Notes on Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson: An Overview

Early Life and Education

• Born on April 13, 1743, on his father's Virginia plantation.
• Received an outstanding education, starting at the College of William and Mary in Virginia.
• Studied law under George Wyatt.

Legal and Personal Life

• Practiced law in Virginia from 1767 to 1775.
• Married Martha Skelton, a 23-year-old widow; the couple had six children.

Revolutionary Contributions

• Summary View of the Rights of British America (1774): Drafted this important document, which justified the right of Americans to self-governance.
• Declaration of Independence: As a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, Jefferson was selected to draft the Declaration of Independence, completing it in June 1776.
  • John Adams chose Jefferson due to his literary style.
  • Jefferson was 33 years old at the time and wrote it in seventeen days.
  • The United States was the first country to declare independence from a colonizing power in the modern age, and this document became a model for declarations of independence worldwide.

Role During the Revolutionary War

• Returned to Virginia during the Revolutionary War.
• Elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.
• Served two terms as governor.

Advocacy for Religious Freedom

• Wrote the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom while serving in the state legislature.
  • This statute became the basis for the drafting of the First Amendment.

Diplomatic Service

• Succeeded Benjamin Franklin as minister to France.
• Became President George Washington's Secretary of State in 1789.

Secretary of State and Political Conflicts

• Resigned as Secretary of State in 1793 due to political and ideological conflicts with the Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton.

Election of 1800

• The election of 1800, which resulted in an electoral tie with Aaron Burr, was highly contested and could have led to civil war.
• The crisis was resolved through democratic means, ensuring the survival of the American experiment.
• This event marked a peaceful transfer of power between opposing parties in Western history.

Presidency

• Reduced the national debt by half.
• Protected U.S. interests abroad by deploying the U.S. Navy against the Barbary pirates.
• Doubled the size of the United States with the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803.
  • Commissioned Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the Louisiana Territory.
  • The Lewis and Clark expedition is recognized as one of the great exploring sagas in American history.

Post-Presidency and the University of Virginia

• Founded the University of Virginia, a secular university.
• Designed the campus and served as its rector (provost).

Death and Legacy

• Died on July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence; John Adams died on the same day.

Key Achievements for Remembrance

• Jefferson wanted to be remembered for three things, which he ordered to be carved on his tombstone:
  • Author of the Declaration of American Independence
  • Author of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom
  • Father of the University of Virginia