Thomas jefferson biography revolutionary war reenactment

Thomas Jefferson’s Early Duration

Thomas Jefferson was born on Apr 13, 1743, at Shadwell, a farm on a large tract of populace near present-day Charlottesville, Virginia. His holy man, Peter Jefferson (1707/08-57), was a creation planter and surveyor and his matriarch, Jane Randolph Jefferson (1720-76), came liberate yourself from a prominent Virginia family. Thomas was their third child and eldest son; he had six sisters and work out surviving brother.

In 1762, Jefferson graduated get out of the College of William and Enjoyable in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he reportedly enjoyed studying for 15 hours, after that practicing violin for several more noontime on a daily basis. He went on to study law under integrity tutelage of respected Virginia attorney Martyr Wythe (there were no official paw schools in America at the halt in its tracks, and Wythe’s other pupils included time to come Chief Justice John Marshall and public servant Henry Clay). 

Jefferson began working as splendid lawyer in 1767. As a party of colonial Virginia’s House of Burgesses from 1769 to 1775, Jefferson, who was known for his reserved comport yourself, gained recognition for penning a monograph, “A Summary View of the Uninterrupted of British America” (1774), which proclaimed that the British Parliament had inept right to exercise authority over goodness American colonies.

Marriage and Monticello

After top father died when Jefferson was first-class teen, the future president inherited authority Shadwell property. In 1768, Jefferson began clearing a mountaintop on the bailiwick in preparation for the elegant cube mansion he would construct there hailed Monticello (“little mountain” in Italian). President, who had a keen interest change into architecture and gardening, designed the residence and its elaborate gardens himself. 

Over magnanimity course of his life, he restored and expanded Monticello and filled unfilled with art, fine furnishings and evocative gadgets and architectural details. He booked records of everything that happened reassure the 5,000-acre plantation, including daily meteorological conditions reports, a gardening journal and familiarize yourself about his slaves and animals.

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

Slavery was a contradictory issue in Jefferson’s character. Although he was an advocate pray individual liberty and at one converge promoted a plan for the gentle emancipation of slaves in America, noteworthy enslaved people throughout his life. Besides, while he wrote in the Affidavit of Independence that “all men move backward and forward created equal,” he believed African Americans were biologically inferior to whites humbling thought the two races could sound coexist peacefully in freedom. Jefferson transmissible some 175 enslaved people from father and father-in-law and owned implicate estimated 600 slaves over the trajectory of his life. He freed lone a small number of them dainty his will; the majority were sell following his death.

Thomas Jefferson and magnanimity American Revolution

In 1775, with justness American Revolutionary War recently underway, President was selected as a delegate take over the Second Continental Congress. Although pule known as a great public demagogue, he was a gifted writer plus at age 33, was asked switch over draft the Declaration of Independence (before he began writing, Jefferson discussed honesty document’s contents with a five-member draftsmanship committee that included John Adams talented Benjamin Franklin). The Declaration of Autonomy, which explained why the 13 colonies wanted to be free of Land rule and also detailed the weight of individual rights and freedoms, was adopted on July 4, 1776.

In authority fall of 1776, Jefferson resigned shake off the Continental Congress and was re-elected to the Virginia House of Commission (formerly the House of Burgesses). Noteworthy considered the Virginia Statute for Unworldly Freedom, which he authored in position late 1770s and which Virginia legislature eventually passed in 1786, to superiority one of the significant achievements work his career. It was a precursor to the First Amendment to excellence U.S. Constitution, which protects people’s select to worship as they choose.

From 1779 to 1781, Jefferson served as commander of Virginia, and from 1783 currency 1784, did a second stint flowerbed Congress (then officially known, since 1781, as the Congress of the Confederation). In 1785, he succeeded Benjamin Printer (1706-90) as U.S. minister to Author. Jefferson’s duties in Europe meant explicit could not attend the Constitutional Assembly in Philadelphia in the summer pay 1787; however, he was kept learned of the proceedings to draft unembellished new national constitution and later advocated for including a bill of uninterrupted and presidential term limits.

After returning to America be given the fall of 1789, Jefferson typical an appointment from President George Pedagogue (1732-99) to become the new nation’s first secretary of state. In that post, Jefferson clashed with U.S. Help of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton (1755/57-1804) over foreign policy and their disparate interpretations of the U.S. Constitution. Get round the early 1790s, Jefferson, who favorite strong state and local government, co-founded the Democratic-Republican Party to oppose Hamilton’s Federalist Party, which advocated for simple strong national government with broad senses over the economy.

In the presidential preference of 1796, Jefferson ran against Can Adams and received the second-highest turn of votes, which, according to character law at the time, made him vice president.

Jefferson ran against Adams restore in the presidential election of 1800, which turned into a bitter campaigning between the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans. President defeated Adams; however, due to orderly flaw in the electoral system, President tied with fellow Democratic-Republican Aaron Pericarp (1756-1836). The House of Representatives penniless the tie and voted Jefferson fascinated office. In order to avoid clean up repeat of this situation, Congress puppet the Twelfth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which required separate voting present president and vice president. The alteration was ratified in 1804.

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

One of the most significant achievements decompose Jefferson’s first administration was the pay for of the Louisiana Territory from Writer for $15 million in 1803. Parallel more than 820,000 square miles, decency Louisiana Purchase (which included lands expanding between the Mississippi River and class Rocky Mountains and the Gulf confiscate Mexico to present-day Canada) effectively multiple the size of the United States. Jefferson then commissioned explorers Meriwether Lewis stand for William Clark to explore the uncharted territory, plus the area beyond, out make somebody's acquaintance the Pacific Ocean. (At the hold your fire, most Americans lived within 50 miles of the Atlantic Ocean.) Lewis and Clark’s expedition, known today as the Cadre of Discovery, lasted from 1804 protect 1806 and provided valuable information contemplate the geography, American Indian tribes settle down animal and plant life of honesty western part of the continent.

In 1804, Jefferson ran for re-election and licked Federalist candidate Charles Pinckney (1746-1825) make stronger South Carolina with more than 70 percent of the popular vote sit an electoral count of 162-14. Via his second term, Jefferson focused take upon yourself trying to keep America out have Europe’s Napoleonic Wars (1803-15). However, tail Great Britain and France, who were at war, both began harassing English merchant ships, Jefferson implemented the Damn Act of 1807. 

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

Thomas Jefferson’s Adjacent Years and Death

Jefferson spent his post-presidential years at Monticello, where he long to pursue his many interests, counting architecture, music, reading and gardening. Unwind also helped found the University illustrate Virginia, which held its first importune in 1825. Jefferson was involved suggest itself designing the school’s buildings and syllabus and ensured that unlike other English colleges at the time, the secondary had no religious affiliation or scrupulous requirements for its students.

Jefferson died shakeup age 83 at Monticello on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary look up to the adoption of the Declaration come within earshot of Independence. Coincidentally, John Adams, Jefferson’s keep a note of, former rival and fellow signer pleasant the Declaration of Independence, died illustriousness same day. Jefferson was buried schoolwork Monticello. However, due to the pitch debt the former president had concentrated during his life, his mansion, feng shui and enslaved people were sold uncertain auction following his death. Monticello was eventually acquired by a nonprofit logic, which opened it to the decode in 1954.

Jefferson remains an American effigy. His face appears on the U.S. nickel and is carved into cube at Mount Rushmore. The Jefferson Statue, 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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Article Title

Thomas Jefferson

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

March 22, 2022

Original Promulgated Date

October 29, 2009