Introduction A lthough Thomas Jefferson held many titles over the course of his life secretary of state vice presi dent and president the most prominent among them the title of architect may have suited him best Not only did he design buildings his own home being one nota ble example but as primary author of the Declaration of Independence cofounder of the Republican party and engineer of the Louisiana Purchase he also helped craft a nation Indeed the foundation of the United States rests on many of the contributions Jefferson made to law and governance The remarkable life of this Founding Father is chronicled in the following pages Jefferson’s passions were many and his accomplishments widespread From a young age he developed and indulged interests as diverse as music classical literature science and architecture ultimately choosing to pur sue a legal career First cast into the public eye as a representative in Virginia’s House of Burgesses Jefferson began to demonstrate his talent for public service during the try ing period of the American Revolution He was appointed as Virginia’s delegate to the Second Continental Congress a body of 6
Right running head representatives assembled to assess the colo nies best interests There Jefferson alongside such other luminaries as Benjamin Franklin and John Adams penned the Declaration of Independence which announced the colo nies reasons for separation from Britain The document written primarily by Jefferson would become a symbol of national pride and liberty both in the United States and around the world retirement from Following his the Continental Congress Jefferson would go on to hold a variety of political posts at the state and national levels He first returned to the Virginia legislature where he helped set several important precedents including the separation of church and state in the Virginia constitution After serving as governor of Virginia for one term Jefferson returned to the Continental Congress bringing with him ideas about liberty and equality that he had championed as a legislator He went on to serve as U S ambassador to France returning to the United States to serve as secretary of state under the first U S president George Washington It was during Jefferson’s time as secretary of state that his political views crystallized 7
Thomas Jefferson The Jefferson Memorial in Washington D C at dusk The memo rial was dedicated on April 13 1943 the 200th aniversary of Jefferson’s birth Lester Lefkowitz The Image Bank Getty Images 8
Introduction with the foundation of the Republican party He believed in states rights a limited role for the central government and a strict interpretation of the Constitution This pitted him against the Federalists led by Alexander Hamilton and John Adams who controlled Washington’s administration and resulted in Jefferson’s resignation as secretary He re-emerged on the national stage in 1796 when he decided to run for president However Jefferson lost to Adams and became vice president Jefferson made a second run for the presidency in 1800 and this time met with success Amongst a host of domes tic and foreign challenges Jefferson orchestrated per haps the greatest achievement of his tenure the Louisiana Purchase To Jefferson the land west of the Mississippi River represented new oppor for tunities and resources 9
