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Eric and Rob are joined by Dr. Peter Kastor to discuss ways to teach about the presidency of Thomas Jefferson. Dr. Kastor is the Samuel K. Eddy Endowed Professor of History and American Culture Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. He studies the history of politics, policymaking, and culture in the United States. He focuses much of his work on the half-century following American independence. Peter advises teachers to approach the Jefferson Presidency by examining its domestic policy, its foreign policy, and how it affected the way politics operated. He notes that Jefferson had several goals during his presidency including calming down partisan division, retiring the U.S. debt, staying out of European wars, and promoting trade and commerce. Teachers should note the impact of foreign affairs on Jefferson’s presidency. They resulted in the single most consequential event of Jefferson’s presidency, the Louisiana Purchase. Both the Louisiana Purchase and staying out of European wars challenged Jefferson's goals. Governing the Louisiana purchase required an increase in the size and spending of the government, and his Embargo Act led to increased government regulation and domestic conflict. However, Peter notes that Jefferson normalized the precedents for the presidency set by Washington as well as securing the influence of his Democratic-Republican Party. As such, his administration was extremely consequential and set a foundation for future presidencies.
Lesson Plans and resources:
The Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase lesson can be found at https://bit.ly/4x0S3OH
The Embargo Act lesson can be found at https://bit.ly/4dT1JlL
The Creating the Federal Government, 1789-1829 website can be found at: https://creatingafederalgovernment.wustl.edu/
Credits
Opening theme music, “Bossa Bossa,” created by Clare Howard www.clarehoward.com Music supported by the National Council for History Education www.ncheteach.org
Transition theme music, “The Clock is Ticking,” created by Emily Hahn.
Logo artwork created by Jessica Goldman.
Shit I Have to Teach in 20 Minutes is produced by Eric Hahn and Rob Good. Audio and video editing by Sebastian Rosales.
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