It’s kind of interesting when you look at the “business” of the United States today, in our own time, and you see the President and his Congress making conference calls and luncheons and “bizz” dates with the leaders of other countries in the world. You understand that manufacturing has made a radical shift, and you see that parts and components and jobs and livelihoods are being moved away from the base of what was once a solid foundation here in America. Now – I’m just going to give you a peek at our third president, Mr. Thomas Jefferson, and I’ll keep it short and also opinion free. You see, if you knew how far to the right I’ve veered you might not ever talk to me again. (And we don’t want that!)So, back when the Constitution was still glistening with a fresh morning’s dew, you had the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, ready to take the helm. Politics following the farewell of George Washington are similar to what we have today – you had a very real party rift and there was squabbling on all sides in Congress. In 1800 it was the “Republicans” and “Federalists” who were fighting about things like the French Revolution, a National Bank, and the upcoming presidency. Party-lines were split, and if you lined these guys up in a firing squad, they would have argued over who pulled the trigger first.
The “Republicans” believed that the “Federalist” John Adams was a “monarchist” (king) and wanted to expand the powers of the federal government to the point where it might rob citizens of their freedoms.
Not unlike a current political figure, hmm? (Oops. Sorry)
The “Federalists,” meanwhile, believed that the “Republican” Thomas Jefferson was a dangerous radical who acted impulsively. Not unlike a current political figure, hmm? (Oops. Sorry. I did it again)
I will just keep to the facts. Even if the sticky politics of the 1800 election are wildly interesting. Even if you had men like John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and Aaron Burr shooting (!!) at each other.
Jefferson, the “man of the people” had strong support from the farmers in the Southern and Western regions. (During this time, Ohio-Kentucky represented the “West” in America). John Adams, meanwhile, had strong support from the manufacturers and merchants in the northeast. Both had very different agendas for the country, but a split in the Federalist pary doomed their chances. Jefferson would actually end up in a TIE for the presidency with Aaron Burr (you remember him, he shot Hamilton) and for DAYS voting and re-voting and then more re-voting would go on. Militas in Pennsylvania and Virginia were organized, too. But after the 36TH ballot, Jefferson emerged as the President. And Burr went off to become a fugitive. And John Adams lamented that he hadn’t yet finished painting his bedroom walls.
Thomas Jefferson’s “Vision For America” is interesting because it is so different from what we see our country doing today. The new president feared the “City” and it’s accumulated wealth and population. He was also fearful of the creation of a National Bank – get this, he worried about putting too much power in the hands of the government !! You see, his plan was much simpler. Jefferson envisioned America as a nation of FARMERS, where free men could manage their own plots of land, produce their own food, and count on themselves (and not the government) to take care of their fortunes. No universal health care here, nope. And no shipping parts or jobs to other countries, either. Jefferson believed that an American nation of farmers might supply its own needs and also act as a breadbasket for Europe. France was still war-torn and England was experiencing terrible crop failures. Jefferson also supported an open, free-market economy where Americans would send food to Europe (and eventually other countries) and receive, in exchange, clothing and manufactured items.
The plan seems simple enough, right? Jefferson took the responsibility of making America SOLVENT, which means free from its debts and debtors. His administration was actually able to make budget cuts (!!) and by 1802 a working Congress (!!) was starting to repeal internal taxes. A lot of responsibility was given back to state (!!) governments. And through 1812 his efforts appeared to be working. Remember the Louisiana Purchase? Jefferson wasn’t running a critical national debt when he picked up that piece of territory. Nope. Huh uh. Indeed, I might say Jefferson’s vision was a success… but I wouldn’t want to overlook the very real problems with the American Indians, or the terrible War of 1812. Those are important factors in Jefferson’s America, also. And taken with the possible withdrawal of New York and Massachussets from the Union (“Essex Junto”) they represent stress fractures that may have prevented his “Farmer’s America” from happening.
We have the benefit of hindsight when we look to the past, and while Jefferson’s plan may seem overly simple, or a product of the time, it still gives me a moment to pause and consider. I see the state of (ahem) business in our own time, in our much different America, and I wonder how it might be if things were less complex. An Ohio that produces only corn and soybean? Wow. I’d be out on my own farm right now. And not worrying about how I’m going to get this shipment of printer parts into South America or China.
