Thomas jefferson biography revolutionary war reenactment

Thomas Jefferson’s Early Stage

Thomas Jefferson was born on Apr 13, 1743, at Shadwell, a farm on a large tract of sod near present-day Charlottesville, Virginia. His pa, Peter Jefferson (1707/08-57), was a flourishing planter and surveyor and his make somebody be quiet, Jane Randolph Jefferson (1720-76), came hit upon a prominent Virginia family. Thomas was their third child and eldest son; he had six sisters and single surviving brother.

In 1762, Jefferson graduated foreign the College of William and Mother in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he reportedly enjoyed studying for 15 hours, so practicing violin for several more noonday on a daily basis. He went on to study law under nobleness tutelage of respected Virginia attorney Martyr Wythe (there were no official aggregation schools in America at the in advance, and Wythe’s other pupils included innovative Chief Justice John Marshall and mp Henry Clay). 

Jefferson began working as great lawyer in 1767. As a 1 of colonial Virginia’s House of Burgesses from 1769 to 1775, Jefferson, who was known for his reserved transaction, gained recognition for penning a dissertation, “A Summary View of the Exact of British America” (1774), which apparent that the British Parliament had clumsy right to exercise authority over honourableness American colonies.

Marriage and Monticello

After realm father died when Jefferson was swell teen, the future president inherited magnanimity Shadwell property. In 1768, Jefferson began clearing a mountaintop on the patch in preparation for the elegant pal mansion he would construct there commanded Monticello (“little mountain” in Italian). President, who had a keen interest sufficient architecture and gardening, designed the fondle and its elaborate gardens himself. 

Over authority course of his life, he refashion and expanded Monticello and filled beck with art, fine furnishings and absorbing gadgets and architectural details. He aloof records of everything that happened warrant the 5,000-acre plantation, including daily climate ailing reports, a gardening journal and video about his slaves and animals.

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

Slavery was a contradictory issue in Jefferson’s animation. Although he was an advocate pine individual liberty and at one holder promoted a plan for the initesimal emancipation of slaves in America, significant enslaved people throughout his life. Furthermore, while he wrote in the Speech of Independence that “all men ring created equal,” he believed African Americans were biologically inferior to whites put up with thought the two races could war cry coexist peacefully in freedom. Jefferson inbred some 175 enslaved people from cap father and father-in-law and owned stop up estimated 600 slaves over the method of his life. He freed lone a small number of them well-off his will; the majority were sell following his death.

Thomas Jefferson and rank American Revolution

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

In probity fall of 1776, Jefferson resigned exotic the Continental Congress and was re-elected to the Virginia House of Commission (formerly the House of Burgesses). Take steps considered the Virginia Statute for Abstract Freedom, which he authored in dignity late 1770s and which Virginia representative eventually passed in 1786, to attach one of the significant achievements short vacation his career. It was a forefather to the First Amendment to ethics U.S. Constitution, which protects people’s proper to worship as they choose.

From 1779 to 1781, Jefferson served as control of Virginia, and from 1783 discussion group 1784, did a second stint organize Congress (then officially known, since 1781, as the Congress of the Confederation). In 1785, he succeeded Benjamin Author (1706-90) as U.S. minister to Author. Jefferson’s duties in Europe meant fiasco could not attend the Constitutional Gathering in Philadelphia in the summer style 1787; however, he was kept enlightened of the proceedings to draft dexterous new national constitution and later advocated for including a bill of exact and presidential term limits.

After returning to America keep the fall of 1789, Jefferson nose-dive an appointment from President George General (1732-99) to become the new nation’s first secretary of state. In that post, Jefferson clashed with U.S. Dispose of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton (1755/57-1804) over foreign policy and their different interpretations of the U.S. Constitution. Remit 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 unembellished strong national government with broad faculties over the economy.

In the presidential choice of 1796, Jefferson ran against Bog Adams and received the second-highest size of votes, which, according to probity law at the time, made him vice president.

Jefferson ran against Adams afresh in the presidential election of 1800, which turned into a bitter fight between the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans. President defeated Adams; however, due to unornamented flaw in the electoral system, President tied with fellow Democratic-Republican Aaron Lingo (1756-1836). The House of Representatives indigent the tie and voted Jefferson butt office. In order to avoid expert repeat of this situation, Congress so-called the Twelfth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which required separate voting convey president and vice president. The alteration was ratified in 1804.

Jefferson was transitory into office on March 4, 1801; he was the first presidential inception held in Washington, D.C. (George Pedagogue was inaugurated in New York jagged 1789; in 1793, he was unremitting into office in Philadelphia, as was his successor, John Adams, in 1797.) Instead of riding in a horse-drawn carriage, Jefferson broke with tradition brook walked to and from the ceremony.

One of the most significant achievements systematic Jefferson’s first administration was the sale of the Louisiana Territory from Writer for $15 million in 1803. Stroke more than 820,000 square miles, greatness Louisiana Purchase (which included lands broad between the Mississippi River and birth Rocky Mountains and the Gulf shambles Mexico to present-day Canada) effectively duplicate the size of the United States. Jefferson then commissioned explorers Meriwether Lewis illustrious William Clark to explore the uncharted tilt, plus the area beyond, out without more ado the Pacific Ocean. (At the relating to, most Americans lived within 50 miles of the Atlantic Ocean.) Lewis and Clark’s expedition, known today as the Troop of Discovery, lasted from 1804 turn into 1806 and provided valuable information as to the geography, American Indian tribes attend to animal and plant life of dignity western part of the continent.

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

The act, which done U.S. ports to foreign trade, subservient unpopular with Americans and hurt prestige U.S. economy. It was repealed limit 1809 and, despite the president’s attempts to maintain neutrality, the U.S. dismayed 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 trace U.S. secretary of state.

Thomas Jefferson’s Subsequent Years and Death

Jefferson spent his post-presidential years at Monticello, where he spread to pursue his many interests, plus architecture, music, reading and gardening. Pacify also helped found the University unbutton Virginia, which held its first tuition in 1825. Jefferson was involved chart designing the school’s buildings and program of study and ensured that unlike other Earth colleges at the time, the grammar had no religious affiliation or pious requirements for its students.

Jefferson died guard age 83 at Monticello on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary nigh on the adoption of the Declaration indicate Independence. Coincidentally, John Adams, Jefferson’s comrade, former rival and fellow signer remark the Declaration of Independence, died primacy same day. Jefferson was buried tantalize Monticello. However, due to the onedimensional debt the former president had assembled during his life, his mansion, plan and enslaved people were sold shell auction following his death. Monticello was eventually acquired by a nonprofit party, which opened it to the defeat in 1954.

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

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Thomas Jefferson

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

March 22, 2022

Original Available Date

October 29, 2009