Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, on the Shadwell estate in Albemarle County, Virginia. His father, Peter Jefferson, was a prominent landowner and surveyor, while his mother, Jane Randolph Jefferson, came from one of the most respected families of the time. Upon his father’s death, Jefferson inherited nearly 5,000 acres of land and around twenty enslaved individuals, taking on the management of a considerable estate at a young age. He began his education with studies in Latin and Greek, later attending the College of William & Mary, where he studied philosophy, mathematics, and natural sciences. He went on to study law and was admitted to the Virginia bar in 1767.

In 1769, Jefferson was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses, where he began his political career. As tensions between the American colonies and Great Britain escalated, he authored A Summary View of the Rights of British America, a work that articulated the colonies’ right to self-governance. In 1775, he attended the Second Continental Congress as a delegate from Virginia and the following year was appointed to the five-member committee responsible for drafting the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson was the principal author of the final text. The declaration, particularly its phrase “all men are created equal,” embodied Enlightenment ideals and a strong emphasis on individual rights.

During the American Revolutionary War, Jefferson served in the Virginia legislature and was twice elected governor of Virginia between 1779 and 1781. His tenure was marked by British invasions, and his leadership during these crises was criticized, prompting a temporary withdrawal from politics. In 1784, he was sent to Europe, and in 1785, he succeeded Benjamin Franklin as the U.S. minister to France. While in France, he negotiated commercial agreements in favor of the United States and engaged with leading intellectual circles. Upon returning to the United States in 1789, he was appointed the first Secretary of State under President George Washington.

^{Thomas Jefferson (right), Benjamin Franklin (left), and John Adams (center) while writing the American Declaration of Independence,  (Jean Leon Gerome Ferris)}

Presidency (1801–1809)

Jefferson ran for president in the 1796 election but came in second to John Adams, thereby becoming vice president. In the 1800 election, he defeated Adams and was re-elected in 1804 for a second term. His administration prioritized fiscal restraint, reducing the federal budget, cutting taxes—most notably eliminating the whiskey tax—and limiting expenditures on the army and navy, as well as reducing the number of federal employees.

One of the most significant achievements of Jefferson’s presidency was the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Through this acquisition, the United States bought approximately 828,000 square miles of territory west of the Mississippi River from France for $15 million, effectively doubling the nation's size. This territorial expansion laid the groundwork for westward migration. During the same period, Jefferson commissioned the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which reached the Pacific Coast and gathered valuable information about the western territories.

In foreign affairs, Jefferson deployed naval forces against the Barbary States, which had been attacking American merchant vessels in the Mediterranean, thus initiating the country’s first overseas military engagement. Amid the ongoing Napoleonic Wars in Europe, Jefferson maintained a policy of neutrality. In 1807, he signed the Embargo Act, which prohibited American exports to foreign ports. This policy severely disrupted international trade and caused economic hardship, particularly in the northern states.

Later Years and Legacy

In 1809, Jefferson retired from the presidency and was succeeded by James Madison. He returned to his estate at Monticello, dedicating his later years to agriculture and educational initiatives. One of his most significant projects was the founding of the University of Virginia in 1819, for which he personally designed the academic structure. The university was notable as the first American institution of higher learning to operate without mandatory religious instruction.

Throughout his life, Jefferson maintained a wide range of intellectual interests, including architecture, literature, natural sciences, and technology. He designed various household and scientific instruments and played a significant role in the establishment of the U.S. patent system. Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. John Adams also died on the same day.

Jefferson’s gravestone bears only three titles, by his own instruction: Author of the Declaration of American Independence, Author of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and Founder of the University of Virginia.