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American Presidency The Early American Essay

Believing that the president should remain above partisan politics he was incapable of manipulating support for his policies or of putting together a congressional majority in support of his initiatives. Above all, John Adams had not accepted the presidency to serve special interest. His role, as he saw it, was not to be guided by the people so much as it was to educate and guide them" (Urofsky, 2000). This aspect was crucial for the presidency of Adams because it left him with less support among the population and in the Congress, reason for which his initiatives were not considered either priority or a rule. One of the most important achievements of the Adams administration was the creation of the United States Navy in cooperation with the French state. At the same time though, during Adam's presidency, the United States had almost gone to war with Europe. The critical moment was 1799. However, the United States kept is neutrality "in hopes of preserving and maintaining a kind of pristine U.S. independence of both Britain and France." (Urofsky, 2000). However, he limited its intervention in the French British war particularly because of the desire to maintain a distance from the two European powers. Even so, there were impressive expenses made to ensure a certain level of self-defense armament, money that would later be recovered though increase of local and house takes. This however, is said to have cost him and his party, the Federalist Party, his mandate (Jenkins, 1997).

Finally, the third president of the early Republic's years was Thomas Jefferson. After the Adams Administration, Thomas Jefferson became the new...

Jefferson viewed the initial proposals of the Federalists not to be in contradiction with the general will of the population as those initiatives would have further increased the degree of unity and consideration of the United States as a single independent nation. Therefore, Jefferson is well-known for his plans for internal improvements that included construction of infrastructure, which translated in job creation and better standard of living. Also, Jefferson was among the firsts to discuss the issue of immigrants as an integral part of the new America. At the same time however, Jefferson was faced with a growing pressure of the British conflict that affected his second term in office. This particularly revolved around the issue of commercial policies that were not in agreement on both sides of the Atlantic. However, "Jefferson's attempted solution, an embargo upon American shipping, worked badly and was unpopular." (White House, n.d.)
Overall, the first three presidents of the United States were all remarkable characters and ensured the creation and sound development of the new state. Washington provided a clear sense of the identity of the administration, Adams laid the foundations of the United States Navy, while Jefferson's ideals for development ensured a clear road for development.

References

Jenkins, P. A history of the United States. New York: Palgrave, 1997.

Urofsky, Melvin. American Presidents. New York: Garland Publishing, 2000.

White House. Presidents. N.d. internet, http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/thomasjefferson

Sources used in this document:
References

Jenkins, P. A history of the United States. New York: Palgrave, 1997.

Urofsky, Melvin. American Presidents. New York: Garland Publishing, 2000.

White House. Presidents. N.d. internet, http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/thomasjefferson
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