Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson
source
Name	Thomas Jefferson
Caption	Portrait by Rembrandt Peale, 1800
Order	3rd
Office	President of the United States
Term start	March 4, 1801
Term end	March 4, 1809
Vicepresident	Aaron Burr (1801–1805), George Clinton (1805–1809)
Predecessor	John Adams
Successor	James Madison
Office1	2nd Vice President of the United States
Term start1	March 4, 1797
Term end1	March 4, 1801
President1	John Adams
Predecessor1	John Adams
Successor1	Aaron Burr
Office2	1st United States Secretary of State
Term start2	March 22, 1790
Term end2	December 31, 1793
President2	George Washington
Predecessor2	Office established
Successor2	Edmund Randolph
Office3	United States Minister to France
Term start3	May 17, 1785
Term end3	September 26, 1789
Appointer3	Congress of the Confederation
Predecessor3	Benjamin Franklin
Successor3	William Short
Office4	Delegate from Virginia to the Congress of the Confederation
Term start4	November 3, 1783
Term end4	May 7, 1784
Predecessor4	James Madison
Successor4	Richard Henry Lee
Birth date	13 April 1743
Birth place	Shadwell, Colony of Virginia, British America
Death date	4 July 1826
Death place	Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.
Party	Democratic-Republican
Spouse	Martha Wayles, January 1, 1772, September 6, 1782
Children	6, including Martha and Mary
Alma mater	College of William & Mary
Signature alt	Cursive signature in ink

Thomas Jefferson. An American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and a central figure in the early development of the nation's political traditions, founding the Democratic-Republican Party in opposition to the Federalist Party. His presidency is most noted for the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Early life and education

Born at Shadwell in the Colony of Virginia, he was the son of Peter Jefferson, a planter and surveyor, and Jane Randolph Jefferson. He began his education under tutors and at age 16 entered the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, studying mathematics, metaphysics, and philosophy under Professor William Small. After college, he read law under prominent attorney George Wythe and was admitted to the Virginia bar in 1767. He inherited a considerable estate, including Monticello, which he designed and built on a plantation near Charlottesville.

Political career before the presidency

He represented Albemarle County in the Virginia House of Burgesses, where he emerged as an early critic of British policy, co-authoring the Virginia Resolution against the Stamp Act. In 1775, he was elected as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, where his drafting of the Declaration of Independence established his national reputation. He later served as the second Governor of Virginia during the Revolutionary War. Following the war, he served as a Confederation Congress delegate, where he drafted the Land Ordinance of 1784. He succeeded Benjamin Franklin as the United States Minister to France, witnessing the early stages of the French Revolution. Upon returning, he was appointed the first United States Secretary of State by President George Washington, clashing frequently with Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton over fiscal policy and foreign relations, leading to the formation of the first political parties. He served as the second Vice President of the United States under President John Adams.

Presidency (1801–1809)

His election in the contentious 1800 election, resolved by the House of Representatives, was hailed as the "Revolution of 1800." His first term was dominated by foreign policy, notably the First Barbary War and the monumental Louisiana Purchase from Napoleon Bonaparte's France, which he commissioned Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore via the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Domestically, he dismantled several Federalist programs, including allowing the Alien and Sedition Acts to expire. His second term was marred by foreign policy struggles, including the unsuccessful Embargo Act of 1807 against Great Britain and France, which damaged the American economy. He signed the act prohibiting the importation of slaves in 1807.

Post-presidency and later life

After his presidency, he retired to Monticello, where he dedicated himself to intellectual pursuits, farming, and his role as founder and designer of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He maintained a prolific correspondence with contemporaries like John Adams and James Madison. His personal finances were crippled by debt, leading to the dispersal of his estate and enslaved laborers after his death. He died at Monticello on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, the same day as John Adams.

Political philosophy and views

A leading proponent of republicanism and liberal political philosophy, he championed the rights of the "yeoman farmer" and advocated for a decentralized federal government with strict adherence to the Constitution, as articulated in the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions. He was deeply influenced by the Enlightenment thinkers John Locke and the French philosophes. His views on religion, expressed in works like the Jefferson Bible, supported a wall of separation between church and state. His complex and contradictory stance on slavery, which he called a "moral depravity," was juxtaposed with his lifelong ownership of hundreds of enslaved people, including Sally Hemings, with whom historians believe he fathered children.

Legacy and historical reputation

He is memorialized as a primary author of the American creed of liberty and equality, honored on Mount Rushmore and with whom historians|Slavery in the United States|American Revolution|United States|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States dollar|United States 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