Thomas Jefferson Re-Elected for a Second Term as President

The President of the United States was Thomas Jefferson, who won election to a second term as President in 1804. Jefferson served two full terms in the White House, from March 4, 1801 to March 4, 1809. His major accomplishments included the Louisiana Purchase and the dispatch of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their Voyage of Discovery. But many of Jefferson's Presidential accomplishments are little-known to the general public. For instance, did you know that the United States fought and won a war against a country in North Africa while Thomas Jefferson was in office? The war started not long after his inauguration, when on May 14, 1801, the Pasha (Prince) of Tripoli increased "tribute" demands upon the United States, and declared war. The Barbary states of Tripoli, Algiers, Morocco and Tunis charged the United States and several European countries a certain yearly fee for the use of the Mediterranean Sea; if this "tribute" was not paid, ships from the offending countries were boarded and seized, their cargoes confiscated and sold by the North Africans. In effect, payment of tribute was a form of extortion. Although the United States never officially declared war on Tripoli, Jefferson dispatched an American squadron of naval vessels to the Mediterranean Sea. Several battles took place, and the United States imposed a naval blockade to keep goods and services from entering or leaving Tripoli. United States Marines actually seized Derna, the principal city of Tripoli, on April 26, 1805. Finally, on June 4, 1805, a peace treaty was signed which gave the United States the freedom of the Mediterranean and relinquished Tripoli's claims for tribute. The memory of this undeclared war lives on in the Marine Corps Hymn, which you may recall begins with the lines: "From the Halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli."
Besides winning an undeclared war, Jefferson looked toward the West. He encouraged westward expansion by authorizing the purchase of the port of New Orleans, and backed the actions of his ambassadors when they were able to buy all of the Louisiana Territory for only $15 million. Even before the purchase was made, Jefferson encouraged Congress to authorize a major expedition across the continent to the Pacific Ocean, and personally chose its leader, his secretary, Meriwether Lewis. Lewis and Clark added greatly to the scientific and geographical knowledge of the American West. President Jefferson signed the bill authorizing Ohio to enter the Union as the 17th state on March 1, 1803; Ohio was the only state to enter the Union during Jefferson's Presidency.
Jefferson also signed legislation establishing the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1802, and the act which prohibited the importation of slaves after January 1, 1808. Jefferson's Vice President in 1804 was Aaron Burr (1801-1805), although his running mate that year was George Clinton (1805-1809); both were from New York.

Jefferson's cabinet of political advisors consisted of:
Secretary of State:
James Madison (1801-1809)
Secretary of the Treasury:
Albert Gallatin (1801-1809; also served under Madison until 1814)
Secretary of War:
Henry Dearborn (1801-1809)
Attorney General:
Levi Lincoln (1801-1805)
Secretary of the Navy:
Robert Smith (1801-1809)

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