Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson is revered as one of the most influential statesmen in American History. He shaped much of the newly independent United States and is considered one of many Founding Fathers. He is credited as the primary author of the "Declaration of Independence" (1776). Writer, inventor, philosopher, and lawyer, are just a few of the many roles that Jefferson had throughout his life. He invented many things, spoke many languages, and had a love of learning. Considered a renaissance man, some historians believe Jefferson had the biggest impact and lasting influence on popular American governance ideals such as individual liberty and the pursuit of happiness as the basis for structuring a democratic republic society.¹

Thomas Jefferson is criticized for his contradictions between his public and private life. While a champion of liberty, he owned hundreds of slaves throughout his life and forced the removal of Native Americans from their lands. As a lawyer who also held public office, he came to the defense of those less privileged than him, defending cases of enslaved people seeking freedom. He was a major proponent of Republicanism, which in his time meant he believed in limited government. Yet as president, Jefferson practically doubled the size of the country and banned the importation of slaves. This actually extended the power of the executive branch, despite his desire to constrain government in favor of individual and state rights.

Thomas Jefferson's Biography

Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, to Peter Jefferson and Jane Randolph. He was raised mostly on the Shadwell plantation in the colony of Virginia, and he was the third of ten children and the eldest son. His father Peter was self-educated and lamented not receiving a formal education. By the time Thomas Jefferson was born, the Jefferson estate had become rich within just a few generations from plantation crops such as tobacco, so formal education for young Thomas was easily made possible. He would also inherit thousands of acres of land in total, from his father's passing at age 14, as well as through his mother's side. By age 21, Thomas Jefferson owned and maintained a few thousand acres of land, and couple hundred slaves.

As a child, Jefferson would receive formal education from a variety of teachers. At age 16 he enrolled in The College of William & Mary. He learned mathematics and natural sciences, studied classics, and learned languages including Latin. It was in university that Jefferson was first exposed to Enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke and Francis Bacon. Jefferson's education was key in laying the foundation of his thinking, which would ultimately lead to the crafting of American history's most influential and treasured documents, which shaped much of governmental structure and policy.

Jefferson is celebrated as a renaissance man, a person with a wide range of knowledge and skills. Outside of his formal education he spent his leisure time reading and amassing a library. His interest in agrarianism, natural science, and architecture would shape his private life. He invented many of his own farm tools but never patented them. His study of architecture lead to him being the principal designer of his home that he named Monticello. Under the instruction of George Wythe, the first-ever law professor, he studied law and later became a lawyer. He was admitted to the Virginia bar in 1767, and he defended several cases of recently freed slaves. This experience would influence his private feelings towards slavery, but his wealthy stature was built on slavery, and he could not afford to abandon the institution entirely.

Thomas Jefferson would spend decades designing and building his private villa named Monticello. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Facts About Thomas Jefferson's Personal Life

On January 1, 1772, Thomas Jefferson married the widow Martha Skelton. Jefferson shared having a happy marriage in letters with friends. They loved music and would play together. Jefferson, having learned the violin as a child, would join Martha as she played the piano. They shared a love of music, conversation, and wine, including many views on education and how to spend their leisure time. The marriage lasted for ten years and they had six children together, which only two would survive beyond childhood.

Jefferson's wife became increasingly ill after giving birth to their last child, and Martha Jefferson passed away several months later. On Jefferson's personage at the time of his death, they would find a locket of his late wife Martha's hair.

Thomas Jefferson's Political Career

Thomas Jefferson's political career began in local politics. Only much later after the Revolutionary War, and the death of his wife, would he enter the national stage.

The House of Burgesses in Virginia

The government of the then-colony of Virginia elected Jefferson to the House of Burgesses in 1769. Here he experienced firsthand the tightening control of the British Empire through the Royal governors. He introduced legislation to curtail the importation of slaves but was ultimately unsuccessful. He witnessed a passionate protest speech from Patrick Henry, a burgess from another Virginia county, and this ignited his interest in promoting the break from British control.

After the war, Thomas Jefferson continued to focus on local politics. In 1776, he was elected to Virginia's House of Delegates, the state's legislature. In 1779 he was elected governor of Virginia. While in both offices, he pushed for reforms of local and state government that focused on religious freedom and public education.

National Politics

Starting in 1783, Jefferson served as a member of The Congress of the Confederation, the governmental body of the newly independent United States from 1781 to 1789. As a delegate he represented Virginia. He used his experience shaping the state government of Virginia, with a focus on individual rights, to influence the expansion of the United States westward. Rather than new territories becoming a colony, he pushed for their autonomy and sovereignty as additional states.

Foreign Minister

In 1785, the Congress of the Confederation, sent Jefferson as a diplomat to negotiate and establish friendly relationships to facilitate trading and commerce privileges for Americans. While in Paris, he developed a friendship with the Marquis de Lafayette, a Frenchman who served as an officer in the American Revolution and was able to influence better trade deals. Jefferson was also a supporter of the French Revolution, which drafted their own declaration of rights based on the American "Declaration of Independence" and Bill of Rights.

Secretary of State

In 1790, Jefferson had hoped to return to his home, but once back in the states, President Washington asked him to be his Secretary of State, with Jefferson being the first in the newly created position. He dealt with issues such as the location of the national capital and the nationalizing of debt, which he opposed and preferred states to handle their own debt. Due to clashes with the Federalists, the political party in favor of expanding central government, he ultimately resigned, expressing a desire to return to his private life.

Thomas Jefferson's presidency

In 1796, Jefferson ran for president and won second place, thus becoming vice president to John Adams in 1797. As vice president he continued to advocate for states' rights, insisting the federal government should not implement policies without the states granting the authority to do so.

In 1800, he ran for president and won. Jefferson used his power as president to, as he saw it, fix abuses from the past two administrations, pushing for limiting the central government.

Thomas Jefferson was well into his middle age once President, after spending most of his life in politics at the state and local levels. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Re-election

Jefferson won re-election in 1804 in a landslide vote. The success of his first term led him to be nominated again by the Democratic-Republican Party. The Louisiana Purchase and a strong economy made him a popular choice.

The second term was less successful and he began to fall out of public favor. International policies such as the end of importation of slaves, framing it as a human rights abuse, put him in disfavor in the south. His enactment of the economic embargo on powerful European countries deteriorated foreign relations. Other executive decisions that required large sums of money, positioned him farther away from the Democratic-Republican party base, as they saw this as the opposite of a limited government.

Legacy and Death

A recurring theme in Jefferson's life was his desire to live in peace in his home Monticello as much as possible. Much of his political career required him to live abroad and in the capital, both in Virginia and Washington DC. He frequently expressed in correspondence that he longed to return home, and finally in 1808, he retired. He would spend his free time reading, writing letters, observing nature, and finishing as much construction on Monticello as possible. He founded the University of Virginia and donated one of his libraries to help rebuild the Library of Congress.

On July 4, 1826, he passed away, on the fifty year anniversary of the "Declaration of Independence". He himself felt it was his greatest work, and spent his later years supporting and furthering the understanding of the document.

Thomas Jefferson's Famous Works

While Thomas Jefferson is most famous for the "Declaration of Independence", his earlier work laid down the foundation, and later work, built further upon the most cherished of American ideals.

"A Summary View of the Rights of British America"

Essentially a list of grievances against the British, Jefferson argues that the colonies should not owe the British Crown any taxes or allegiance. The colonies are fully capable of ruling themselves, and by right, individuals should be able to create their own autonomous government. Originally proposed at the First Continental Congress, they ultimately opted for a more moderate version of the policies outlined by Jefferson. Friends of Jefferson printed copies of the tract and handed them out as pamphlets. Many of the ideas here laid the groundwork for Jefferson's most famous work, the "Declaration of Independence".

The "Lee Resolution" (1776) passed by the Second Continental Congress had already declared the colonies independent. However, there was popular support for a formal announcement to the public that explained in more detail the meaning of the "Lee Resolution". While Jefferson was the principal author and heavily drew upon his experience drafting the "Constitution of Virginia" (1776), he collaborated with four others, including Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. Major debates and omissions were made to Jefferson's version, including the removal of many criticisms towards the British Crown and Jefferson's own condemnation of slavery, despite the document extolling the inherent virtue of the rights of men to govern themselves and legitimizing the pursuit of one's own happiness.

Notes on the State of Virginia (1785)

The only full-length book written by Jefferson positioned his home state of Virginia as an ideal society and government. The book details his views on limiting central government, republicanism, slavery, Virginia's resources, and even climate change. Jefferson was an avid learner of science, and in his time made observations about changing climate, that snow lasted less time on mountains, and that it was getting generally warmer.

Much of the book is based on ideas from the Enlightenment. The government's role is to help facilitate and protect a citizen's inalienable rights, such as the freedom to express and protest, without fear of punishment from the government. To Jefferson, it's the government's job to protect this individual freedom against others who seek to take them away. In this way, he expounded on the concepts in the "Declaration of Independence" from Britain.

Thomas Jefferson's Accomplishments

In addition to written works, Jefferson made pivotal contributions to the growth and expansion of the United States.

Louisiana purchase

President Thomas Jefferson was wary of the threat of the French. By 1803, Napoleon Bonaparte had set his sights on expanding the French empire, already conquering much of central Europe. However, his attempt to place a foothold in the Caribbean was going poorly. He lost many soldiers to yellow fever and desperately needed money to finance his campaigns of conquest. Jefferson was hoping to gain an ally, and so was Bonaparte as he was concerned about England as a threat to his expanding empire. Originally hoping to gain the port of New Orleans, for just a bit more than his first offer at $11,000,000 Jefferson purchased the Louisiana territory on behalf of the United States. At 800,000 square miles, the purchase essentially doubled the size of the US.

The newly acquired Louisiana territory was uncharted by American colonists. Source: Wikimedia

Lewis and Clark expedition (1804-1806)

President Thomas Jefferson financed an expedition into the newly acquired Louisiana territory, appointing his friend Merriweather Lewis, and Lewis requested his friend, Captain William Clark.

The Louisiana territory had not been explored by its previous owners, France and Spain. Once purchased by the Jefferson administration, he commissioned the expedition. Merriweather Lewis was tasked with learning mapmaking and shared his command with his friend Clark. They set off to navigate, what was to Americans, uncharted territory. They discovered it was teeming with wildlife and rich swaths of land for agriculture. The expedition proved difficult and dangerous, and for a few months with no communication with Jefferson, they were all feared dead. Ultimately they returned, and its remembered as one of the most famous expeditions in American history.

Monticello

In 1768, Jefferson, with a team of masons, white indentured servants, and slaves, started building Monticello, his personal villa on his plantation lands of nearly 5,000 acres. It was mostly completed by the end of his presidency in 1809. Jefferson felt he never quite finished it. Architecture and design were some of his favorite hobbies and he was the principal architect. It was in a neoclassical design but he sought to inspire a new architectural image for a new country. It's still standing today, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and serves as a museum for Jefferson's many inventions and works.²

1. Meacham, John. Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power (2012).

2. Monticello.org. Monticello, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Monticello.org.