Jefferson's long held fiscal philosophy was that public [[debt]] and [[tax]]es were evils of the first magnitude. As President Jefferson slashed [[Army]] and [[Navy]] expenditures, cut the budget, eliminated the [[tax]] on whiskey so unpopular in the West, yet reduced the national debt by a third. He also sent a naval squadron to fight the Barbary pirates, who were harassing American commerce in the Mediterranean. Further, although the Constitution made no provision for the acquisition of new land, Jefferson suppressed his qualms over constitutionality when he had the opportunity to acquire the [[Louisiana]] Territory from [[Napoleon]] in 1803. This then controversial [[Louisiana Purchase]] doubled the size of the United States of America, for 15 million dollars. Jefferson sent [[Captain]] [[Meriwether Lewis]] and [[Lieutenant]] [[William Clark]] for an expedition of the new American territory. | Jefferson's long held fiscal philosophy was that public [[debt]] and [[tax]]es were evils of the first magnitude. As President Jefferson slashed [[Army]] and [[Navy]] expenditures, cut the budget, eliminated the [[tax]] on whiskey so unpopular in the West, yet reduced the national debt by a third. He also sent a naval squadron to fight the Barbary pirates, who were harassing American commerce in the Mediterranean. Further, although the Constitution made no provision for the acquisition of new land, Jefferson suppressed his qualms over constitutionality when he had the opportunity to acquire the [[Louisiana]] Territory from [[Napoleon]] in 1803. This then controversial [[Louisiana Purchase]] doubled the size of the United States of America, for 15 million dollars. Jefferson sent [[Captain]] [[Meriwether Lewis]] and [[Lieutenant]] [[William Clark]] for an expedition of the new American territory. |