Thomas Jefferson - Term Paper Example

Thomas Jefferson America’s founding Father was Thomas Jefferson. He was the third president of the United States of America. He severed between 1801 and 1809. He was Declaration of Independence’s principal author. He fought for democracy, and supported the principles of republicanism and human rights with influence all over the world1. He could fluently speak five languages and write two more, he wrote more than sixteen letters in his life. He was familiar with almost all the influential people in America and others in Europe. He was a lawyer, philosopher, agronomist, scientist, author, inventor, architect, and most importantly, a statesman. Though he never left America before his adulthood, he got the finest education in Europe. He was given birth on April 13th 1743 at Shadwell in Albemarle County, Virginia. His tutor was a learned man by the name Reverend James Maury. He started learning French, Latin, and Greek at the age of 9. At 16 years old, he went to William and Mary College in Williamsburg then began his Law education under George Wythe. In 1769 he started practicing when he gained the Virginia bar. In 1769, he was in the House of Burgesses through an election. This is the place that he started involvement with revolutionary politics2. He was not vocal, but through his writings, his good job in committee, and his capability of distilling information of large volume to perfection, made him an extremely useful member in any discussion body. Jefferson practiced as a circuit lawyer for many years before marrying his third cousin Martha Wayles Skelton who was 23 years old. They got married on January 1st 1772. They were got married at Martha’s father house and the ceremony continued for many days. This marriage was a happy one and is believed to be happiest period in life. Their mutual love for music attracted the more to each other. They were blessed with 10 children during the 10 years of their marriage of which only two of them survived to adulthood. Jefferson’s financial problem began when him and his wife inherited his step fathers properties and debts which took him and the other estate’s co-executors years to pay off3. Later on, his wife suffered from ill health and diabetes, and she was also weakened by the frequent child birth. She died on 6th September 1782 at the age of 33 which was a few months after giving birth to their last child. Jefferson was devastated by her death and he mourned her for a long time. Martha’s mother also died young and she was raised with two stepmothers. She could not allow any other woman to raise her own children so she made Jefferson to promise her never to marry again. He kept the word that he gave to her. Starting June 1775, Jefferson was a delegate of the Second Continental which was after the violent occurrence of the American Revolutionary War. He was not aware of a lot of people in the Congress, but he searched for John Adams who, together with his cousin Samuel, they were the convention leaders. The trio’s friendship lasted throughout their lives and this resulted to Jefferson writing the declaration to independence. He was among the five man committee that wrote the declaration supporting the resolution. He eventually wrote the final initial draft copy which he did over a period of 17 days. On 28th June 1776, the Congress was presented with the final draft. Jefferson saw the American’s people independence from Britain which is the mother country as leaving from ‘parent stock’, and the independence war from Britain was as a result of being separated by the Atlantic Ocean4. According to Jefferson, English colonialist were forced to depend on common sense discover again the ‘laws of nature’. On July 2, voting was in resolution of independence’s favor. Congress’s attention was turned to the declaration. Debate was done in three days and a almost a fourth of the text was deleted. Notably was slave trade passage. Jefferson was bitter about this but never spoke in public concerning these revisions. The Declaration of Independence was made official on 4th July 1776 by the Congress and the document was signed by the delegates. This was one of Jefferson’s major achievements; his preliminary statement is viewed as an enduring statement concerning human rights. “All men are created equal’ is among the best known English language sentences and it’s the most consequential and influential words in the history of America. The passage represented the principle standard that United States is supposed to strive. Abraham Lincoln’s philosophy was based on this view. Jefferson went back to Virginia after declaration of independence by the colonies. In September 1776, got his way to the Virginia House of Delegates for Albemarle County through an election. Prior to his return, he remarked about the writing of the constitution of the state; he did not stop supporting freehold suffrage, of which the property holders were the only ones who could vote. He spent nearly three years writing committee laws for Virginia. He was particularly pleased with the Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom5. He was a delegate between 1776 and 1779 as the war went on. Jefferson wanted to destroy primogeniture and general education provision, which he was hoping could be become the republican government basis. Jefferson was elected the Governor of Virginia when he was 36 years old in 1779. He was re-elected the next year as the term was for one year by then. He shifted the state capital to Richmond from Williamsburg. Jefferson term as a governor saw the introduction of public education, religious freedom, and fairer inheritance laws. As the Revolutionary war in opposition to Great Britain continued, he was serving as a wartime governor. After the Revolutionary War victory and the peace treaty with Great Britain in the year 1783, Congress of federation was formed by United States. Jefferson was the appointed Virginia delegate. He was among the team that was created so as to set rates for foreign exchange. He was the one who recommended that American currency to be based on a system of decimals; his plan was legalized. Jefferson was the acting chairman between 1783 to 1784 of crucial committees for the aim of developing a system that is viable of government for the new Republican6. He played an important role in policy advancing for the western territories settlement. He was the main author of the Land Ordinance in 1784 where a large area was ceded with Virginia that it had claimed in the northwest side of Ohio River to the government. He is the one who plotted borders in the new states in its beginning stages and writing the ordinance that banned slavery in all the territories of the nation. The ban was at first revoked; numbers were against him at the Congress so he had no option but to accept it. However, three years later, the slavery ban provision was modified and put into effect 3 years later in the 1787 Northwest Ordinance and become the foundation law for the whole Northwest. The ban was eventually known as the ‘Jefferson Proviso’. Jefferson joined Benjamin Franklin and John Adams in Europe as he was the one who was sent with the Confederation Congress. They were tasked with negotiating with France, Spain, and England concerning agreement on commercial trade. During this long journey is where Jefferson knew how to write and speak Spanish on his own. In March 1785, the position of Minister to France became vacant following Franklin resignation. Jefferson was to be later appointed in that position. Whale oil duties were removed as Jefferson directed tobacco trade to France instead of going through British intermediaries. Upon his return from France in September 1789, he received a letter from President Washington asking him to be among his Cabinet as the Secretary of State; he accepted the appointment.On 23rd May 1792, Jefferson wrote a letter to the president where he described the political alignments that could be seen in the nation that was still young. He recommended to the president to bring together the citizenry in a party that would fight against corrupting effects of monied interests and banks. The founding principles of the current Democratic Party were this letter. Between 1794 and 1797 Jefferson acted as an informal leader and he would later be the first political opposition party of the nation; Democratic Republicans7. This party was vocal in challenging Hamilton’s political view. The 1800 presidential elections also referred to as ‘Revolution of 1800’. Jefferson, then vice president defeated John Adams who was the incumbent. This election ushered in Republican Party rule generation and eventually the death of Federalist Party in the First Party System. Jefferson’s approach was well organized as he was determined to win the 1800 presidential election. He enjoyed a lot of support as he opposed Adam’s policies. Adam faced a lot of opposition within his own party when he declined to declare war on France as he utilized democracy to stop it as opposed to many of his colleagues’ wishes. The main issues included the opposition to Congress imposed tax; to pay for the organizing the army that was new and the navy in Quasi war. And the Sedition and Alien acts. Federalists were not well organized and were harmed by the bitter split between their two main leaders. It was an angry presidential election; dirty, angry, crisis ridden contest that actually had threatened the survival of the nation. A harsh partisan battle between the two presidential candidates. There was a tie between Jefferson and his running mate of Republican; Aaron Burr. The tie had to be broken; suspicion and outburst of intrigue as Federalists found it hard in determining the next course of action. Jefferson’s victory marked the downfall of Burr. As this crisis unfolded, the new nation’s durability was also being tested. The house’s deadlock exposed the constitutional defect. The partisan rivalry was also pushed to the extreme. This inspired many creative and electoral ploys that were far reaching8. The sense of crisis developed as there were talks of civil war and disunion, and indeed, at least two states started organizing their militias to take over the government in the event that Jefferson fails to prevail. It is Jefferson who negotiated with Federalist representative who was moderate and he was from Delaware, James Asheton Bayard, using representative from Maryland, Samuel Smith, so as to secure his support in breaking the deadlock in the Electoral College9. On 17th February 1801, after 36 ballots, Jefferson was elected president by the house and Burr his Vice President. He owed his victory in election to the number of Electors inflation in the South that counted slaves under the compromise of three-fifths. Conclusion Jefferson remains a significant figure in US history in as far a politics and democracy is concerned. His contribution towards modern United States and its socio-economic and political progress cannot be forgotten. Besides, United States has sustained its economic and political power throughout the world due to a strong and effective constitution which is attributed to efforts of such iconic personality like Thomas Jeffersion.The federal system has worked to maintain unity and progressive development and this explains the height of Jefferson’s efforts to model a prosperous United States. References Bernstein, Richard B. 2004. Thomas Jefferson: the revolution of ideas. Oxford: Oxford University Press pg. 67-8. Bjornstad, Rebecca, and Clarenda Sue Norrod. 2010. Thomas Jefferson: the freedom of America. Bloomington, Ind: CrossBooks,pg.71-6. Bober, Natalie S. 2008. Thomas jefferson: draftsman of a nation. Charlottesville: Univ Of Virginia Press,pg.34-6. Cogliano, Francis D. 2008. Thomas Jefferson: reputation and legacy. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press,pg.21-4. Giblin, James, and Michael Dooling. 1994. Thomas Jefferson: a picture book biography. New York: Scholastic,pg.84-8. Gordon-Reed, Annette. 1999. Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hennings: an American controversy. Charlottesville, Va. [u.a.]: Univ. Press of Virginia,pg.65-8. Stewart, John J. 1997. Thomas Jefferson, forerunner to the Restoration: a comparison of the views of Thomas Jefferson and Joseph Smith on government, education and religion. Salt Lake City, Utah: Horizon Publishers,pg.93-7. Read More