USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Jefferson’s most fundamental political belief was an “absolute acquiescence in the decisions of the majority.” Stemming from his deep optimism in human reason, Jefferson believed that the will of the people, expressed through elections, provided the most appropriate guidance for directing the republic’s course.

Detailed explanation-2: -Jefferson gradually assumed leadership of the Republicans, who sympathized with the revolutionary cause in France. Attacking Federalist policies, he opposed a strong centralized Government and championed the rights of states.

Detailed explanation-3: -In the early 1790s, Jefferson, who favored strong state and local government, co-founded the Democratic-Republican Party to oppose Hamilton’s Federalist Party, which advocated for a strong national government with broad powers over the economy.

Detailed explanation-4: -Jefferson dealt with two major challenges to US authority: piracy along the Barbary Coast of North Africa, and British impressment, which resulted in Jefferson instating a mass embargo of European goods, the Embargo Act of 1807.