 1801. This speech outlined all of his beliefs, which differed from any prior President. He talked about his thoughts on the power of state government, the freedom of religion and the press, majority rule but the protection of minorities, low government budgets, and the want to reduce federal debt. He also said that he wanted to be trade partners with France and to have amity with them, but under no circumstances did he want to have a formal alliance with any foreign nation. Once Jefferson had become President, he moved into the White House. He was the first President to stay in the White House for each of his terms. The White House was not luxurious, but more of a "village". This is how Jefferson wanted it. Cows grazed in the lawns, hogs ran through the city streets, and the house itself was always littered with "heaps of rubbish". It stayed this way because the federal government was small and he saw no need to make it grow. It was small because they had little to nothing to do, in light of the fact that the state and local government took primary responsibility for maintaining roads and bridges, supervising the local militias, and providing welfare relief for schools. Also, when Jefferson took office, only six Republicans had ... ... middle of paper ... ...ish impressments of American seamen and the seizure of cargoes impelled Madison to give in to the pressure. On June 1, 1812, he asked Congress to declare war. It became known as the War of 1812. The young nation was not prepared to fight due to the cut backs on the military. The American forces were beat easily. The British, then, entered Washington and set fire to the White House and the Capitol. The war ended in 1814 with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent. The War of 1812 played a key role in unifying the new nation and for ensuring the economic survival of the nation as it continued to expand westward. Because of the hard work of both Madison and Jefferson, the United States changed from a Federalist society to a Republican society. They helped create the United States as it is today, and they created the first footsteps of interpreting the Constitution loosely.