Quote of the Day

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.”

- Thomas Jefferson

As president, Thomas Jefferson pursued the nation's shipping and trade interests against Barbary pirates and aggressive British trade policies. Starting in 1803, Jefferson promoted a western expansionist policy, organizing the Louisiana Purchase which doubled the nation's land area. To make room for settlement, Jefferson began a controversial process of Indian tribal removal from the newly acquired territory.