Congress in Jefferson's foreign policy, 1801-1809Show full item record
Title | Congress in Jefferson's foreign policy, 1801-1809 |
---|---|
Author | Carson, David Allen |
Date | 1983 |
Genre | Dissertation |
Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
Abstract | The purpose of this study is to provide an analysis of the influence of the Seventh through the Tenth Congresses in Thomas Jefferson's conduct of foreign policy during his presidency. It examines the composition of each Congress and the relationship between President and Congress on specific foreign policy issues under Jefferson. During Jefferson's first term in office, the Seventh and Eighth Congresses were relatively docile, disciplined, and cooperative. This may be attributed to the fact that no clearly divisive issues arose during Jefferson's first four years. Federalists in Congress did offer some opposition, but Jefferson was able to use even Federalist blusterings to aid him in acquiring western territory. Congress also gave the President almost unlimited authority to deal with the Barbary pirates, a source of diplomatic difficulties throughout Jefferson's administrations. Jefferson's second term, however, witnessed a breakdown in the relationship between Congress and the President relative to foreign affairs. John Randolph, a Republican Congressman from Virginia, broke with the President over domestic issues, and then led a revolt against the administration over the President's pursuit of the Floridas. Federalist opposition meanwhile gravitated around Timothy Pickering and extremist Federalists from New England. These parties prevented the smooth conduct of foreign policy during Jefferson's second term as he attempted to keep the nation out of the European war and yet maintain American freedom on the open seas. The President saw support slip away in the Ninth Congress. During the first session of the Tenth Congress, Jefferson rose to his peak of power and dominated Congress completely. But during the second session of the Tenth Congress, Jefferson saw that his embargo policies had failed, his support had eroded, and his prestige was at low ebb. He all but abdicated his authority during his last four months in office and left the Congress and the nation without direction or leadership. The foreign policy failures of his last administration stand in stark contrast with the successes of his first term. His changing relationship with Congress offers some insight into why this is so. |
Link | https://repository.tcu.edu/handle/116099117/33587 |
Department | History |
Advisor | Reuter, Frank T. |
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- Doctoral Dissertations [1487]
© TCU Library 2015 | Contact Special Collections |
HTML Sitemap