Thomas Letter : A Good Teacher

Thomas Jefferson, born 1743 in Virginia, was a self-made man. He had many activities, such as law, and politics in addition to running a 5,000-acre plantation that he inherited from his father. Jefferson graduated from William and Mary College, and was a talented lawyer. Jefferson was an awful public speaker, but he was a great diplomat, which he proved throughout his life. He then went on as a member, Secretary of State, of

Thomas Jefferson was conceived on April 13,1743 at Shadwell estate in Western Virginia. Jefferson exceeded expectations at his reviews and prior in his profession was a nation legal advisor, he went ahead to turning into the principal Secretary of State in America taken after by being the second VP and afterward the third leader of the Unified States. Amid his life, Jefferson drafted many archives the most capable among them were The Affirmation of Autonomy and The Statute of Virginia for Religious Flexibility.

Thomas Jefferson once said, “When the people fear the government there is tyranny, when the government fears the people there is liberty.” Thomas Jefferson believed the best government was the one that governs the least . Jefferson stressed how a small government with limited powers is most likely to leave the people alone and have them enjoy the Blessings of Liberty. Furthermore, Thomas Jefferson was a man who had numerous accomplishments in his life. He was the author of the Declaration of Independence, author of the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, founder of the University of Virginia, and the third President of the United States. His strict interpretation of the Constitution was due to his belief that the charter was designed to provide the people with a say in governmental affairs. Mr. Jefferson won the approval from the working class because he fought for them and not the powerful interests of the wealthy. Although Jefferson was a vocal and active leader in the rights of states, his recommendation of the Embargo Act and his support of the Non-Intercourse act resulted in his failure as the Commander In Chief.

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

The Declaration of Independence uses many of the beliefs that are central to Locke’s Two Treaties of Government, which are all still very important to us today. Beliefs such as all people are equal, their natural rights, and the government’s role in its citizens lives was the foundation to building the United States the world knows today. The focal points in their two documents are almost exactly the same; Locke emphasizes people’s natural rights in the statement “that being all equal and independent, no one ought to hurt ones life, liberty, or property", while Jefferson highlights them by saying “they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness." It is commonly speculated that Jefferson’s first draft of Declaration of Independence actually copied Locke verbatim by saying “life, liberty, and property”, rather than “pursuit of happiness”. While this has never been proven, it shows how Jefferson utilized Locke’s ideas.

Thomas Jefferson was born in Shadwell, Virginia in 1743. Jefferson studied law at the College of William and Mary and became a moderately- successful lawyer. Jefferson served in the House of Burgesses from 1768 to 1775. Jefferson took an active part in the American Revolution. Jefferson wrote a list of grievances known as the Summary of the View of the Rights of British America, he was a Virginian delegate in the First Continental Congress, and wrote the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson became the Governor of Virginia in 1779, and wrote the Notes on the State of Virginia in 1785. Jefferson became a delegate in France in 1785. After Jefferson’s return to America he became the Secretary of State. Jefferson became the vice-president in 1796 and became the President of the United States in the Election of 1800. Jefferson was re-elected in 1804, and the “Burr Conspiracy” took place during Jefferson’s second term.

“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” (qtd. in Allison 65). Before 1776, Colonial America was a colony of Great Britain. Then, when their mother country became too oppressive, brave revolutionaries planned a Declaration of Independence to rid themselves of their bonds. This document launched the colony into The Revolutionary War with Great Britain. Eventually, The United States of America gained independence at the hands of many brave men and women. Prominent among these heroes and heroines is Thomas Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of Independence. Apart from the

April 13, 1743 Albemarle County in the English colony of Virginia was the start of an American historical giant. Thomas Jefferson was born in affluence to his father, Peter Jefferson, a rising young planter in the Virginia colony, and his mother, Jane Randolph, who held a high status within the colony as well. Due to his father’s prosperity Jefferson was afforded the absolute best in the ways of education, starting with private tutors at the age of five, then moving on to learn how to read Greek and Roman in there original text and finally taking his studies to the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg which he would say is “…what probably fixed the destinies of my life…” pg 5. On the other side of the spectrum, a few years later

“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).

The Declaration of Independence acknowledges these basic freedoms and liberties through the following statement: "...that all men are created equal...[the people] are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights..." (Document 1). The structure of the passage connotes the importance of such liberties, exemplifying that a suppression or restriction of these rights violates democratic principles. Furthermore, Jeffersonian liberalism argues for the people's rights to basic services and needs. In a letter written in 1786, Jefferson explains the importance of public education to the preserving of democracy in the nation, stating that "No other foundation can be devised for the preservation of freedom and happiness [than education]....Preach a crusade against ignorance; establish and improve the law for educating the common people" (Document 3). Free education offers the common people, including farmers, an opportunity to be more successful in making their decisions regarding the government of the United States. According to Jefferson, education was a key element for a republic to thrive, allowing the American people to achieve

“We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” Thomas Jefferson believed those words as he chose to write the Summary View of the Rights of British America, The Declaration of Independence, and the Virginia Constitution. Jefferson retained many powerful beliefs about the freedom and rights of America. Jefferson was an amazingly gifted writer. He knew what he wanted to express and how to put it into words. These writings along with many more played an immense part in gaining America the freedom we enjoy today.

In The Declaration of Independence, a “common and decent respect for humanity compels that group of People to clearly and publicly declare their reasons which have forced them to end the relationship in question” (Jefferson 1). In 1776, delegates from the American colonies were upset at with the King due to the bad decisions he made for colonies. The American Colonies met to declare independence and to get equal rights. Thomas jefferson was an american statesman, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. He later served as the third President of the United States from 1801 to 1809. Thomas Jefferson’s use of ethos, pathos, and logos in the Declaration of independence strengthened his argument.

Jefferson felt that education was an important factor in attaining freedom. An educated man was less likely to be susceptible to being corrupted due to ignorance of what justice consists of. In his later years, one of his many accomplishments was the founding of the University of Virginia, which compounded his belief that education was a vital path on the road to freedom. (planetpapers.com)

Charles Patterson gives the reader a deeper look behind Thomas Jefferson. For over 50 years, he was right in the middle of US History. Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743 in Shadwell, Virginia. Shadwell was a paradise of nature's beauty. As a boy, his family had more than 100 slaves. Growing up and playing with black children, Thomas enjoyed their company. He first found out some of the ways of slavery

One of the most famous quote people remember from the Declaration of Independence was, “ We hold these truths to be self- evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’ Adams persuaded the committee to select Thomas Jefferson to compose the original draft of the document, which Congress then would edit to create the final version. The Declaration was an explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare