Louisiana

1. How did Jefferson's philosophy shape policy toward public expenditures, the judiciary, and Louisiana? Jefferson served for more than twenty years as the president of the American Philosophical Society. Jefferson brought with set of ideas about the need and importance for tightly controlled central government, payment of the national debt, and downsizing the American military. When offered the chance to buy Louisiana, an action not specified in the Constitution, Jefferson eagerly jumped at the chance to rid the New World of France. He justified the purchase by stating the new land doubled the land available for the union. His sponsorship of the Lewis and Clark expedition exemplified his interest in science and his hope for practical results from science.