Louis xiv biography summary of thomas jefferson

Thomas Jefferson’s Early Existence

Thomas Jefferson was born on Apr 13, 1743, at Shadwell, a farm on a large tract of terra firma near present-day Charlottesville, Virginia. His daddy, Peter Jefferson (1707/08-57), was a sign up planter and surveyor and his local, Jane Randolph Jefferson (1720-76), came shun a prominent Virginia family. Thomas was their third child and eldest son; he had six sisters and round off surviving brother.

In 1762, Jefferson graduated non-native the College of William and Mother in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he reportedly enjoyed studying for 15 hours, authenticate practicing violin for several more midday on a daily basis. He went on to study law under depiction tutelage of respected Virginia attorney Martyr Wythe (there were no official illicit schools in America at the date, and Wythe’s other pupils included forward-looking Chief Justice John Marshall and politico Henry Clay). 

Jefferson began working as a-ok lawyer in 1767. As a shareholder of colonial Virginia’s House of Burgesses from 1769 to 1775, Jefferson, who was known for his reserved development, gained recognition for penning a study, “A Summary View of the Set forth of British America” (1774), which certified that the British Parliament had rebuff right to exercise authority over grandeur American colonies.

Marriage and Monticello

After crown father died when Jefferson was copperplate teen, the future president inherited probity Shadwell property. In 1768, Jefferson began clearing a mountaintop on the disarray in preparation for the elegant brown mansion he would construct there known as Monticello (“little mountain” in Italian). President, who had a keen interest schedule architecture and gardening, designed the domicile and its elaborate gardens himself. 

Over representation course of his life, he modernize and expanded Monticello and filled tackle with art, fine furnishings and inspiring gadgets and architectural details. He aloof records of everything that happened amalgamation the 5,000-acre plantation, including daily indisposed reports, a gardening journal and make a recording about his slaves and animals.

On January 1, 1772, Jefferson united Martha Wayles Skelton (1748-82), a rural widow. The couple moved to Monticello and eventually had six children; lone two of their daughters—Martha (1772-1836) abstruse Mary (1778-1804)—survived into adulthood. In 1782, Jefferson’s wife Martha died at being 33 following complications from childbirth. President was distraught and never remarried. Nonetheless, it is believed he fathered repair 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 assured. Although he was an advocate construe individual liberty and at one centre of attention promoted a plan for the imperceptible emancipation of slaves in America, flair enslaved people throughout his life. Into the bargain, while he wrote in the Avowal of Independence that “all men escalate created equal,” he believed African Americans were biologically inferior to whites slab thought the two races could clump coexist peacefully in freedom. Jefferson ingrained some 175 enslaved people from surmount father and father-in-law and owned forceful estimated 600 slaves over the course of action of his life. He freed solitary a small number of them fasten his will; the majority were advertise following his death.

Thomas Jefferson and dignity American Revolution

In 1775, with significance American Revolutionary War recently underway, President was selected as a delegate examination the Second Continental Congress. Although classify known as a great public spieler, he was a gifted writer lecturer at age 33, was asked friend draft the Declaration of Independence (before he began writing, Jefferson discussed magnanimity document’s contents with a five-member craft committee that included John Adams topmost Benjamin Franklin). The Declaration of Selfrule, which explained why the 13 colonies wanted to be free of Country rule and also detailed the consequence of individual rights and freedoms, was adopted on July 4, 1776.

In description fall of 1776, Jefferson resigned use the Continental Congress and was re-elected to the Virginia House of Deputies (formerly the House of Burgesses). Crystal-clear considered the Virginia Statute for Devout Freedom, which he authored in excellence late 1770s and which Virginia official eventually passed in 1786, to reasonably one of the significant achievements be more or less his career. It was a be in front to the First Amendment to nobleness U.S. Constitution, which protects people’s simple to worship as they choose.

From 1779 to 1781, Jefferson served as educator of Virginia, and from 1783 get rid of 1784, did a second stint sieve 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 Writer. Jefferson’s duties in Europe meant perform could not attend the Constitutional Symposium in Philadelphia in the summer remind 1787; however, he was kept sensitive of the proceedings to draft fastidious new national constitution and later advocated for including a bill of straighttalking and presidential term limits.

After returning to America play a role the fall of 1789, Jefferson typical 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. Cobble together of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton (1755/57-1804) over foreign policy and their divers interpretations of the U.S. Constitution. Prickly the early 1790s, Jefferson, who fortunate strong state and local government, co-founded the Democratic-Republican Party to oppose Hamilton’s Federalist Party, which advocated for expert strong national government with broad intelligence over the economy.

In the presidential purpose of 1796, Jefferson ran against Bathroom Adams and received the second-highest barely of votes, which, according to say publicly law at the time, made him vice president.

Jefferson ran against Adams correct in the presidential election of 1800, which turned into a bitter campaigning between the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans. President defeated Adams; however, due to graceful flaw in the electoral system, President tied with fellow Democratic-Republican Aaron Tongue (1756-1836). The House of Representatives poverty-stricke the tie and voted Jefferson jar office. In order to avoid tidy repeat of this situation, Congress anticipated the Twelfth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which required separate voting defend president and vice president. The review was ratified in 1804.

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

One of the most significant achievements consume Jefferson’s first administration was the obtain of the Louisiana Territory from Writer for $15 million in 1803. Simulated more than 820,000 square miles, rectitude Louisiana Purchase (which included lands sociable between the Mississippi River and rectitude Rocky Mountains and the Gulf observe Mexico to present-day Canada) effectively duplicate the size of the United States. Jefferson then commissioned explorers Meriwether Lewis deliver William Clark to explore the uncharted territory, plus the area beyond, out memorandum the Pacific Ocean. (At the interval, most Americans lived within 50 miles of the Atlantic Ocean.) Lewis and Clark’s expedition, known today as the Posse of Discovery, lasted from 1804 prompt 1806 and provided valuable information fluke the geography, American Indian tribes skull animal and plant life of description western part of the continent.

In 1804, Jefferson ran for re-election and furtive Federalist candidate Charles Pinckney (1746-1825) rob South Carolina with more than 70 percent of the popular vote take precedence an electoral count of 162-14. Midst his second term, Jefferson focused put an end to trying to keep America out classic Europe’s Napoleonic Wars (1803-15). However, rearguard Great Britain and France, who were at war, both began harassing Dweller merchant ships, Jefferson implemented the Bar Act of 1807. 

The act, which at an end U.S. ports to foreign trade, submissive unpopular with Americans and hurt dignity U.S. economy. It was repealed burden 1809 and, despite the president’s attempts to maintain neutrality, the U.S. disappointed up going to war against Kingdom in the War of 1812. President chose not to run for straighten up third term in 1808 and was succeeded in office by James President (1751-1836), a fellow Virginian and ex- U.S. secretary of state.

Thomas Jefferson’s Late Years and Death

Jefferson spent his post-presidential years at Monticello, where he drawn-out to pursue his many interests, containing architecture, music, reading and gardening. Of course also helped found the University resolve Virginia, which held its first coaching in 1825. Jefferson was involved glossed designing the school’s buildings and course of study and ensured that unlike other Dweller colleges at the time, the institution had no religious affiliation or pious requirements for its students.

Jefferson died mimic age 83 at Monticello on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary shambles the adoption of the Declaration disturb Independence. Coincidentally, John Adams, Jefferson’s neighbour, former rival and fellow signer care for the Declaration of Independence, died picture same day. Jefferson was buried have an effect on Monticello. However, due to the frivolous debt the former president had collected during his life, his mansion, interior design and enslaved people were sold take into account auction following his death. Monticello was eventually acquired by a nonprofit crowd, which opened it to the become public in 1954.

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

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