followed Washington's two-term tradition. In 1797 Washington retired. He
went back to the life he loved at Mount Vernon.
Не did not enjoy it for long time. On December 12, 1799 he was caught
in a snowstorm while riding around his farm and became sick. Two days later
he died. The second president be-came John Adams. He was a true patriot as
well as a brave and stubborn man. Near the end of Adam's term as President,
the government moved from Philadelphia to Washington, D. C. The most
important of Adam's deeds was that he took responsibility of the peace with
France in 1800.
The third president of the USA was a very remarkable man, Thomas
Jefferson. He was a man of many talents: He was a lawyer. He wrote the
Declaration of Independence. He was the representative of the United States
at the court of the king of France A person who does this kind of work is
called a diplomat. He was the first secretary of state, second vice-
president and third President of the USA. While he was President the size
of the country doubled.
He came from Virginia. He served that state as governor and Congressman.
As an architect he drew the plans for many building in Virginia. At the
same time he was also a fine violinist and composer. He studied Native
American languages. He knew Greek, Latin and Hebrew. He could speak French
and Italian.
His work as scientist and inventor shouldn't be forgotten. He did
practical things such as improving farming methods by in venting a new type
of plow. He experimented with different seeds. He worked much in education.
Jefferson's greatest accomplishment as President was the Louisiana
Purchase. At this time Louisiana included just above all the land from the
Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. The Mississippi River was a
highway for those Americans who lived west of the Appalachian Mountains.
They took their goods downriver to the port of New Orleans. New Orleans was
not part of the U. S. It belonged to France which had received the city and
the rest of what is called the Louisiana Territory from Spain in 1800.
Americans living in the West were afraid that France would not allow them
to use the port of New Orleans for trade. This was because Napoleon wanted
to start another French empire in America. The Americans were to try to buy
New Orleans from the French for ten million dollars.
Haiti was a French colony in the Caribbean Sea. Napoleon needed a strong
naval base in Haiti if he wanted a French empire in America. But a former
slave Toussaint L'Ouverture led the people of Haiti in successful fight for
freedom at this time. With out Haiti, Louisiana lost some of its appeal for
Napoleon. It also looked as though France would soon be fighting Great
Britain. If so, France would be unable to defend Louisiana. The soldiers
would be needed in Europe. Napoleon decided to sell the entire Louisiana
territory to the USA. It was bought for 15 million dollars. By this act the
USA doubled its size.
Jefferson wanted to know more about Louisiana. He wished to find out
about the Native Americans, the animals, the minerals, the climate and the
type of land. To make such an exploration Jefferson chose Merewether Lewis,
his personal secretary, and William dark, Lewis's close friend. They were
to try to find a route all the way to the Pacific Ocean. They built a fort
and spent the winter on the shores of the Pacific. In the spring they
started the trip home, finally reaching St Louis in September 1806. Their
diary was a document of great importance. Jefferson received an excellent
report of their journey. He learned a great deal about the geography of the
new territory. He learned about the animals, trees and plants there. The
work of Lewis and dark gave the USA a claim to the Oregon Country. In 1846
this area became part of the USA.
Presidents of the United States
Who can be President? Any natural-born citizen of the United States who
is over the age of thirty-five and has lived in the United States for
fourteen years or more.
What does a President do? The President is the chief executive of the
United States. According to the Constitution, he "shall take care that the
laws be faithfully executed." From time to time, he informs Congress in his
State of the Union message what has been done and what needs to be done.
Although he cannot force Congress to act, he can suggest a program for
them to consider. And as leader of his political party, he can often see
that program is carried out, when his party has a majority of seats. He can
also prevent Congress from acting by using the presidential veto.
The President plays the chief part in shaping foreign policy. With the
Senate's approval, he makes treaties with other nations and appoint
ambassadors. But he can also make executive agreements with other nations
without approval of the Senate.
He nominates Cabinet members, Supreme Court justices, and many other high
officials. These nominations must be approved by the Senate However, he can
fill thousands of other important posts under his own power.
The President is Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and commissions
officers in all branches of the service.
How is the President elected? The voters of each state choose a number of
electors equal to the number of senators and representatives they have in
Congress. The electoral college, made up of the electors from every vote
for the candidate supported by the voters of their state When there are
more than two presidential candidates and none gets a clear majority,
Congress selects the President from the three candidates who received the
most votes.
How long is the President in office? The President is elected to a term
of four years. Since Article XXII of the Constitution became effective, in
1951, no President may be elected to more than two terms
When does the President take office? The new President takes office at
noon of January 20 of the year following his election, on taking this oath
of office: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute
the office of president of the United States, and will, to the best of my
ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United
States."
Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson's Reason
Jefferson's words are written and spoken in the USA many times everyday;
most often as if the words, phrases and ideas, by themselves alone,
constituted some sort of complete statements, some sort of ultimate and
final truths about man, world and society. This is a deep, though very
popular mistake; one this piece shall try somewhat to amend. The phrases
and ideas are admittedly grand, noble and inspiring; most Americans - at
least those native born - do not read these words without emotion (due of
course to intellectual and emotional culture and education). They are an
essential part of what it is to be an "American". Even persons in the USA
who may only be educated in the most meager way (and there are
unfortunately tens of millions in the USA who are labeled "functionally-
illiterate"), often still can at least repeat portions of these famous
words quoted above. (This author has observed some of the very poorest,
least educated, most socially- and economically - disadvantaged people in
America- whose daily lives are surrounded by chronic poverty; drugs,
uncontrolled crime and random violence; joblessness; hopelessness;
broken families, etc. - repeat small parts of Jefferson's words, in
trying to explain their lives. Jefferson could never have pictured this.)
Jefferson had been raised as a child in the moderate beliefs, doctrines
and services of the Anglican Church; it had its original lineage from the
Roman Catholic Church, and generally in America became the Episcopal
Church. It was the established church of the Virginia colony where
Jefferson lived. (Later Jefferson would be influential in disestablishing
this church. In other words, he was raised as a boy in the traditions and
beliefs of the Christian cosmos with its ancient elements. But this would
soon be profoundly challenged. When he, beginning at the age of 16,
attended the College of William and Mary, he began a rapid transition from
a mild, uncritical world of theological beliefs the Anglican Church is not
one of emotional fervor in religion) into the modem critical ideas of the
so-called Enlightenment, into the "Age of Reason". And in fact it is
necessary to understand not only what Jefferson believed when he wrote
Declaration of Independence at the age of 33, but what he did not believe,
in order to clearly recognize the meaning of the "American Creed".
From his personal notebooks - where he wrote ideas which were of real
importance to him (they also constitute one of the few sources of insight
we have as to the young Jefferson's mind) - we are able to see into his new
ideas of the world. Jefferson, while young, was deeply affected by his
educational experiences at the College of William and Mary, both by his
personal contacts (for example, he came to dine and converse regularly with
the Governor of Virginia, whose father had worked for Sir Isaac Newton), as
well as by his readings. While only one of the seven faculty members at the
College was not an Anglican clergyman: Dr. William Small of Scotland; it
was he who the young Jefferson was most influenced by. Of him Jefferson
later wrote that he was "a man profound in most of the useful branches of
science...from his conversations I got my first views of the expansion of
