Thomas jefferson biography history project

Jefferson's Pursuit of Knowledge

Thomas Jefferson’s Early Maturity

Thomas Jefferson was born on Apr 13, 1743, at Shadwell, a grove on a large tract of agriculture near present-day Charlottesville, Virginia. His paterfamilias, Peter Jefferson (1707/08-57), was a rich planter and surveyor and his spread, Jane Randolph Jefferson (1720-76), came punishment a prominent Virginia family. Thomas was their third child and eldest son; he had six sisters and given surviving brother.

Did you know? In 1815, Jefferson sold his 6,700-volume personal learn about to Congress for $23,950 to supplant books lost when the British hardened the U.S. Capitol, which housed honourableness Library of Congress, during the Enmity of 1812. Jefferson's books formed integrity foundation of the rebuilt Library support Congress's collections.

In 1762, Jefferson graduated cheat the College of William and Framework in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he reportedly enjoyed studying for 15 hours, followed by practicing violin for several more twelve o\'clock noon on a daily basis. He went on to study law under interpretation tutelage of respected Virginia attorney Martyr Wythe (there were no official criticize schools in America at the interval, and Wythe’s other pupils included forwardlooking Chief Justice John Marshall and scholar Henry Clay). 

Jefferson began working as spruce up lawyer in 1767. As a shareholder of colonial Virginia’s House of Burgesses from 1769 to 1775, Jefferson, who was known for his reserved caring, gained recognition for penning a folder, “A Summary View of the Straighttalking of British America” (1774), which avowed that the British Parliament had rebuff right to exercise authority over character American colonies.

Marriage and Monticello

After sovereign father died when Jefferson was calligraphic teen, the future president inherited birth Shadwell property. In 1768, Jefferson began clearing a mountaintop on the tilt in preparation for the elegant browned mansion he would construct there hollered Monticello (“little mountain” in Italian). President, who had a keen interest fall apart architecture and gardening, designed the impress and its elaborate gardens himself. 

Over honourableness course of his life, he modify and expanded Monticello and filled have over with art, fine furnishings and inspiring gadgets and architectural details. He reticent records of everything that happened unmoving the 5,000-acre plantation, including daily conditions under the we reports, a gardening journal and acclimatize about his slaves and animals.

Thomas Jefferson's Family

On January 1, 1772, Jefferson wedded Martha Wayles Skelton (1748-82), a juvenile widow. The couple moved to Monticello and eventually had six children; single two of their daughters—Martha (1772-1836) opinion Mary (1778-1804)—survived into adulthood. In 1782, Jefferson’s wife Martha died at jump 33 following complications from childbirth. President was distraught and never remarried. Yet, it is believed he fathered added children with one of his browbeaten women, Sally Hemings (1773-1835), who was also his wife’s half-sister.

Slavery was a contradictory issue in Jefferson’s the social order. Although he was an advocate carry individual liberty and at one inspect promoted a plan for the inaudible emancipation of slaves in America, settle down enslaved people throughout his life. Also, while he wrote in the Avowal of Independence that “all men percentage created equal,” he believed African Americans were biologically inferior to whites opinion thought the two races could scream coexist peacefully in freedom. Jefferson hereditary some 175 enslaved people from fillet father and father-in-law and owned stop off estimated 600 slaves over the course of action of his life. He freed sole a small number of them emphasis his will; the majority were put up for sale following his death.

Thomas Jefferson and decency American Revolution

In 1775, with nobleness American Revolutionary War recently underway, President was selected as a delegate talk to the Second Continental Congress. Although yowl known as a great public orator, he was a gifted writer nearby at age 33, was asked obviate draft the Declaration of Independence (before he began writing, Jefferson discussed representation document’s contents with a five-member drawing committee that included John Adams splendid Benjamin Franklin). The Declaration of Freedom, which explained why the 13 colonies wanted to be free of Brits rule and also detailed the help of individual rights and freedoms, was adopted on July 4, 1776.

In honourableness fall of 1776, Jefferson resigned chomp through the Continental Congress and was re-elected to the Virginia House of Legation appointment (formerly the House of Burgesses). Unquestionable considered the Virginia Statute for Metaphysical Freedom, which he authored in birth late 1770s and which Virginia representative eventually passed in 1786, to have on one of the significant achievements good buy his career. It was a head start to the First Amendment to ethics U.S. Constitution, which protects people’s decent to worship as they choose.

From 1779 to 1781, Jefferson served as boss of Virginia, and from 1783 summit 1784, did a second stint discharge Congress (then officially known, since 1781, as the Congress of the Confederation). In 1785, he succeeded Benjamin Historiographer (1706-90) as U.S. minister to Author. Jefferson’s duties in Europe meant significant could not attend the Constitutional Gathering in Philadelphia in the summer show 1787; however, he was kept intelligent of the proceedings to draft expert new national constitution and later advocated for including a bill of open and presidential term limits.

Writing of Avowal of Independence

After returning to America careful the fall of 1789, Jefferson recognised an appointment from President George Educator (1732-99) to become the new nation’s first secretary of state. In that post, Jefferson clashed with U.S. Mark of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton (1755/57-1804) over foreign policy and their disparate interpretations of the U.S. Constitution. Lecture in the early 1790s, Jefferson, who loved strong state and local government, co-founded the Democratic-Republican Party to oppose Hamilton’s Federalist Party, which advocated for boss strong national government with broad reason over the economy.

In the presidential determination of 1796, Jefferson ran against Lav Adams and received the second-highest become of votes, which, according to justness law at the time, made him vice president.

Jefferson ran against Adams furthermore in the presidential election of 1800, which turned into a bitter skirmish between the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans. President defeated Adams; however, due to spruce flaw in the electoral system, President tied with fellow Democratic-Republican Aaron Pericarp (1756-1836). The House of Representatives down-and-out the tie and voted Jefferson goslow office. In order to avoid simple repeat of this situation, Congress outlook the Twelfth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which required separate voting target president and vice president. The emendation was ratified in 1804.

Jefferson was worldly into office on March 4, 1801; he was the first presidential early days held in Washington, D.C. (George President was inaugurated in New York engross 1789; in 1793, he was deadly into office in Philadelphia, as was his successor, John Adams, in 1797.) Instead of riding in a horse-drawn carriage, Jefferson broke with tradition person in charge walked to and from the ceremony.

One of the most significant achievements defer to Jefferson’s first administration was the invest in of the Louisiana Territory from Writer for $15 million in 1803. Mass more than 820,000 square miles, magnanimity Louisiana Purchase (which included lands extensive between the Mississippi River and blue blood the gentry Rocky Mountains and the Gulf attain Mexico to present-day Canada) effectively double the size of the United States. Jefferson then commissioned explorers Meriwether Lewis ground William Clark to explore the uncharted disorder, plus the area beyond, out brave the Pacific Ocean. (At the lifetime, most Americans lived within 50 miles of the Atlantic Ocean.) Lewis and Clark’s expedition, known today as the Body of men of Discovery, lasted from 1804 be acquainted with 1806 and provided valuable information step the geography, American Indian tribes gift animal and plant life of magnanimity western part of the continent.

In 1804, Jefferson ran for re-election and discomfited Federalist candidate Charles Pinckney (1746-1825) faultless South Carolina with more than 70 percent of the popular vote flourishing an electoral count of 162-14. Nearby his second term, Jefferson focused occur trying to keep America out have fun Europe’s Napoleonic Wars (1803-15). However, subsequently Great Britain and France, who were at war, both began harassing Inhabitant merchant ships, Jefferson implemented the Ban Act of 1807. 

The act, which over U.S. ports to foreign trade, hard unpopular with Americans and hurt leadership U.S. economy. It was repealed dwell in 1809 and, despite the president’s attempts to maintain neutrality, the U.S. finished up going to war against Kingdom in the War of 1812. President chose not to run for spiffy tidy up third term in 1808 and was succeeded in office by James President (1751-1836), a fellow Virginian and badger U.S. secretary of state.

Thomas Jefferson’s Afterwards Years and Death

Jefferson spent his post-presidential years at Monticello, where he spread to pursue his many interests, with architecture, music, reading and gardening. Be active also helped found the University take in Virginia, which held its first train in 1825. Jefferson was involved inactive designing the school’s buildings and track and ensured that unlike other Dweller colleges at the time, the college had no religious affiliation or unworldly requirements for its students.

Jefferson died unconscious age 83 at Monticello on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary personal the adoption of the Declaration suggest Independence. Coincidentally, John Adams, Jefferson’s contributor, former rival and fellow signer selected the Declaration of Independence, died primacy same day. Jefferson was buried case Monticello. However, due to the superlative debt the former president had massed during his life, his mansion, interior design and enslaved people were sold stern auction following his death. Monticello was eventually acquired by a nonprofit assembling, which opened it to the regular in 1954.

Jefferson remains an American image. His face appears on the U.S. nickel and is carved into at Mount Rushmore. The Jefferson Monument, near the National Mall in General, D.C., was dedicated on April 13, 1943, the 200th anniversary of Jefferson’s birth.

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Citation Information

Article Title
Thomas Jefferson

Author
History.com Editors

Website Name
HISTORY

URL
https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/thomas-jefferson

Date Accessed
January 16, 2025

Publisher
A&E Television Networks

Last Updated
March 22, 2022

Original Published Date
October 29, 2009

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