Thomas Jefferson is revered by many Americans because he helped created one of the greatest nations in history. When the average person thinks of Jefferson, his contribution to the Declaration of Independence comes to mind. However, Jeffersons term in office is just as important as his other contributions. Congress made sure that power within the United States government is not vested in one entity; it divides power between the executive, legislative, and judicial. Specifically, the executive and legislative must work together. Therefore, the executive and legislative branches frequently clash on issues, even if persons of the same party hold the White House and the majority in Congress. This majority scenario was Jeffersons presidency. Even though Jefferson and his fellow republican party colleagues controlled both the executive and Congress, Jefferson would still need to learn how to work effectively with Congress. Finally, Jefferson sought to deal with U.S. foreign relations through trade and its protection through the projection of power through the military.
The separation of powers is a sacred protection outlined in the Constitution to guard against an unjust government. James Madison, Jeffersons secretary of state and fellow founding father, puts it best: The accumulation of all power, legislative, executive and judiciary in the same hands, whether of one, or fe
w, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny (Madison, 200, p. 249). The relationship between the three branches, and in this case specifically the executive and legislative, is meant to be one of contention; the branches need to work together to resolve issues. Jefferson specifically desired to work closely with Congress on many matters, which arguably sets him apart from many presidents throughout history. Even though Jefferson and the Republicans controlled both the executive and Congress, they still clashed on some issues. Casper (995) notes that after addressing a friendly Congress during his first inaugural address, the relationship between Jefferson and Congress towards the end of Jeffersons first term was at times filled with tension; some in Congress claimed that Jefferson went back on his claims of upholding the separation of powers (p. 476). Specifically, John Randolph, once a principal ally of Jefferson in the House, now claimed that Jefferson was overstepping his boundaries by not allowing British trade into the United States and therefore is guilty of violating the separation of powers (Casper, 995, p. 477). Yet, there were many times that Jefferson also did everything in his power to work with Congress and maintain a good relationship; one example was with the conflict in Tripoli.