Thomas Jefferson's Presidency Quiz (Study.com)

In what year did Thomas Jefferson take office as President?

• 1805

• 1801

• 1803

• 1807

Which building was Thomas Jefferson the first president to be inaugurated in?

• The Capitol

• Independence Hall

• The White House

• Washington Monument

What was the cost of the Louisiana Purchase?

• $10 million

• $15 million

• $25 million

• $20 million

Who foiled the Essex Junto's plot to secede from the United States?

• Aaron Burr

• Thomas Jefferson

• Alexander Hamilton

• James Madison

Which river did Pike's Expedition mistakenly identify as the headwaters of the Red River?

• Mississippi River

• Arkansas River

• Missouri River

• Rio Grande

What significant act did Thomas Jefferson sign in 1808?

• The Kansas-Nebraska Act

• The Missouri Compromise

• The Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves

• The Emancipation Proclamation

Who was Thomas Jefferson's Vice President involved in a conspiracy to secede New York from the Union?

• Alexander Hamilton

• John Adams

• Aaron Burr

• James Madison

What was the name of the French leader who sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States?

• Napoleon Bonaparte

• Louis XVI

• Louis XVIII

• Charles X

What was the outcome of the duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton?

• Neither was injured

• Burr killed Hamilton

• Hamilton killed Burr

• Both were injured

Why did Aaron Burr initiate a duel with Alexander Hamilton?

• Financial dispute over unpaid debts
• Disagreement on foreign policy
• Longstanding political and personal animosity
• Misunderstanding during a political debate

Answer explanation

Alexander Hamilton was an ardent Federalist. In fact, Jefferson's own party had formed as an opposition movement to Hamilton's policies as Secretary of the Treasury. So, of course, Hamilton cringed at the idea of a Jefferson presidency. But Hamilton absolutely hated Aaron Burr on a personal level. Seeing that Congress was about to elect Burr, Hamilton wrote dozens of letters to representatives saying that Burr would be a dictator if he were president. After several days and multiple votes, the House of Representative finally decided the election of 1800, naming Thomas Jefferson as president and Aaron Burr as vice president.

The outcome of the election had two interesting ripple effects. First, the 12th amendment to the Constitution changed the process for selecting the president and vice president. Never again would political rivals be placed in the executive office together. But the personal rivalry between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton continued. Four years later, Hamilton again interfered with Burr's election, this time as governor of New York. Furious, Aaron Burr challenged Alexander Hamilton to a duel and killed him.