President Thomas Jefferson (President Mini Episode)

In this exciting mini-episode of "Check This Out!," hosts Amy and Cece are joined by special guest Bonnie to explore the life and legacy of the 3rd President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. The episode delves into Jefferson's presidential tenure from 1801 to 1809, discussing his efforts to reduce national debt, his opposition to the Federalists, and his remarkable achievement in doubling the size of the nation through the Louisiana Purchase.

Listeners will learn fun facts, such as the price of the Louisiana Purchase ($15 million) and the impact of Jefferson's policies on indigenous tribes, as well as his famous plantation home, Monticello. The hosts also highlight key aspects of Jefferson's presidency, including his commissioning of the Lewis and Clark expedition, his push for religious freedom, and his establishment of the University of Virginia, setting the stage for an engaging discussion on the complexities of this founding father's legacy.

Tune in for an informative and kid-friendly exploration of history, filled with intriguing facts and a call to learn more about America's past!

Transcript

Amy Welcome to Check this out! Podcast for kids And their grownups.  We’re back with special guest bonnie for our 3rd mini-episode on the presidents of the United States!  

Thanks for being with us again today! Today is all about 3rd president Thomas Jefferson!  

We are going to look at his presidential legacy.  The highs, the lows, and his impact.  You’re going to get a sense of this founding father’s beliefs and how his actions as president still impact us today!  

Cece: I’m excited! 

Us too! To switch things up we are going to hit you with a few factoids about Thomas Jefferson’s time as president.  

• Bon Thomas Jefferson was president from 1801- 1809, he served 2 terms 
  • He barely won in the election of 1800 but overwhelmingly won his 2nd term 
  • Cece: Whoa 
• Amy He was the 3rd president of the United States.  He had previously served as Vice President to John Adams and Secretary of State to George Washington 
  • Cece: He was a busy guy! 
• Bon He was part of the Democratic Republican political party, and was deeply opposed to the Federalist political party
  • Famous members of the federalist party were John Adams and Alexander Hamilton 

Bon When Jefferson became president the nation was still in debt from the revolutionary war. He focused on reducing the national debt and worked hard to keep the US out of the Napoleonic wars that were happening in Europe. 

Cece: That sounds hard 

Amy One of the big things Jefferson is remembered for is expanding the size of the United states.  Do you know what it was called when he doubled the size of the US? Was it 

A- Manifest Destiny 

B - The Louisiana Purchase 

C- The Western Expansion 

Cece: I think i know the answer 

Amy If you guessed B you’re right! Jefferson acquired 828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River from France. This deal, was known as the Louisiana Purchase. The louisiana purchase doubled the size of the United States!  This was also the basis of future expansion west over the coming decades.  

Amy In a future episode we will talk about Sacagawea and the expedition of Lewis and Clark across the western United states.  But Jefferson sent these explorers across America with the goal of building maps and finding trade routes.  

Cece: I want to check out more about that! 

Bon Its really interesting and worth learning more about!  Do you want to guess how much the US spent to get the 828,000 square miles of land in the Louisiana Purchase?  

Was it 

A- 100 million 

B- 50 million 

C- 15 million 

Cece: Mama, mama can i guess? C 

Yes! 15 million!  Back then 15 million was a LOT of money… it still is a lot of money today!  

Bon While the louisiana purchase helped expand the US’s natural resources and made us a world power it displaced huge populations of native indigenous tribes.  It also wasn’t technically constitutional, but ended up gaining support because it blocked Spain and France from the united states.   

Cece: Wow 

Amy Jefferson born in Virginia in 1743 and died in 1826.  He was another Virginia born plantation owner and like George Washington his home is famous and can be visited today as a tourist attraction.  

Do you know what his plantation home was called? 

Was it 

A Monticello

B Mount Vernon 

C Mount Rushmore 

Amy The answer is A, monticello.  Enslaved laborers grew tobacco, wheat, and other grains as the primary crops at Monticello during Thomas Jefferson's lifetime.

Bon  Monticello was huge, and Jefferson designed and redesigned the house for over 40 years.  There were lots of people who lived at Monticello.  Jefferson, owned over 600 enslaved people who worked the crops and grounds, he owned the most enslaved people of any president.   

Cece: Wow 

Amy Here are 5 more facts about Jefferson outside of his presidency 

1. A He was lawyer in addition to being a politician 
2. B He had 6 children with his wife, Martha 
3. A He was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence 
4. B He served as governor of virginia twice! 
5. A Along with Benjamin Franklin, Jefferson served as a US minister to France during the revolutionary war 

Bon Thomas Jefferson was a founding father, writer of the declaration of independence, minister to france, secretary of state to george washington, former governor of virginia, prolific writer, plantation owner, and president.  

Amy Although Jefferson didn’t love public speaking he was a gifted writer and his speeches and musings have become must reads for historians and students alike.  

Amy His presidency is best remembered for: 

1. A The louisiana purchase:  He fundamentally changed the course of united states history with the Louisiana Purchase and his efforts into westward expansion.  
2. B Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806): He Commissioned Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the newly acquired territory from the louisiana purchase, gather scientific data, and establish relations with Native American tribes.
3. A Reduction of Military and National Debt: Jefferson cut military spending and worked to reduce the national debt 
4. B The Repeal of the Alien and Sedition Acts: Jefferson's administration sought to repeal or reverse these controversial acts that John Adams had signed into law. 
5. A Establishment of the University of Virginia (1819): Though it was founded after his presidency, he laid the groundwork while he was president 
6. B The Embargo Act of 1807: Jefferson Imposed a trade embargo on Britain and France aimed at protecting American ships and sailors. It had significant economic repercussions and faced criticism.
7. A Advocacy for Religious Freedom: Jefferson promoted the separation of church and state, he emphasized tolerance and individual rights.

Cece: He was a busy guy 

Amy We could keep going, but we promised you a mini episode so with that we say Farewell! 

cece Thanks for listening

Bon Make sure to subscribe 

Amy Sources for this week's episode are the white house, monticello.org, encyclopedia britannica, university of california santa barbara and library of congress 

https://www.whitehousehistory.org/bios/thomas-jefferson 

https://diplomacy.state.gov/encyclopedia/thomas-jefferson-secretary-of-state-president/ 

https://www.monticello.org/thomas-jefferson/brief-biography-of-jefferson/ 

https://www.loc.gov/collections/thomas-jefferson-papers/articles-and-essays/american-sphinx-the-contraditions-of-thomas-jefferson/ 

https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/thomas-jefferson-event-timeline 

https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/george-washington-event-timeline