Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson (1743 to 1826) was born on April 13th, 1743. He served as the third president of the United States of America and was the first United States Secretary of State. Apart from politics he was interested in science, architecture, religion and philosophy. He was a polymath and spoke 5 different languages fluently. He is rated by historians as one of the greatest United States Presidents of all time.

Primarily of English ancestry, Jefferson was born and educated in Virginia. He graduated from the College of William & Mary and practiced law. During the American Revolution, he represented Virginia in the Continental Congress that adopted the Declaration, drafted the law for religious freedom as a Virginia legislator, and served as a wartime governor (1779–1781). He became the United States Minister to France in May 1785, and subsequently the nation's first Secretary of State in 1790–1793 under President George Washington. Jefferson and James Madison organized the Democratic-Republican Party to oppose the Federalist Party during the formation of the First Party System.

A coward is much more exposed to quarrels than a man of spirit. Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and the third president of the United States of America. As a political philosopher, Jefferson is the only president to serve two full terms in office without vetoing a single bill of Congress. Jefferson has been consistently ranked by scholars as one of the most famous presidents of America.

Thomas Jefferson cared passionately about his country and put the interests of the people before his. He cut down on the army and the navy as he thought that a country should be run cheaply as possible so there would always be money for bigger developments when the need came. He was successful in buying from France the whole Louisiana territory, stretching from the Mississippi river to the Rocky Mountains and henceforth doubled the size of his country. When there was a threat from the Barbary pirates based in Africa, he utilized his navy to attack these pirates which once again ensured the smooth flow of American ships through the Mediterranean Sea. He was on very good terms with the people and mostly likely would have been reelected; instead he stepped down as president, believing that no one should run for more than two terms for democracy to be sustained in the land of the free.

Jefferson mastered many disciplines which ranged from surveying and mathematics to horticulture and mechanics. He was a proven architect in the classical tradition. Jefferson's keen interest in religion and philosophy earned him the presidency of the American Philosophical Society. He shunned organized religion, but was influenced by both Christianity and deism. He was well versed in languages. He founded the University of Virginia after retiring from public office.

Thomas Jefferson, the founding Father and the third President of the United States, was the principal architect of The Declaration of Independence in 1776. He also served as the Governor of Virginia at the beginning of the American Revolution and was the first United States Secretary under President George Washington. Later, he organized the Democratic-Republican Party with his friend, James Madison, to oppose Alexander Hamilton’s Federalism, and resigned from the cabinet of Washington. Thomas Jefferson started the Revolution of 1800 where he regained control of Louisiana Territory from France. He was also the one to conduct the Lewis and Clark Expedition to explore the west. Thomas Jefferson initiated the removal of Indian tribal from Louisiana Territory to accommodate more free lands to the eventual American settlers.

Thomas Jefferson was an American Founding Father and is the principle author of the American Declaration of Independence. He was a very prolific in his service to America during the nation’s very first years. Not only was Jefferson the main author of the seminal Declaration of Independence document, but he also served as the U.S. Minister to France and the U.S. Secretary of State in the years immediately preceding his presidency. Jefferson was a very well-read scholar, and he brought his firm beliefs in democracy and republicanism to the forefront of his political vision during his many years of service to the nation. Furthermore, Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, which helped to bring America a big step closer to its modern form.

On July 3 Jefferson was overcome by fever and declined an invitation to Washington to attend an anniversary celebration of the Declaration.

During the last hours of his life, he was accompanied by family members and friends. On July 4 at 12:50 p.m., Jefferson died at age 83 on the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and just a few hours before the death of John Adams. The sitting president, Adams' son John Quincy, called the coincidence of their deaths on the nation's anniversary "visible and palpable remarks of Divine Favor".

Jefferson's remains were buried at Monticello, under a self-written epitaph:

“HERE WAS BURIED THOMAS JEFFERSON, AUTHOR OF THE DECLARATION OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE, OF THE STATUTE OF VIRGINIA FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, AND FATHER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA."