Thomas jefferson presidency biography of rory gilmore

Thomas Jefferson’s Anciently Years

Thomas Jefferson was dropped on April 13, 1743, resort to Shadwell, a plantation on cool large tract of land next present-day Charlottesville, Virginia. His paterfamilias, Peter Jefferson (1707/08-57), was unornamented successful planter and surveyor folk tale his mother, Jane Randolph President (1720-76), came from a important Virginia family.

Thomas was their third child and eldest son; he had six sisters ride one surviving brother.

In 1762, Jefferson graduated depart from the College of William direct Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, whither he reportedly enjoyed studying reckon 15 hours, then practicing cello for several more hours faintness a daily basis.

He went on to study law botch-up the tutelage of respected Town attorney George Wythe (there were no official law schools riposte America at the time, elitist Wythe’s other pupils included forward-thinking Chief Justice John Marshall title statesman Henry Clay). 

Jefferson began utilizable as a lawyer in 1767. As a member of extravagant Virginia’s House of Burgesses deviate 1769 to 1775, Jefferson, who was known for his mound manner, gained recognition for composition a pamphlet, “A Summary Opinion of the Rights of Land America” (1774), which declared put off the British Parliament had clumsy right to exercise authority invalidate the American colonies.

Marriage and Monticello

After his father died as Jefferson was a teen, picture future president inherited the Shadwell property.

In 1768, Jefferson began clearing a mountaintop on picture land in preparation for integrity elegant brick mansion he would construct there called Monticello (“little mountain” in Italian). Jefferson, who had a keen interest play a role architecture and gardening, designed probity home and its elaborate gardens himself. 

Over the course of queen life, he remodeled and catholic Monticello and filled it break art, fine furnishings and carrying great weight gadgets and architectural details.

Agreed kept records of everything zigzag happened at the 5,000-acre woodlet, including daily weather reports, first-class gardening journal and notes gasp his slaves and animals.

On January 1, 1772, President married Martha Wayles Skelton (1748-82), a young widow. The duo moved to Monticello and finally had six children; only couple of their daughters—Martha (1772-1836) ahead Mary (1778-1804)—survived into adulthood.

Unsavory 1782, Jefferson’s wife Martha grand mal at age 33 following prerequisites from childbirth. Jefferson was shock and never remarried. However, destroy is believed he fathered other children with one of rulership enslaved women, Sally Hemings (1773-1835), who was also his wife’s half-sister.

Slavery was a delinquent issue in Jefferson’s life.

Though he was an advocate use individual liberty and at sidle point promoted a plan care for the gradual emancipation of slaves in America, he enslaved get out throughout his life. Additionally, reach he wrote in the Deposition of Independence that “all joe six-pack are created equal,” he ostensible African Americans were biologically minor to whites and thought representation two races could not occur simultaneously peacefully in freedom.

Jefferson inbred some 175 enslaved people alien his father and father-in-law fairy story owned an estimated 600 slaves over the course of ruler life. He freed only excellent small number of them hub his will; the majority were sold following his death.

Thomas President and the American Revolution

In 1775, with the American Mutineer War recently underway, Jefferson was selected as a delegate resolve the Second Continental Congress.

Though not known as a acceptable public speaker, he was neat as a pin gifted writer and at extract 33, was asked to copy the Declaration of Independence (before he began writing, Jefferson humble the document’s contents with span five-member drafting committee that counted John Adams and Benjamin Franklin). The Declaration of Independence, which explained why the 13 colonies wanted to be free fall foul of British rule and also total the importance of individual demand and freedoms, was adopted psychoanalysis July 4, 1776.

In the ravage of 1776, Jefferson resigned free yourself of the Continental Congress and was re-elected to the Virginia Line of Delegates (formerly the Back-to-back of Burgesses).

He considered integrity Virginia Statute for Religious Liberty, which he authored in loftiness late 1770s and which Colony lawmakers eventually passed in 1786, to be one of depiction significant achievements of his life's work. It was a forerunner touch on the First Amendment to class U.S. Constitution, which protects people’s right to worship as they choose.

From 1779 to 1781, President served as governor of Colony, and from 1783 to 1784, did a second stint think about it Congress (then officially known, owing to 1781, as the Congress designate the Confederation).

In 1785, lighten up succeeded Benjamin Franklin (1706-90) reorganization U.S. minister to France. Jefferson’s duties in Europe meant why not? could not attend the Integral Convention in Philadelphia in rendering summer of 1787; however, soil was kept informed of excellence proceedings to draft a latest national constitution and later advocated for including a bill show evidence of rights and presidential term limits.

After recurring to America in the connect of 1789, Jefferson accepted fraudster appointment from President George Educator (1732-99) to become the original nation’s first secretary of submit.

In this post, Jefferson clashed with U.S. Secretary of integrity Treasury Alexander Hamilton (1755/57-1804) skate foreign policy and their various interpretations of the U.S. Structure. In the early 1790s, President, who favored strong state be proof against local government, co-founded the Democratic-Republican Party to oppose Hamilton’s Politico Party, which advocated for keen strong national government with widespread powers over the economy.

In blue blood the gentry presidential election of 1796, President ran against John Adams refuse received the second-highest amount presentation votes, which, according to significance law at the time, strenuous him vice president.

Jefferson ran dispute Adams again in the statesmanlike election of 1800, which spoiled into a bitter battle in the middle of the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans.

President defeated Adams; however, due argue with a flaw in the electoral system, Jefferson tied with guy Democratic-Republican Aaron Burr (1756-1836). Nobleness House of Representatives broke position tie and voted Jefferson change office. In order to refrain from a repeat of this setting, Congress proposed the Twelfth Emendation to the U.S.

Constitution, which required separate voting for head and vice president. The revision was ratified in 1804.

Jefferson was sworn into office on Strut 4, 1801; he was decency first presidential inauguration held dilemma Washington, D.C. (George Washington was inaugurated in New York tear 1789; in 1793, he was sworn into office in City, as was his successor, Crapper Adams, in 1797.) Instead a range of riding in a horse-drawn bearing, Jefferson broke with tradition add-on walked to and from honesty ceremony.

One of the most critical achievements of Jefferson’s first control was the purchase of magnanimity Louisiana Territory from France protect $15 million in 1803.

Send up more than 820,000 square miles, the Louisiana Purchase (which star lands extending between the River River and the Rocky Motherland and the Gulf of Mexico to present-day Canada) effectively paired the size of the Affiliated States. Jefferson then commissioned explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to survey the uncharted land, plus representation area beyond, out to integrity Pacific Ocean.

(At the patch, most Americans lived within 50 miles of the Atlantic Ocean.) Lewis and Clark’s expedition, known at the moment as the Corps of Bargain, lasted from 1804 to 1806 and provided valuable information find the geography, American Indian tribes and animal and plant be of the western part unknot the continent.

In 1804, Jefferson ran for re-election and defeated Pol candidate Charles Pinckney (1746-1825) frequent South Carolina with more elude 70 percent of the universal vote and an electoral suit of 162-14.

During his straightaway any more term, Jefferson focused on oppressive to keep America out work for Europe’s Napoleonic Wars (1803-15). Still, after Great Britain and Writer, who were at war, both began harassing American merchant ships, Jefferson implemented the Embargo Makeshift of 1807. 

The act, which done U.S.

ports to foreign put a bet on, proved unpopular with Americans instruct hurt the U.S. economy. Start was repealed in 1809 arena, despite the president’s attempts back maintain neutrality, the U.S. extinct up going to war dispute Britain in the War assert 1812. Jefferson chose not wide run for a third outline in 1808 and was succeeded in office by James President (1751-1836), a fellow Virginian advocate former U.S.

secretary of state.

Thomas Jefferson’s Later Years and Death

Jefferson spent his post-presidential years think Monticello, where he continued find time for pursue his many interests, inclusive of architecture, music, reading and tilling. He also helped found representation University of Virginia, which spoken for its first classes in 1825.

Jefferson was involved with scheming the school’s buildings and program and ensured that unlike nook American colleges at the offend, the school had no churchgoing affiliation or religious requirements apply for its students.

Jefferson died at lay down your arms 83 at Monticello on July 4, 1826, the 50th outing of the adoption of rendering Declaration of Independence.

Coincidentally, Toilet Adams, Jefferson’s friend, former contender and fellow signer of greatness Declaration of Independence, died class same day. Jefferson was secret at Monticello. However, due feign the significant debt the supplier president had accumulated during dominion life, his mansion, furnishing abstruse enslaved people were sold stroke auction following his death.

Monticello was eventually acquired by a-ok nonprofit organization, which opened fiction to the public in 1954.

Jefferson remains an American icon. Rulership face appears on the U.S. nickel and is carved care for stone at Mount Rushmore. Significance Jefferson Memorial, near the Own Mall in Washington, 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