The Legacy Of Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, at Shadwell, the family farm in Goochland (now Albemarle) County, Virginia. (The date was April 2 by the calendar then in use.) He was the third child in the family and grew up with six sisters and one brother. Two other brothers died in infancy. His father, Peter Jefferson, had served as surveyor, sheriff, colonel of militia, and member of the House of Burgesses. Thomas's mother, Jane Randolph Jefferson, came from one of the oldest families in Virginia. Thomas developed the normal interests of a country boy—hunting, fishing, horseback riding, and canoeing. He also learned to play the violin and to love music. Jefferson was 14 years old when his father died. As the oldest son, he became head of the family. He inherited more than 2,500 acres (1,010 hectares) of land and at least 20 slaves. His guardian, John Harvie, managed the estate until Jefferson was 21. Thomas began his studies under a tutor. At age 9, he went to live with a Scottish clergyman, who taught him Latin, Greek, and French. After his father died, Thomas entered the school of James Maury, an Anglican clergyman, near Charlottesville. (Thomas Jefferson : a life / Willard Sterne Randall. Published: New

     In terms of the presentation of information, Ellis pieced together the life and work of Jefferson according to eras, or phases in the life of Thomas J. Starting with Philadelphia 1775-1776, Jefferson’s story begins as the prominent, educated young man entering a world of radical politicians and commoners striving for their independence. This chapter describes how Jefferson established himself as an excellent literary figure in the developing American insurrection by publishing a pamphlet entitled, “A summary view of the rights of British America.” This document, though never officially accepted as a plan of action was “simple and emphatic, with a dramatic flair that that previewed certain passages in the Declaration of Independence (e.g., “Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of the day; but a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period, and pursued unalterably thro’ every change of ministers, too plainly prove a deliberate, systematical plan of reducing us to slavery”). [Pg. 34] As the text

Born on April 13, 1743, Thomas Jefferson grew up on his family’s plantation in north-central Virginia with his seven siblings. He was, “freckled and sandy-haired, [and] rather tall and awkward,”(Freidel)

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States as well as one of the founding fathers. However, what he is most accredited for is being the main author of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson was a Christian, but he did not advertise it to the public often. He was raised an Anglican but was influenced by many other prospectives of Christianity. Thomas Jefferson was of English decent. However, his family was deeply rooted in Virginia. Jefferson’s father was a surveyor and cartographer and his mother managed his large family. Thomas Jefferson was one of eight children and his father passed when he was only seventeen years old. He grew up to be a very well rounded person. Before Jefferson was president he was a lawyer as

Thomas Jefferson's ideals and beliefs were derived from a deep regard for life, liberty, and freedom. His concept of individual freedoms strongly disagreed with the notion of a "guided republic" which he believed concentrated a great deal unchecked power among a few people. This could have the potential of tyrannical government that might suppress personal freedoms of any kind especially those of religion, which Jefferson feels very strongly felt should be protected. After fighting hard to rid America of British domination, Jefferson was determined to create a government that was responsible to, and derived its powers from, a free people. As the writer of the Declaration of Independence and the Virginia Statute for

Thomas Jefferson spent most of his career in public office and made his greatest contributions to his country in the field of politics. He loved liberty in every form, and he worked for freedom of speech, press, religion, and other civil liberties. Jefferson was the 3rd president of the United States and best remembered as a great president and as the author of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson's interests and talents covered an amazing range. He became one of the leading American architects of his time and designed the Virginia Capital, the University of Virginia, and his own home, Monticello. He greatly appreciated art and music and tried to encourage their advancement in the United States. He also won lasting

In 1772, Thomas Jefferson married Martha Skelton. Jefferson was impressed by her talent on the pianoforte and harpsichord. Often, they would sing together and have a merry time (Allison 39). She was a young widow who owned about as much property as he

“As the "silent member" of the Congress, Jefferson, at 33, drafted the Declaration of Independence” (Freidel, 2006). Jefferson believed in the Constitution and as Senator of the state of Virginia, abided by it. The words of The Declaration of Independence written by Jefferson remain part of the verbiage today, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" (Biography.com, 2014).

Eugene R. Sheridan is a member of the Princeton University Department of History and Senior Associate Editor of the Papers of Thomas Jefferson. He has written books and articles on a number of subjects in early American History. To begin with, the author cites specific achievements that Thomas Jefferson made, starting with the contributions he did when he was part of the Continental Congress. “As a member of the Continental Congress, he proclaimed in the imperishable prose of the Declaration of Independence the values of liberty, equality, and natural rights that always have been at the heart of the American experiment in self-government” (Sheridan 64). He specifically speaks about his participation as the main author of the Declaration of Independence.

Before engaging the thesis, I want to discuss Jefferson’s background, before the late 1770’s. The reason being that his major accomplishments come during and after this time period. It is important to discover what his actions were at this early stage in his life, to understand how he came to be one of the most

Jefferson was chosen to author the first draft. One could say that this draft was one of the world's greatest and most beautiful testaments towards Liberty and Equality. After Jefferson authored the Declaration of Independence, he served as one of the members in the Virginia House of Delegates for four years. In 1777, Jefferson wrote the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. This established freedom of religion and the separation of state and

Jefferson chose his words for the Declaration in June 1775, shortly after the war had begun, where the idea of Independence from Britain had long since become popular among the colonies. He was also inspired by the Enlightenment ideals of the sanctity of the individual, as well as by the writings of Locke and

When Jefferson was a child two of his siblings died. By the time he was 14 years old his father past away, so his fathers slaves, land, and inherited that was his fathers’. So later on in his life he made his own family with his wife Martha Jefferson. They

He sent a letter to Virginia to try to get someone to replace him. He was then assigned to write the Declaration of Independence. At the time it was not a big deal. Jefferson then started to feel like the Congress was doing more harm than good. The first thing he noticed was criticism of the British people for not helping the colonists fight their KIng. The second thing he noticed was criticism of slavery. The Declaration of Independence was published July 1776, Jefferson was disappointed about it. He wanted a world of free, independent people. He became governor and retired from it a year

In 1776, since Jefferson was a member of Continental Congress, he was chosen to draft the Declaration of Independence, since he was a member of Continental Congress. (Brief…Jefferson, 2005). Looking back in High School, the class discussion about The Declaration of Independence was that Jefferson predicted the coming of great changes in America within the times that he lived in. He wrote this document for the American Citizens at the time, and it still exists today. The Declaration personified many of the ideas that separated the colonies from England and therefore the process of creating a new country begun.