What was thomas jefferson known for

Thomas Jefferson

Founding Father, U.S. president (1801 to 1809)

This article is about the third president of the United States. For other uses, see Thomas Jefferson (disambiguation).

Thomas Jefferson

Official portrait, 1800

In office
March 4, 1801 – March 4, 1809
Vice President
Preceded byJohn Adams
Succeeded byJames Madison
In office
March 4, 1797 – March 4, 1801
PresidentJohn Adams
Preceded byJohn Adams
Succeeded byAaron Burr
In office
March 22, 1790 – December 31, 1793
PresidentGeorge Washington
Preceded byJohn Jay (acting)
Succeeded byEdmund Randolph
In office
May 17, 1785 – September 26, 1789
Appointed byConfederation Congress
Preceded byBenjamin Franklin
Succeeded byWilliam Short
In office
May 7, 1784 – May 11, 1786
Appointed byConfederation Congress
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byOffice abolished
In office
June 6, 1782 – May 7, 1784
Preceded byJames Madison
Succeeded byRichard H

Thomas Jefferson

1743-1826

Who Was Thomas Jefferson?

Thomas Jefferson was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. The native Virginian was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence and later held several national offices. Jefferson served as the nation’s first secretary of state, and the second vice president (under John Adams), and the third American president, from 1801 to 1809. During his two-term presidency, Jefferson doubled the size of the United States by successfully brokering the Louisiana Purchase and defeated pirates from North Africa during the Barbary War. In retirement, Jefferson founded the University of Virginia and continued work on his beloved Monticello estate. He died on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence at age 83.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Thomas Jefferson
BORN: April 13, 1743
DIED: July 4, 1826
BIRTHPLACE: Shadwell, Virginia
SPOUSE: Martha Jefferson (1772-1782)
CHILDREN: 12
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Aries

When and Where Was Thomas Jefferson Born?

Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, at the Shadwell plant

Thomas Jefferson: Life in Brief

Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, spent his childhood roaming the woods and studying his books on a remote plantation in the Virginia Piedmont. Thanks to the prosperity of his father, Jefferson had an excellent education. After years in boarding school, where he excelled in classical languages, Jefferson enrolled in William and Mary College in his home state of Virginia, taking classes in science, mathematics, rhetoric, philosophy, and literature. He also studied law, and by the time he was admitted to the Virginia bar in April 1767, many considered him to have one of the nation's best legal minds.

Shaping America's Political Philosophy

Jefferson was shy in person, but his pen proved to be a mighty weapon. His pamphlet entitled "A Summary View of the Rights of British America," written in 1774, articulated the colonial position for independence and foreshadowed many of the ideas in the Declaration of Independence, the work for which he is most famous. By 1774, Jefferson was actively involved in organizing opposit

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