Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Biography


By: Hamilton Terrell

Thomas Jefferson is the smartest guy that ever lived!!!

Born: April 13, Albmerle, Virginia

Thomas Jefferson was the third child and first son of Peter and Jane Jefferson. Peter was a planter and served two terms in the House of Burgesses.Thomas Jefferson attended a latin school at the age of five to fourteen. .When he turned 14 he went to school ran buy the Reverend James Maury. He went to William and Maury University from 1760- to 1762. After school he decided he wanted to practice law for two years with George Wythe. In 1772 Jefferson married Wayles Skelton who died on September 6. 1782 .
Jefferson had one son and five daughters. Jefferson became a member of the Virginia House of Burgesse from 1769 to 1774 which his group included Patrick Henry. In 1774 he wrote a novel called “ Summary View of the Rights of British America”. He became a representative at the Second Continental Congress in 1775 .In 1776 Jefferson became head of the committee of the Declaration of Independence and won the assignment of drafting the Declaration of Independence. Also in 1776 he became a representative for the Virginia House of Delagates. He drafted 126 bills. Also he introduced a bill for freedom of religion and laid a government that is truly republican.Jefferson had also passed a bill that it should be a least three years of education for all the nation. So due to his beliefs of education and freedom in 1779 through 1781 he became governor of Virginia. During when he was governor the state was hurt financially due to the Revolutionary War. He requested to general George Washington that he should change the position of Virginia defenses to help the Continental Army . He also recruited
Lieutenant James Monroe who later becam lasting friends. In 1784 Congress sent Jefferson to join John Adams and Benjamin Franklin in France to negoitiate trade. The next year he became a minister in 1785 witch Benjamin Franklin followed.While Jefferson was still in France James Madison sent him a draft of the new government the U.S.A was trying to form witch later became the Constitution, that he approved but disliked that there were very few bills .From 1790 to 1793 he became the secretary of state under George Washington. In 1796 to 1800 he became a presidential candidate but lost to John Adams, so he became Vice President. He did not take much part during his vice presidency because the most of the cabinets were federalist.In the early 1800’s rumors began spreading that Jefferson had sexual encounters and fathered children with one of his slaves named Sally Hemmings. On of Sally Hemmings sons Madison Hemmings claimed that he is Jefferson son and the relation ship began between his mother and Jefferson when Jefferson was in France. Later on it was proven that he did through some blood test. In 1800 he beat John Adams by 8 electoral votes. During his first term as president things were very peaceful with Spain, France and United Kingdom. America population increased greatly and the economy expanded. One of his greatest accomplishments as President was buying The Lousiana Purchase. Many of the people and cabinet members questioned his purchase considering it was two million dollars. The Louisiana territory was a region between Mississippi river and the Rocky Mountans. In 1803 Jefferson secretly planned an expediton through the territory . He planned because he wanted to know if there would be a Pacific ocean rout or through Missouri or Colombia .He told congress that he wanted Meriwether Lewis as captain to lead it. Meriwether selected William Clark a former army forcer and friend to join him on the trip. In 1804 he began his second term. His second term was far more strugalling because he had to keep the U.S.A out of the war and economy started dropping. As his second term ending he retired from his presidency at 65, than retired from public life. The most biggest accomplishment in his later years was creating University of Virginia wich opened in march 1825 with 40 students. But on July 4, 1826, 50 years after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson died. He was buried at Monticello, where an stone monument marked his grave.

Bortaman.C. "Thomas Jefferson" Student Rescource Center-Gold. Gale, 1998. Web 25 Feb 2010

Sadasky, Leonard J. "Jefferson, Thomas." World Book Online Student. World Book Onine. Web. 25 Feb. 2010.

"Thomas Jefferson." Student Resource Center-Gold. Gale, 2003. Web. 25 Feb. 2010.

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Who baught the Louisiana Purchase???