# 3 Thomas Jefferson
1801-1809
The most complex of the
Founding Fathers
Born April 13, 1743
Parents: Peter and
Jane (Randolph)
Wife: Martha (Wayles)
Died 1782.
Children: Martha,
Jane, Mary, Lucy,
and Lucy*
Background
Jefferson was born into an elite Virginia
family.
 His father was a wealthy planter and his
mother was also from an elite family.
 He was the third of 10 children, several
of whom died at birth, or at a young
age.
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Education and Youth
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Jefferson received instruction at local
schools, where he was a good student.
 Jefferson entered the College of William and
Mary at 16! He graduated with honors at 18,
and then began studying law!
 He had a wide variety of interests, including
science, music, literature, and architecture.
 In 1757 his father died, leaving him over
5,000 acres, and many slaves.
Young Adulthood
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After leaving William
and Mary, Jefferson
was admitted to the bar
in 1767.
He worked hundreds of
court cases throughout
Virginia, representing
many of the best
families.
He designed, and
began building
Monticello in 1769, and
moved in in 1770.
Marriage
Jefferson was married to Martha Wayles
in 1772, who was a widow.
 Martha was thought to be a “very
pleasant” looking woman.
 She died in 1782, when she was only
33 years old.
 By all accounts it was a happy
marriage, and Jefferson was very
distressed when Martha died.
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Political Life
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1769 Member of Virginia House of
Burgesses.
1774 Wrote: Summary View of the Rights of
British America.
1775 Deputy Delegate at First Continental
Congress.
1775 Virginia Convention
1776 Delegate at Continental Congress
1776 Wrote the Declaration of Independence
Political Life Continued
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1776 Virginia General Assembly
1779-1781 Governor of Virginia
1781 Peace Delegate with Britain
1783 Wrote Virginia Constitution
1784-1789 Minister to France
1790-1793 Secretary of State
1797-1801 Vice President
1801-1809 President
Political Philosophy
Jefferson was a strong supporter of
Enlightenment ideas of personal liberty
and property rights.
 Jefferson was a strong supporter of
freedom of religion.
 Jefferson believed in popular
sovereignty and supported the rights of
people to revolt when necessary.
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Political Philosophy Continued
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Jefferson was an avowed opponent of a
strong central government.
Jefferson supported states rights over the
power of central government
Jefferson disdained government debt, cities,
and industry.
Jefferson idealized America as an ideal
republic of land owning farmers.
His ideas are often referred to as Jeffersonian
Democracy.
Presidential Actions
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Pardoned many of those punished by the
Alien and Sedition Acts.
Removed Adams “Midnight Judges”
Was president during the victorious war
against Tripoli, AKA the First Barbary War.
He established the United States Military
Academy at West Point New York.
Louisiana Purchase was made, doubling the
size of the U.S. and sent Louis and Clark to
explore it.
Presidential Actions Continued
Pushed for Aaron Burr to be tried for
treason, then invoked “executive
privilege” Chief Justice Marshall backed
him down.
 Requested the ending of the Atlantic
Slave trade in 1807.
 Disastrous Embargo Act of 1807,
banning trade.Contradictor
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Presidency
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Jefferson was a very informal president,
greeting visitors in his house-clothes.
 Jefferson became president vowing to shrink
the size of government and the power of the
president. He accomplished this by
decreasing the federal payroll, but did the
total opposite with the Louisiana Purchase.
 Jefferson was a poor public speaker, and did
most presidential work entirely in writing.
Contradictions
Says
 Limited Central
Authority
 Small Government
 All Men Are Created
Equal
Does
 Increases power of
the president.
 Increased Spending
 Owned slaves and
did not free them
upon his death.
Slavery
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Jefferson owned hundreds of slaves at one
time or another.
 Jefferson was in theory, against slavery and
spoke out against it. In his life he did try to
abolish it in 1769 and in 1784. He also
supported ending the Atlantic Slave Trade.
 Jefferson did not free his slaves upon his
death. Many historians believe that he could
not free them, due to his tremendous debt.
Slavery Continued
“Slavery is like holding
the wolf by the ears,
we can neither hold
him, nor safely let
him go.” T. Jefferson
While Jefferson spoke
against slavery, he
did not free his own,
and did not exempt
the old or young
from manual labor.
Sally Hemings
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Jefferson was alleged to have had a long
relationship with a slave woman named Sally
Hemings (The half sister of his actual wife!).
 He is thought to have had as many as six
children with her.
 When these allegations became public,
Jefferson never responded.
 In 1998, DNA tests proved inconclusive,
although Jefferson was proven to be at least
a possible father to Sally’s children.
Later Years
Worked on Monticello, and pursued
archeology, botany, bird watching, and
numerous other interests.
 Built many convenient devices including
the first swivel chair, his own copying
device, and a rotating book stand.
 Jefferson was in tremendous debt, due
to his extravagant spending.
 He died on July 4th 1826.
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University of Virginia
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Jefferson founded
University of Virginia
in 1819.
 He designed the
architecture and the
layout for the
campus himself.
Legacy
Thomas Jefferson’s Legacy is as
complex as he was himself.
 He is regarded as on of the most
important of the Founding Fathers, and
his Declaration of Independence is one
of the greatest expressions of human
liberty ever recorded.
 He was a staunch supporter of liberty,
and an opponent of any and all tyranny.
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Legacy Continued
Jefferson’s contradictions are enormous and
invite accusations of hypocrisy such as:
1. Fighting for freedom, but owning slaves.
2. Opposing strong government, but
expanding the power of government while
president.
Despite this, Jefferson has been considered
among the greatest figures in American
History, with a monument in Washington
D.C. and his face in on Mt. Rushmore.
Humorous Quote:
At a ceremony to honor winners of the
Noble Prize, President Kennedy said:
“This is the most extraordinary collection
of human talent ever gathered at the
White House-with the possible
exception of when Thomas Jefferson
dined alone.”