American Way Essay, Research Paper
Thomas Jefferson was quoted The first object of my heart is with my country. Becoming the third President, he was a poor public speaker, but his intellectual curiosity won the crowds. Jefferson was placed on a committee as chief writer for a Declaration of Independence. This would be his most important commissi0n of his life. His words would set the theme for liberty and equality among Americans. He wrote, All men are created equal . Jefferson did many things during his Presidency. He eliminated internal taxes, abolished the IRS, and made radical cuts in the Army and Navy. He also made the boldest land acquisition in history with the 15 million-dollar purchase of Louisiana from Napoleon. Jefferson would also pass the 1807 Embargo Act that closed the ports to foreign trade. Not to long after this he would withdrawal after his second term.
After President Harding had passed away, Calvin Coolidge s father gave him his oath to be the next president of the United States. He grew up on a farm and believed that the government is best when it is governed least. He learned to waste nothing. Coolidge was the first President to make a movie with sound and was photographed more than any other. His son died from a freak accident at the White House from blood poisoning. He was devastated but in 1924 won his own term into the Presidency. This time period was the greatest prosperity the country had ever known. But he refused to work with civil rights and had a strict immigration law. He did nothing for poverty including the blacks and farmers. The future of the American way went away as he did. Herbert C. Hoover was the American individualist that was a visionary more than that of Thomas Jefferson. He was an engineer that had set out during World War I to help feed the starving Belgium s. He had crossed borders at will and gathered food in any way possible. The feeding of these people was American , the land of self-respect that comes from the freedom of spirit. Hoover would become known as the food czar . He would also oversee the relief effort of the Mississippi River flooding. He called for volunteerism, public education and he was a strong Native American advocate. Seven months into his term the stock market crashes. People begin to change their notions in what they want in the Presidency. Ronald Reagan was the American Dreamer that showed faith in America never diminished. He was a man with few strong convictions. Reagan saw his tasks of performing his role as President and did it well. He was democratic but then switched to republican. This Presidency brought a citizen to office that spoke for the people that lived under the laws. The stage was set to let Americans dream again. He won a second term to office and became the oldest President in history at age 73. Reagan also took responsibility for his shortcomings of the Iran missile stories. He was able to recover and regained support from the people. He brought peace between the US and Russia but the national debt had tripled and the gap was spreading between the rich and poor. Reagan accomplished a great deal in politics. All of these men created a smaller simpler government that allowed freedom to prosper. All of these men claimed Thomas Jefferson as a leading spirit that lead the American way.
Each of these men had a vision that they saw as the American way of life and tried to make it so. I believe that America is so diverse that we will never be able to satisfy all the people all of the time. If we continue to elect men such as these, we will surely keep the presidency from becoming stagnant.