The official papers embraced in this division of the work, have been classified, for the purposes of easy reference, under the following heads:
Part I.—Reports and Opinions while Secretary of State.—Under this head are included Jefferson's Reports to Congress, which have been published before; also, his Reports to the President, and his Cabinet Opinions, both of which were private, and are now for the first time given to the public. It seems to have been the practice of Washington, to take the written opinions of his Secretaries upon important points arising during his administration, and the opinions of Jefferson, here published, were given in reply to questions propounded and points submitted to him by the President, in conformity with this practice. They relate to a great variety of matters connected with the early history of our government, and the principles of interpretation to be applied to the Federal Constitution, and will be found interesting and valuable.
Part II.—Inaugural Address and Messages.—During the administration of Washington and Adams, it was the custom of the President, at the opening of each session of Congress, to meet both Houses in person, and deliver a written speech, to which, in the course of a few days, each House would return an answer through a committee appointed to wait upon him, he, at the same time, returning a brief reply. Mr. Jefferson, at the beginning of his Presidential term, changed this system. Instead of meeting the Houses of Congress in person, and addressing to them a speech, he sent them a written message, thus substituting messages for speeches. His reasons for this change were the greater convenience of messages over speeches, the economy of time, and the relief of Congress from the necessity of answering on subjects in regard to which they were often very imperfectly informed. The general opinion of the country at the time seems to have approved the change; and the mode of communicating with Congress by messages in preference to speeches, has been invariably adopted by the Presidents ever since.
This division of the work contains Jefferson's Inaugural Address and regular and special messages.
Part III.—Replies to Public Addresses.—The public addresses received by Mr. Jefferson, and answered by him, were very numerous. This was particularly the case at the time of the Embargo, the attack on the Chesapeake, and the termination of his Presidential service. The plan of this work does not admit the publication of the whole of these Addresses and Replies; nor, indeed, is there any necessity for it. It is only necessary that a few of the Replies should be published, as specimens of the rest. This has been done, selecting such as have the highest claim, and omitting none which possess any historical value.
Part IV.—Indian Addresses.—There is a number of these Addresses. They possess a certain interest as exhibiting the humane policy of our government towards the Indians, our efforts to civilize them, to make them agriculturists, to keep them at peace with ourselves and with each other, and the manner in which their lands were acquired from them, always by purchase, with their own free consent. Some of the most important have, therefore, been incorporated in the work.
PART I.
REPORTS AND OPINIONS WHILE SECRETARY OF STATE.
I.—Report on the methods for obtaining Fresh Water from Salt.
The Secretary of State, to whom was referred by the House of Representatives of the United States, the petition of Jacob Isaacs of Newport in Rhode Island, has examined into the truth and importance of the allegations therein set forth, and makes thereon the following report: