Thomas Jefferson Instructs Robert Livingston, Essay Example

Many individuals covet wealth and hope for security. Security is a critical need for mental well being. Throughout history, people have fought battles in an effort to acheive these sometimes elusive needs. The desire for wealth and security plays out in a similar battle in Thomas Jefferson Instructs Robert Livingston (1802).

In this letter, Thomas Jefferson contacts Robert Livingston to discuss the recent cession of Louisiana and Florida to France. He is concerned because New Orleans is a port city, and the United States exports goods through that port. The port is a source of wealth for the U.S.  Jefferson feels that France is defying the United States by taking control of the region. It is an assertion of dominance by France to control the money entering the country. France’s move is analogous to the old saying, “hit ‘em where it hurts,” and not many things hurt worse than cutting off the financial health and vitality of a nation.

Security is also a concern for Jefferson. He is concerned with the security of his country. He threatens to attack France, but later states an offer of compromise. Jefferson is worried about the change in political alliances, and the possible results. He is torn between securing the profits of the country and securing the safety, and recognizes that he may sacrifice one to secure the other.

Jefferson compares the feeling caused the current debate over Louisiana and Florida to the Revolutionary war—a time of considerable turmoil and uneasiness. The need for security within his country is reflected in his desire to take the necessary steps to regain control of the area in question. He clearly states that he will take the necessary actions to ensure the well being of the United States. Where France once was a friend, she is now an enemy. Where the United States once sympathized with France, now its citizens will fight. Jefferson plans to obtain wealth and security through force.

The desire for wealth and security is evident in Jefferson’s writings to Livingston. After all, as the United States’ current President, Jefferson was responsible for both the wealth and security of the U.S. He was not motivated by greed, but by a desire to protect his country and people.