Thomas Jefferson

De: Spinowitz Sloan

Narrado por: Sean Runnette

Thomas Jefferson displayed a rich, complex, and sometimes contradictory view of the Constitution. Among early presidents, Jefferson was the lead­ing advocate of limited federal power, instead favoring strong authority for the states. Nevertheless, as president, he oversaw the vast expansion of the nation through the Louisiana Purchase, despite the lack of explicit statutory or constitutional authority for this initiative. A fierce defender of individual liberties under the Constitution, Jefferson nevertheless attacked the Supreme Court’s claim to supremacy on constitutional inter­pretation, expressing contempt for Chief Justice John Marshall’s land­mark decision in Marbury v. Madison (1803). During his two terms as president, Jefferson discovered that the practicalities of the office required certain compromises and other adjustments. His constitutional philosophy thus turned out to be both visionary and pragmatic.

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