retary of state under George Washington, the heroic Revolutionary general and newlyelected president of the United States. As secretary of state, Jefferson was largelyresponsible for the new nation’s foreign policy; he took a pro-French viewpoint in theconflict between Britain and France. Jefferson was extremely vocal in the debatesurrounding the new Constitution—his greatest concern about the important documentwas that it made the federal government too powerful because it lacked a bill of rights toprotect the rights of states and individuals from federal overpowerment.In 1793, Jefferson stepped down from the office of secretary of state and returnedto Virginia. Three years later, he finished second in the race for the presidency against JohnAdams, all the while denying publicly that he was even a candidate. As the runner-up,Jefferson became Adams’ vice president. In that office he continued opposing theemphasis on a strong federal government, such men as Washington, Adams, andAlexander Hamilton supported. These men had then become known as Federalists. By themid-1790s, two distinct parties had emerged: the Federalists and the Republicans, led byJefferson and James Madison, which represented America’s first opposition party.During this period, his critics labeled Jefferson a traitor and hypocrite, pointing out thateven as he denounced divisions as destructive to government, he himself started adivision.The presidential election of 1800 was a very close and heated debate. Jeffersonand his chosen vice presidential candidate Aaron Burr tied for the most votes. Theelection was then thrown into the House of Representatives, where Jefferson provedvictorious after several weeks of debate. As president, Jefferson voiced his desire to return to the principles of theRevolution and of the Declaration of Independence and spoke his faith in the power ofhuman reason as the guiding principle of self-government. His ideas wer...
