Final answer:
Jefferson's Empire of Liberty favored territorial expansion, limited government, and a rural agrarian society, but faced practical challenges and ethical dilemmas, such as the inconsistency of advocating liberty while holding slaves and the treatment of Native Americans.
Step-by-step explanation:
The concept of an Empire of Liberty as envisioned by Thomas Jefferson has both positive and negative aspects. The positives include the expansion of the United States territory, which was necessary for the nation to grow, promoting liberty, democracy, and the possibility of peaceful territorial expansion.
Jefferson's vision supported an agrarian society, limited government, and fiscal austerity, promoting the idea of yeoman farmers as the backbone of American freedom.
On the negative side, Jefferson's policies faced challenges in practice, particularly in international affairs.
The expansionist approach led to conflicts, such as the Barbary Wars, and brought about moral and constitutional dilemmas regarding the treatment of Native Americans, and the inconsistency between advocating for liberty while owning slaves.
Additionally, the doctrine of Manifest Destiny that grew from these ideas justified land grabs and displacement of Native peoples, and later, American imperialism challenged the nation’s values with the question of whether constitutional rights extended to people in acquired territories.