My Life Case

Thomas Jefferson, an original author of the Declaration of Independence, claimed to be an anti-federalist, but his act of the Louisiana Purchase led some to believe otherwise. Jefferson believed that in the Constitution that the powers of the Federal government were enumerated clearly. He also believed that if a power was not strongly stated for the Federal Government then it was automatically given to the states. By accepting the Louisiana Purchase he violated his avowed constitutional rights by assuming and implying that the Constitution allowed the obtaining of new territory, naming the territory as official states, and by bypassing congress in this decision.

At first Jefferson believed that the constitution did not allow for the claiming of new territory, but some disagreed. Based on Article 4, Section 3 many federalist were angry and stated that the claiming of new territory was implied. Later on Jefferson began to question his own work, he began to question if the clause was referring to land existing previous to 1789. Jefferson violated his own interpretation of the constitution by assuming it was constitutional to acquire new territories.

Beginning to question his own work Jefferson started to wonder if the Constitution allowed for this new territory to become new states. In the Constitution he found a clause permitting the formation of new states, but also in the clause it prohibited the formation of new states without consent from existing states. Once again he questioned if this applied to "previously" existing states. In the end the clause did not allow for new states being created from existing states, but nothing was mentioned in it about creating new states from another source such as new territory. After confirming this news Jefferson then stated that his acceptance of the Louisiana Purchase was Constitutional.

By not passing a Constitutional amendment through Congress Jefferson's anti-federalist belief were all sacrificed by the Purchase. He claimed that the federal government still had powers, although not constitutional, known as "the sovereign rights of nations." Jefferson used executive branch powers along with the constitutional power of acquisition of territory in bypassing congress and getting help from the Senate to approve the Louisiana Purchase.

By accepting the Louisiana Purchase Jefferson violated his rights a number of times. The Constitution did