Thomas Jefferson

 

Thomas Jefferson was born April 13, 1743, at Shadwell, Virginia and died July 4, 1826 in Monticello. He is well known for being the author of the Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom. He also became the third president of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia. He gave voice to the aspirations of a new America as no other individual of his era. As public official, historian, philosopher, and plantation owner, he served his country for over five decades. His father Peter Jefferson was a successful planter and surveyor and his mother Jane Randolph a member of one of Virginia's most distinguished families.

Having attended the College of William and Mary, Jefferson practiced law and served in local government as a magistrate, county lieutenant, and member of the House of Burgesses in his early professional life. As a member of the Continental Congress, he was chosen in 1776 to draft the Declaration of Independence, which has been regarded ever since as a charter of American and universal liberties. The document proclaims that all men are equal in rights, regardless of birth, wealth, or status, and that the government is the servant, not the master, of the people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jefferson became the President of the United States from 1801 -1809. He ran against John Adams. Adams leaned toward a government run by the wealthy. Jefferson wanted a government run by all men. Jefferson’s election showed that Americans wanted a leader who believed that all men were equal. On July 4, 1826 Jefferson died at his beloved home. He was eighty-three years old. The day was also the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.