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Today we're going to learn about the American
president, Thomas Jefferson.
Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd president of the
United States, was born on April 13th, 1743,
in the colony of Virginia, the third of ten
children. His parents, Peter and Jane Randolph
Jefferson, were wealthy landowners and members
of well-known Virginia families. As a child,
Thomas Jefferson studied Latin, Greek, and
French, as well as history, science, classic
literature, and how to ride horses. When he
was 14 years old, his father died, and the
estate was divided between Thomas and his
brother Randolph.
When he was 16 years old, Thomas Jefferson
entered the college of William and Mary in
Williamsburg, Virginia. There he studied mathematics,
philosophy, and practiced the violin. He graduated
in 1762 and began working as a law clerk,
and soon afterward he obtained his law license,
beginning to practice as a lawyer in 1767.
Thomas Jefferson also served as a delegate
in the Virginia House of Burgesses beginning
in 1769.
In 1768 Jefferson began constructing his home,
which he called Monticello. He worked for
the rest of his life to make Monticello beautiful.
In 1772 Thomas Jefferson married Martha Wayles
Skelton, a 23-year-old widow. Jefferson and
his wife loved each other very much, and together
they would have six children, although only
two would survive to adulthood. Martha died
in 1782 at the age of 33, leaving Thomas Jefferson
grief-stricken: he would never remarry.
In 1775 Jefferson was sent as one of the youngest
delegates to the Second Continental Congress.
The Revolutionary War had just begun and the
Congress decided that a formal declaration
of independence from Britain was needed. Along
with Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert
Livingston, and Roger Sherman, Thomas Jefferson
began writing the Declaration of Independence.
Although some changes were made by other members
of the committee and later by Congress, Jefferson
wrote most of it. The Congress ratified the
Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776,
and it is now one of the most treasured documents
in American history.
Thomas Jefferson served as a Colonel in the
Revolutionary war, and later spent three years
in the Virginia House of Delegates before
spending two years as Governor of Virginia.
He was an ambassador to France and the first
United States Secretary of State. He was also
the second US Vice President, serving under
President John Adams.
On March 4, 1801, Thomas Jefferson became
the third President of the United States.
He served for two terms, lowering taxes and
reducing the national debt. In 1803, Jefferson
bought a huge tract of territory from Napoleon,
who needed money for the wars he was fighting
in Europe. This is called the Louisiana Purchase,
and it nearly doubled the size of the United
States.
Jefferson knew that people would want to move
west and settle the new territory, and he
wanted to explore the uncharted land. He sent
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on an expedition
to see what lay westward. The Lewis and Clark
Expedition lasted more than two years, and
resulted in a great deal of information about
the new frontier.
After Thomas Jefferson retired from the Presidency
in 1809, he founded the University of Virginia,
and spent his days in his home and gardens
at Monticello.
Thomas Jefferson loved to read. He read everything
from classic literature to political works,
and collected thousands of books in his lifetime.
At one point his personal library contained
more than 6,500 books, but after the British
burned the Library of Congress in 1814 he
sold 6,000 of his books to the Library to
restart their collection. That didn't put
a stop to his book collecting, however, for
as he wrote to John Adams, "I cannot live
without books."
Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, at
the age of 83. It was the fiftieth anniversary
of the Declaration of Independence. He was
buried at Monticello, and his tombstone bears
the words he wrote himself: "HERE WAS BURIED
THOMAS JEFFERSON, AUTHOR OF THE DECLARATION
OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE, OF THE STATUTE OF
VIRGINIA FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, AND FATHER
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA."
Today Thomas Jefferson is remembered as one
of the greatest Presidents in the history
of the United States for his defense of human
liberty and his role in shaping the early
history of his country. Thomas Jefferson can
be found on the nickel and the two dollar
bill, as well as on Mount Rushmore alongside
George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and
Abraham Lincoln, and is remembered in the
Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC. The
memorial is engraved with quotes from his
writings, including the following line: "I
have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility
against every form of tyranny over the mind
of man."
I hope you enjoyed learning about Thomas Jefferson
today. Goodbye till next time!
