jefferson vs jackson Essay

Submitted By ghmarkowitz
Words: 564
Pages: 3

Gregory Markowitz
U.S. History II Honors
Period 2
2/22/14
Jackson vs. Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson (TJ) and Andrew Jackson (AJ) are known as two of the greatest presidents that the United States (US) have ever had. People typically argue about who was the better president, TJ or AJ? Well, TJ was the country’s third president. He is very well known for the Louisiana Purchase, fighting for the freedom of slaves and eventually outlawing the importation of slaves to the US, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and focusing on education. AJ was the country’s seventh president. He is very well known for paying off the country’s national debt, killing the national bank, and the Indian Removal Act. Due to this information, it is clear that Jefferson was the better president. First and foremost, Jefferson was one of the first men to take a stand to for the freedom of slaves. TJ would try his hardest to help free slaves. He would be a lawyer for slaves that were trying to get their freedom. When writing the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson even included a clause to end slavery because he believed that all men should be free. As one of Jefferson’s last acts as president, he outlawed the importation of slaves to the US. Secondly, everything Jefferson did, he did for the good of the country. For example, the Louisiana Purchase nearly doubled the size of the country. Plus, he bought it from the French for almost nothing. It cost him just a couple of pennies per acre. That land should have cost him triple or more than what he bought for. After the purchase, TJ decided to send two explorers by the names of Lewis and Clark to prove that the Louisiana Purchase was a good choice. It ended up being a great choice. After Lewis and Clark returned, they had discovered over 100 new plants, over 100 new animals, and over 40 new Native American tribes. Jackson didn’t do anything close to helping the nation like Jefferson did. As a matter a fact, Jackson made our country worse! He hated the national bank to the point where he killed it. Although it had a good effect on the country for the