LAD #7- Jefferson's First Inaugural Address

In the introduction paragraph, Jefferson stated his dedication to the United States, and that the Constitution would help him with all difficulties he would encounter. In the next paragraph, Jefferson explained that although the country would be governed by the majority, the minority must also retain all of their rights, and Jefferson asked that all Americans unite regardless of their beliefs. Jefferson helped to reinforce this demand by stating that we fought and died to throw off religious intolerance and oppression, and to have political intolerance would also be oppressive. Jefferson, an anti-federalist, then proceeded to bring the parties together by stating that we are all in fact republicans, and thus are all federalists. Jefferson continued by reminding the Americans that they were separate from Britain, and all of Europe, to do what they pleased and what would make them happy. In the next paragraph, Jefferson explained to the United States what his necessary principles were, the principles that shaped his administration. These principles were a mix of basic anti-federalist ideas and some which were taken from Washington. Principles such as freedom of speech, no entangling alliances, and states rights dominated Jefferson’s speech. These principles are also very similar to the Bill of Rights, which Jefferson and the other anti-federalists demanded.