The romance of American expansion . thanthat which had been born of the struggle for inde-pendence. But it was Jeffersons distinction to bethe first to give form and reality to such ideals, andto transform dreams into deeds. No more singularmistake can be made than to imagine, as some haveimagined, that his share in the Louisiana Purchasewas purely fortuitous, and that in acting as he didhe merely pursued a policy of opportunism foundedon what he perceived to be the will of the the contrary, the Louisiana Purchase meant tohim the realization of a long and ardently cherisheddesire, a
The romance of American expansion . thanthat which had been born of the struggle for inde-pendence. But it was Jeffersons distinction to bethe first to give form and reality to such ideals, andto transform dreams into deeds. No more singularmistake can be made than to imagine, as some haveimagined, that his share in the Louisiana Purchasewas purely fortuitous, and that in acting as he didhe merely pursued a policy of opportunism foundedon what he perceived to be the will of the the contrary, the Louisiana Purchase meant tohim the realization of a long and ardently cherisheddesire, a consummation none the less welcomebecause it came so unexpectedly. It was the goodfortune of the nation that he occupied the Presi-dential chair at the moment when Napoleon foundit necessary to relinquish his grasp of the rich do-main wrung from the yielding Spaniard. Another,with less penetrating vision into the possibilities andexigencies of the years to come, would have falteredand let slip the golden opportunity. But Jefferson,. Thomas Jeffersox From a crayon drawing, now in the possession of Dr. W. C. N. Randolph, of Charlottesville, Virginia, the great-grandson of Jefferson. I THOMAS JEFFERSON 27 true expansionist, one is tempted to write greatest ofAmerican expansionists, understood, and, under-standing, acted. There is temptation, too, to declare that it washis destiny to crown his wonderful career by theLouisiana Purchase. Certainly the story of hislife, when considered in relation to the Purchase,tends to bear out this view. He was born April 13,1743, in a Virginia farmhouse among the foothills ofthe Blue Ridge. From his father, a sturdy yeoman,liimself Virginia born, he inherited a stalwart frame,a stout constitution, an independent and self-reliantspirit, and a lasting love for the life outdoors. Hismother, likewise a Virginian, and daughter of one ofthe proudest and wealthiest families of the colony,bequeathed him the gentler qualities of kindh-ness, affabihty, and
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