Thomas Jefferson
| Famous as | Political Philosopher & the third President of America |
| Born on | 13 April 1743 |
| Born in | Virginia |
| Died on | 04 July 1826 |
| Nationality | United States |
| Works & Achievements | Founder of the Republicanism in America, Father of the Virginia University, the main author of the Declaration of Independence |
Childhood & Education
Born on 13 April 1743 in Virginia, Thomas Jefferson was the third
of eight children of Peter Jefferson and Jane Randolph. His father, who
was of Welsh descent, was a ship’s captain and worked as a planter for
sometime. In 1745, his family moved to Tuckahoe and lived there for
seven years before they returned to their home in Albemarle after his
father was appointer to the colonelcy of the county.
Jefferson’s education began in 1752 from a school run by William
Douglas, who was a Scottish minister. From the time he was nine,
Jefferson became an avid learner of Greek, French and Latin. Thomas
Jefferson’s father died in 1757, making his son an heir to his huge land
assets and a number of slaves.
During 1758 to 1760 Jefferson taught at the school of the erudite
minister James Maury, whereupon he received a classical education and
studied science and history. He enrolled at The College of William &
Mary in Williamsburg in 1760, where he studied mathematics,
metaphysics, and philosophy graduating with supreme honors in 1762. As a
keen student, Jefferson took interest in learning different languages
and throughout his students life he studied for fifteen hours a day. A
gourmet and an avid lover of wine, Thomas learned to play violin and
took a keen interest in arts. After graduating, he studied law with
George Wythe and began practicing law in Virginia Bar in 1767. Between
the year 1768 and 1773, he handled a number of cases and established
himself as a reputed lawyer.
Marriage & Children
Thomas Jefferson married a young widow Martha Wayles Skelton in
1772 and the couple had six children: Martha Jefferson Randolph, Jane
Randolph, Mary Wayles, Lucy Elizabeth and Elizabeth. Martha gave birth
to a stillborn son in 1777. She died on 6 September 1782.
Early Political Life
Jefferson was appointed as a delegate to the Second Continental
Congress in 1775 and with the beginning of American resolution of
independence in 1776; he served as a member to a committee for preparing
the declaration of the independence resolution. The draft was presented
to congress on 2 July and on 4 July 1776; the wording of the
Declaration of Independence was approved, making Jefferson a popular
face of the country.
In 1776, Jefferson was elected to the new Virginia House
of Delegates. As a delegate he instigated a series of reforms and bills
to expose Virginia’s new state as a democratic state, among which the
most prominent were the laws to end primogeniture and establish freedom
of religion in the state. Jefferson further produced a bill on ‘General
Diffusion of Knowledge’ in 1778, which resulted in the establishment of
an elective system of study in the College of William and Mary. He
proposed bills to eliminate death as a penalty except in case of a
murder of treason, though his efforts were beaten and crimes as rape
remained punishable to death for a long time after.
Governor of Virginia
Jefferson became the governor of Virginia in 1779 and remained in
his position until 1781. It was during his tenure that the capital of
state was transferred from Williamsburg to Richmond in 1780. His
constant efforts in the field of education were recognized in 1779, when
George Wythe was appointed as the first professor of law at the college
of Williams and Mary. Jefferson’s governorship was marked by two
British invasion of Virginia which ruined his reputation as Governor and
he never won any election from Virginia in future. Thereafter,
Jefferson served as minister to France from 1785 to 1789 and supported
France against Britain when the war was declared between these two
countries in 1793.
Secretary State of the U.S
Jefferson became the first Secretary of State in 1790, under the presidency of George Washington.
As a Secretary of State he openly spoke against widespread Federalism
in the U.S. and continued to view it as a threat to Republicanism. He
further along with James Madison co founded and led the
Democratic-Republican Party and formulated a set of connections with
republican allies to fight the Federalists across the country.
Vice-Presidency & Presidency
After a failed bid for vice presidency in 1796, Jefferson became
Vice-President of the United States in 1797. Federalists, who were
preparing for war with France, passed a new Alien and Sedition Acts in
1798 as a source of inciting money through taxes. Jefferson harshly
criticized these tactics and intensified his attack on Federalism, as he
believed that Federalists had no right to exercise such extent of
power.
Thomas Jefferson successfully ran for in his the presidency for the
first time in 1800. Though he did not campaign for his party- as was
the tradition that time-He became the President of the United States in a
landslide victory on 17 February 1801.
Life after Presidency
In his life after presidency, Thomas Jefferson remained active in
the American politics and enthusiastically participated in educational
and cultural organizations. Education remained his prime concern
throughout his life and he took measures to promote higher education
among people. His efforts finally fructified in 1819, when the
University of Virginia was founded and the University, which was first
to offer a full slate of elective courses, was opened in 1825.
Jefferson is also known for his love for architecture and
archeology- a stream which was still developing that time. He had a
large contribution in the architectural planning of the University of
Virginia which became an embodiment of science and beauty with its
planned site surrounding lawn and linking arcades. The University, which
is constructed in Greek and Roman style, represents a unique
architecture and intellectual ideas of Thomas Jefferson who became known
as the father of the University.
In 1780, Jefferson became a member of Benjamin Franklin’s American
Philosophical Society and served as its president from 1795 to 1815. An
avid wine lover, Jefferson traveled to France and other European
countries in order to raise his collection of famous wines. In 1801, he
published A Manual of Parliamentary Practice whose second edition came
in 1812. After the Library of Congress was burnt down by British in
1814, Jefferson’s huge collection of books became a part of the new
library, which is named after him in his honor.
Death
Thomas Jefferson died on 4 July 1826, a date which coincides with
the 50th anniversary of the declaration of Independence. After his
death, his assets were sold off in an auction to pay his huge debt.
Thomas Jefferson is buried at Monticello in Virginia, the home he had
built in his youth.
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Timeline: | ||||
1743- Thomas Jefferson was born on 13 April 1743.
1745- His family moved to Tuckahoe.
1752- Jefferson’s education began in 1752.
1757- Thomas Jefferson’s father died in 1757.
1758- Jefferson taught at the school of the erudite minister James Maury till 1760.
1760- He enrolled at The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg in 1760.
1762- He graduated from the college in 1762.
1767- He began practicing law in Virginia Bar in 1767.
1772- Thomas Jefferson married Martha Wayles Skelton in 1772.
1775- Jefferson was appointed as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress.
1778- Jefferson produced a bill on ‘General Diffusion of Knowledge’.
1779- Jefferson became the governor of Virginia in 1779.
1779- George Wythe was appointed as the first professor of law at the college of Williams and Mary.
1780- The capital of state was transferred from Williamsburg to Richmond.
1780- Jefferson became a member of Benjamin Franklin’s American Philosophical Society.
1782- Martha Wayles Skelton died on 6 September 1782.
1785- Jefferson was elected as minister to France and served till 1789.
1785- He became the President of American Philosophical Society and served till1815.
1790- Jefferson became the first Secretary of State in 1790.
1793- War was declared France and Britain in 1793.
1796- He failed in his run for vice presidency in 1796.
1797- Jefferson became the vice-President of the U.S.
1798- Federalist passed a new Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798.
1800-Thomas Jefferson ran for the presidency in 1800.
1801- He became the President of the United States on 17 February 1801.
1801- He published A Manual of Parliamentary Practice.
1814- The Library of Congress was burnt down by British in 1814.
1819- The University of Virginia was founded.
1825- The University of Virginia opened.
1826- Thomas Jefferson died on 4 July 1826.
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