Thomas Jefferson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 1800 | |
| 3rd President of the United States | |
| In office March 4, 1801 – March 4, 1809 | |
| Vice President |
|
| Preceded by | John Adams |
| Succeeded by | James Madison |
| 2nd Vice President of the United States | |
| In office March 4, 1797 – March 4, 1801 | |
| President | John Adams |
| Preceded by | John Adams |
| Succeeded by | Aaron Burr |
| 1st United States Secretary of State | |
| In office March 22, 1790 – December 31, 1793 | |
| President | George Washington |
| Preceded by | John Jay (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Edmund Randolph |
| 2nd United States Minister to France | |
| In office May 17, 1785 – September 26, 1789 | |
| Appointed by | Confederation Congress |
| Preceded by | Benjamin Franklin |
| Succeeded by | William Short |
| Minister Plenipotentiary for Negotiating Treaties of Amity and Commerce | |
| In office May 7, 1784 – May 11, 1786 | |
| Appointed by | Confederation Congress |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Delegate from Virginia to the Congress of the Confederation | |
| In office June 6, 1782 – May 7, 1784 | |
| Preceded by | James Madison |
| Succeeded by | Richard Henry Lee |
| 2nd Governor of Virginia | |
| In office June 1, 1779 – June 3, 1781 | |
| Preceded by | Patrick Henry |
| Succeeded by | William Fleming |
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Albemarle County[1] | |
| In office October 7, 1776 – May 30, 1779 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Lewis |
| Succeeded by | Nicholas Lewis |
| In office December 10–22, 1781 | |
| Preceded by | Isaac Davis |
| Succeeded by | James Marks |
| Delegate from Virginia to the Second Continental Congress | |
| In office June 20, 1775 – September 26, 1776 | |
| Preceded by | George Washington |
| Succeeded by | John Harvie |
| Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses from Albemarle County | |
| In office May 11, 1769[2] – June 1, 1775[3] | |
| Preceded by | Edward Carter[3] |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 13, 1743 Shadwell Plantation, Goochland (now in Albemarle County) Virginia Colony |
| Died | July 4, 1826 (aged 83) Monticello, near Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S. |
| Resting place | Monticello, Virginia |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children |
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| Parents | |
| Alma mater | College of William & Mary |
| Occupation |
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| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | Virginia militia |
| Years of service | 1775–1776 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | Albemarle County Militia |
| Battles/wars | American Revolutionary War |
Philosophy career | |
| Notable work |
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| Era | Age of Enlightenment |
| Region | |
| School | |
| Institutions | American Philosophical Society |
Main interests | |
Notable ideas | |
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743[b] – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, planter, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809.[6] He was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. Following the American Revolutionary War and before becoming president in 1801, Jefferson was the nation's first U.S. secretary of state under George Washington and then the nation's second vice president under John Adams. Jefferson was a leading proponent of democracy, republicanism, and natural rights, and he produced formative documents and decisions at the state, national, and international levels.
Jefferson was born into the Colony of Virginia's planter class, dependent on slave labor. During the American Revolution, Jefferson represented Virginia at the Second Continental Congress. He served as the second governor of revolutionary Virginia from 1779 to 1781. In 1785, Congress appointed Jefferson U.S. minister to France, where he served from 1785 to 1789. President Washington then appointed Jefferson the nation's first secretary of state, where he served from 1790 to 1793. During this time, in the early 1790s, Jefferson and political ally James Madison organized the Democratic-Republican Party to oppose the Federalist Party during the formation of the nation's First Party System. Jefferson and Federalist John Adams became both personal friends and political rivals. In the 1796 U.S. presidential election between the two, Jefferson came in second, which made him Adams' vice president under the electoral laws of the time. Four years later, in the 1800 presidential election, Jefferson again challenged Adams and won the presidency. In 1804, Jefferson was reelected overwhelmingly to a second term.
As president, Jefferson assertively defended the nation's shipping and trade interests against Barbary pirates and aggressive British trade policies, promoted a western expansionist policy with the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the nation's geographic size, and was able to reduce military forces and expenditures following successful negotiations with France. In his second presidential term, Jefferson was beset by difficulties at home, including the trial of his former vice president Aaron Burr. In 1807, Jefferson implemented the Embargo Act to defend the nation's industries from British threats to U.S. shipping, limiting foreign trade and stimulating the birth of the American manufacturing industry.
Jefferson is ranked by both scholars and in public opinion among the upper tier of American presidents. Presidential scholars and historians praise Jefferson's public achievements, including his advocacy of religious freedom and tolerance, his peaceful acquisition of the Louisiana Territory from France, and his leadership in supporting the Lewis and Clark Expedition. They acknowledge the fact of his lifelong ownership of large numbers of slaves and give differing interpretations of his views on and relationship with slavery.[7]
- ^ "Burgesses and Delegates". Virginia House of Delegates. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ^ McDonnell, Michael. "Jefferson, Thomas as Governor of Virginia". Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
- ^ a b Virginia Historical Society (April 1897). "House of Burgesses, 1766 to 1775". Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. 4 (4): 380–86. JSTOR 4241983. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
- ^ "The Jefferson-Hemings Controversy Report of the Scholars Commission" (PDF). 2000–2001. p. 70.
The DNA tests could not discriminate among the more than two dozen adult male Jeffersons in Virginia at the time Eston Hemings was conceived, and there is reasonable evidence to suggest that at least seven of those men (including Thomas Jefferson) may well have been at Monticello when Sally became pregnant with Eston.
- ^ "The Jefferson-Hemings Controversy | C-SPAN.org". c-span.org.
- ^ Morris, Richard B. (1973). Seven Who Shaped Our Destiny: The Founding Fathers as Revolutionaries. Harper & Row. p. 1. ISBN 978-0060904548.
- ^ Cogliano, Francis (2008). "Slavery". Thomas Jefferson: Reputation and Legacy. University of Virginia Press. pp. 217–219. ISBN 9780813927336.
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