Thomas Jefferson
Who Was Thomas Jefferson?
Thomas Jefferson was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. The native Virginian was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence and later held several national offices. Jefferson served as the nation’s first secretary of state, and the second vice president (under John Adams), and the third American president, from to During his two-term presidency, Jefferson doubled the size of the United States by successfully brokering the Louisiana Purchase and defeated pirates from North Africa during the Barbary War. In retirement, Jefferson founded the University of Virginia and continued work on his beloved Monticello estate. He died on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence at age
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Thomas Jefferson
BORN: April 13,
DIED: July 4,
BIRTHPLACE: Shadwell, Virginia
SPOUSE: Martha Jefferson ()
CHILDREN: 12
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Aries
When and Where Was Thomas Jefferson Born?
Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, , at the Shadwell plantation located just outside of Charlottesville, Virginia.
Thomas was born into one of the most prominent families of Virginia’s planter elite. Hi
Thomas Jefferson: Life in Brief
Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, spent his childhood roaming the woods and studying his books on a remote plantation in the Virginia Piedmont. Thanks to the prosperity of his father, Jefferson had an excellent education. After years in boarding school, where he excelled in classical languages, Jefferson enrolled in William and Mary College in his home state of Virginia, taking classes in science, mathematics, rhetoric, philosophy, and literature. He also studied law, and by the time he was admitted to the Virginia bar in April , many considered him to have one of the nation's best legal minds.
Shaping America's Political Philosophy
Jefferson was shy in person, but his pen proved to be a mighty weapon. His pamphlet entitled "A Summary View of the Rights of British America," written in , articulated the colonial position for independence and foreshadowed many of the ideas in the Declaration of Independence, the work for which he is most famous. By , Jefferson was actively involved in organizing opposition to British rule, and in , he was appointed to the Second Continental Congress. As a powerful prose stylist a
Jefferson recognized that the principles he included in the Declaration had not been fully realized and would remain a challenge across time, but his poetic vision continues to have a profound influence in the United States and around the world. Abraham Lincoln made just this point when he declared:
All honor to Jefferson – to the man who, in the concrete pressure of a struggle for national independence by a single people, had the coolness, forecast, and capacity to introduce into a merely revolutionary document, an abstract truth, and so to embalm it there, that to-day and in all coming days, it shall be a rebuke and a stumbling-block to the very harbingers of reappearing tyranny and oppression.7
After Jefferson left Congress in , he returned to Virginia and served in the legislature. In late , as a member of the new House of Delegates of Virginia, he worked closely with James Madison. Their first collaboration, to end the religious establishment in Virginia, became a legislative battle which would culminate with the passage of Jefferson’s Statute for Religious Freedom in
Governor of Virginia
Elected governor from to , he suffered an inquiry into his conduct during the
Another significant component of Jefferson&#;s presidency was his efforts to maintain neutrality during the Napoleonic Wars. Jefferson&#;s stances were consistent with his vision of American foreign policy, which emphasized commercial relationships while avoiding military alliances. In response to Britain and France&#;s infringements on American neutrality and disruptions to trade routes, Jefferson implemented the Embargo Act of , prohibiting American ships from trading in all foreign ports.3 Initially intended as an economic strategy, the act ultimately harmed America&#;s own economy and faced backlash, leading to its repeal in the final days of his presidency.
Throughout his two terms, Jefferson strived to align his presidential practices with his principles. He advocated for a limited federal government, reduced the national debt, and attempted to run a government that acted according to the needs of the people.
These policies emphasized Jefferson&#;s influence on American political life and revealed his commitments to expanding personal liberty, cautious international engagements, and practical adjustment of ideological stances when necessary for the republic&#;s great
Biographies you may also like
Thomas edison childrens biography about waltham The Biography of Thomas Edison 1. Thomas Edison was a famous American scientist and inventor. He spent his whole life on inventions. He once said, "Genius is one per cent .
Voltaire brief biography of williams Voltaire Biography François-Marie Arouet, later known by his pen name, Voltaire, was born in to a middle-class Parisian family. At that time, Louis XIV was king of France, and the Missing: williams.
Sir peter thomas blake biography of mahatma Sir Peter Thomas Blake CBE RDI (Dartford, 25 giugno ) è un artista inglese del movimento della pop art, famoso in particolare per la copertina dell'album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Missing: mahatma.
Vincent van goghs auto biography Read a biography of Dutch post-Impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh. Get quick facts, a timeline, information about his family and artists who influenced him.
Ebrahim alkazi biography sampler Ebrahim Alkazi: A Short Film is an introduction to the panel discussion, Tribute Session: Life and Legacy of Ebrahim Alkazi, organized by the Jairangam, Jaipur Theatre Festival for its .
Michael cerveris girlfriend FamousFix profile for Michael Cerveris including biography information, wikipedia facts, photos, galleries, news, youtube videos, quotes, posters, magazine covers, trailers, Missing: girlfriend.
Michiko kon biography of barack In her first museum exhibition in the United States, Japanese photographer Michiko Kon shows 30 large black and white prints at the List Visual Arts Center. Kon’s photographs are strange, Missing: barack.
Ziyarat imam ali ibn abi talib biography Ziyarat of Amir Al Momineen Ali Ibn Abi Talib (A.S) Peace be on you, O trusted guardian, appointed by Allah, to administer His earth, and to convince the mankind to accept .