Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson (April 13 [<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates" title="Old Style and New Style dates" >O.S.</a> April 2] 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founding_Fathers_of_the_United_States" title="Founding Fathers of the United States" >Founding Father</a>, the principal author of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence" title="United States Declaration of Independence" >Declaration of Independence</a> (1776), and the third <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States" title="President of the United States" >President of the United States</a> (1801–1809). He was a spokesman for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy" title="Democracy" >democracy</a>, and embraced the principles of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republicanism" title="Republicanism" >republicanism</a> and the rights of the individual with worldwide influence. At the beginning of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolution" title="American Revolution" >American Revolution</a>, he served in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Congress" title="Continental Congress" >Continental Congress</a>, representing Virginia, and then served as a wartime <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_Virginia" title="Governor of Virginia" >Governor of Virginia</a> (1779–1781). Just after the war ended, from mid-1784 Jefferson served as a diplomat, stationed in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris" title="Paris" >Paris</a>. In May 1785, he became the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Ambassador_to_France" title="United States Ambassador to France" >United States Minister to France</a> and the first <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_State" title="United States Secretary of State" >United States Secretary of State</a> (1790–1793) serving under President <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington" title="George Washington" >George Washington</a>. In opposition to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Hamilton" title="Alexander Hamilton" >Alexander Hamilton</a>'s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalist_Party" title="Federalist Party" >Federalism</a>, Jefferson and his close friend, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Madison" title="James Madison" >James Madison</a>, organized the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic-Republican_Party" title="Democratic-Republican Party" >Democratic-Republican Party</a>, and later resigned from Washington's cabinet. Elected Vice President in 1796, Jefferson opposed Adams, and with Madison secretly wrote the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_and_Virginia_Resolutions" title="Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions" >Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions</a>, which attempted to nullify the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_and_Sedition_Acts" title="Alien and Sedition Acts" >Alien and Sedition Acts</a>.

Elected president in what Jefferson called the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1800" title="United States presidential election, 1800" >Revolution of 1800</a>, he oversaw acquisition of the vast <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Purchase" title="Louisiana Purchase" >Louisiana Territory</a> from France (1803), and sent out the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_and_Clark_Expedition" title="Lewis and Clark Expedition" >Lewis and Clark Expedition</a> (1804–1806), and later three others, to explore the new west. Jefferson doubled the size of the United States during his presidency. His second term was beset with troubles at home, such as the failed treason trial of his former Vice President <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Burr" title="Aaron Burr" >Aaron Burr</a>. When Britain threatened American shipping challenging U.S. neutrality during its war with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon" title="Napoleon" >Napoleon</a>, he tried economic warfare with his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embargo_Act_of_1807" title="Embargo Act of 1807" >embargo laws</a>. But it only damaged American trade. In 1803, President Jefferson initiated a process of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States" title="Native Americans in the United States" >Indian</a> tribal removal to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Territory" title="Louisiana Territory" >Louisiana Territory</a> west of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_River" title="Mississippi River" >Mississippi River</a>, having opened lands for eventual American settlers. In 1807 Jefferson drafted and signed into law a bill that banned slave importation into the United States.

A leader in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment" title="Age of Enlightenment" >Enlightenment</a>, Jefferson was a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymath" title="Polymath" >polymath</a> in the arts, sciences, and politics. Considered an important architect in the classical tradition, he designed his own large mansion, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson#Monticello" title="Thomas Jefferson" >Monticello</a>, and other notable buildings. Jefferson could speak five languages besides English and was keenly interested in science, invention, architecture, religion, and philosophy; he was an active member and eventual president of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Philosophical_Society" title="American Philosophical Society" >American Philosophical Society</a>. He was conversant in French, Greek, Italian, Latin, and Spanish, and studied other languages and linguistics, interests which led him to found the University of Virginia after his presidency. Although not a notable orator, Jefferson was a skilled writer, and corresponded with many influential people in America and Europe throughout his adult life. After <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Jefferson" title="Martha Jefferson" >Martha Jefferson</a>, his wife of eleven years, died in 1782, Jefferson kept his promise to her that he would never remarry. Their marriage had produced six children, of whom two survived to adulthood.

As long as he lived, Jefferson expressed opposition to slavery, yet he owned hundreds of slaves and freed only a few of them. Historians generally believe that after the death of his wife Jefferson had a long-term relationship with his slave, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_Hemings" title="Sally Hemings" >Sally Hemings</a>, and fathered some or all of her children. Although criticized by many present-day scholars over the issues of racism and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson_and_Slavery" title="Thomas Jefferson and Slavery" class="mw-redirect" >slavery</a>, Jefferson is consistently rated as one of the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_rankings_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States" title="Historical rankings of Presidents of the United States" >greatest U.S. presidents</a>.

Thomas Jefferson

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