Thomas Jefferson was born at shadwell in
Albemarle county, Virginia, on April 13, 1743. His paretns both were members fo teh
most famous Virginian Families. His father was Peter Jefferson and his mother was Jane
Randolph. Jefferson was not only well born but was well educated as well. His
parents thought that education was very importnatn and paid for the best private
schooling. He attended the College of William and Mary. He studied law under
George Wythe, who was the greatest law tewacher of his generation in Virginia. In
1767 Jefferson was admitted to the bar and he practiced law up till 1774 when the courts
were closed due to the American Revolution.
When his father had died at an early age in his thirties Jefferson inhearited a considerable amount of land, he doubled it when he married Martha Wayles Skelton. He showed himself to be an effective committee member when he was elected to the House of Burgesses when he was 25 in 1769 and served till 1774. In addition to being an effective committeeman he was a skillful draftsman, but he was not an able speaker and tended to be very quite.
From the beginning of the struggle with England Jefferson was an advent Patriot and stood with the more advanced Patriots. One of his ealier works was A Summary View of the Rights of British America, which was a powerful pamplet that emphasized natural rights and how Britain did not deserve the control over the colonies that it had. He became a member of the Conitental Congress in 1775 and served till 1776. Jefferson was chosen along with John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingstone and Roger Sherman in 1776 to draft the Declartion of Independence. He ended up writing it all by himself and it was only amended slightly by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin.
Jefferson traveled to France in 1784 where he first negotiated treaties and such until he became Bejamin Franklin's succesor as minister. He had strong feelings toward France and considered them a natural friend while he considered Britain as a natural Rival. Whiel he was not anti-British he was definitaly pro-french. Because he was away in France jefferson did not take a direct part in the framing of the Constitution and aat first he bacame alarmed when he saw that it did not protect individual rights. Later when he learned that a bill of rights was going to be attached to it his fears lessend.
Jefferson was the secretary of state from 1790 to 1893 and his biggest oppenent was Alexander Hamilton the secratary of the treasurry. Hamilton was definatly pro-british while jefferson wasn't and Jefferson's movement for commercial discrimination agasint britain was defeated largly to Hamilton. By late 1792 or 1693 the oppenents of Hamiltonianism was a national party calling itself Repulcian. Early in 1793 Congress forced Hamilton was forced to quit is office/ Jefferson retired as Secraertary of State at the end of teh eyar 1793. He remodeled his house at Monticello and studied agriculture during his three year respite. He ran for president in 1796 and was supported by the Republicans but came in second agasint John Adams by a mere three electoral votes, he bacame vice president.
Jefferson and his running mate Aaron Burr defeated John Adams in the elctions of 1800, but his title as presidency was not decided for some weeks beacuse he was tied with his running mate. The election then went to the House of Representitves and Jefferson became the 3rd President of the United States of America.
His first term as President was very successful, for various reasons. First, he was the undisputed leader of his party. Second, he had loyal and very compentent lieutenatns like James Madison and Albert Gallatin. Lastly, he was very populer because of his policy towards tax cuts.
His biggest achievemnt in many eyes was the purchase of the Louisana Terriotry, he purchased it from France for 15 million dollars more than doubling the size of the United States. It is one of the most celebrated and biggest land sales ever to have been done. He sent an expidetion to explore the vast territory, which turns out was very rich with resources. The expidtion was headed up by Merriwether Leiws and William Clark. It lasted two years but was very succesful and there was only one loss of life. During his second term he had more difficulties on both domestic and foreign issues. One of the domestic problems was the Burr-Conspiracy, and Jefferson had foregin problems as well one of the largest was the Embargo that took place in december of 1807. Jefferson thought it was the only alternative to war and submission. The act made all exports to Britain and France illegal. It had very little effect outside but it casued lots of economic difficulites at home. Toward the end of his administration, he repealed the embaro and a more moderate measure was adopted but it did not make us escape war with Britain in 1812.
Jefferson was succeded as president by his friend James Madision in 1809. For the last seventeen years of his life Jefferson remained in Virginia and retired to his home in Monticello. There he kept in contact with John Adams and others. He studied all sorts of information and was considered something of a sage. His last great public service was the founding of the Univesity of Virginia in 1819. He died at Monticello on July 4, 1826 on the 50th anniversary of the Declaratoin of Independence.