Thomas Jefferson: great or not?

It seems like he is one of the most well known characters in early Ameican history. His long list of achievements during the revolution and post revolution period was one of the most colorful and important. But what is not usually thought about is his second term as president, which was disastrous compared to the first. He responded to the British-French conflict by cutting off economic contact. Unfortunately, this severely hurt the economy, and did not good as the American navy was too weak to stop impressment by the British. By the end of his term, he had to abandon much of his policy.

And yet when he left office, he was such a respected figure that many forgave his second term.

Another interesting thing about Jefferson was his idealogical conflict with Hamilton. Jefferson wanted a small federal government whereas Hamilton wanted a strong federal government. For the most part, Hamilton's America came true, but Jefferson's did not.

Well, the only remarkable archievement during Jefferson's administration was the purchase of Luisiana Territory.  And IMO, that same stuff could have been archieved with the Federalist party.