Thomas Jefferson was the third American president. Having been such a precocious president, he greatly influenced our political system, both short and long term, with his seemingly calm approach to congressional matters. Many things happened during his presidency that changed the United States as we know it. He coordinated the Louisiana Purchase, helped implement the Twelfth Amendment, shaped the character of the modern American president, and reduced the U.S. war debt by a third. Jefferson took office on March 4, 1801, and left office on March 4, 1809. His first term vice president was Aaron Burr, and his second term vice president was George Clinton. He ran on the Democratic-Republican Party and strongly opposed the Federalist Party. Before his election he had already held numerous public positions; vice president and secretary of state. Since he was preceded only by John Adams and George Washington, Jefferson played an important role in shaping the character of the American president. For his first inaugural address, according to one journalist, "his dress was, as usual, that of a simple citizen without any distinctive badge of his office." This easy-going nature demonstrated to the American public that he was not a king, but an ordinary citizen who was there for the people, he was even known as “The Man of the People”. Many other American presidents used the same style to appeal to the public. When Jefferson took office, he planned to institute Democratic-Republican policies in domestic affairs. The judiciary had gained much power through the Federalists who forced Jefferson to attempt to reduce his influence. In the end he prevailed and even reduced... half the paper.......Kindig, Thomas. "Thomas Jefferson." Thomas Jefferson. Independence Hall Association, July 4, 1995. Web. December 1, 2013. “The Louisiana Purchase.” Monticello.org. Np, nd Web. 04 December 2013. "Miller Center." American President: Thomas Jefferson. Ed. Pietro Onuf. Np, nd Web. 03 December 2013. .Summers, Robert S. "Presidents of the United States (POTUS)." Presidents of the United States (POTUS). Np, nd Web. 05 December 2013. .United States. Senate. Thomas Jefferson, 1801. Np, nd Web. 2 December. 2013. .