Thomas Jefferson

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Definition

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was an American lawyer, statesman, philosopher, and a Founding Father of the United States. A prominent figure of the American Revolution, he wrote the Declaration of Independence and later served as the first secretary of state, the second vice president, and the third president of the United States (served 1801-1809).

More about: Thomas Jefferson

Timeline

  • 13 Apr 1743
    Birth of Thomas Jefferson at Shadwell Plantation in Albemarle County, Virginia.
  • 1760 - 1762
    Thomas Jefferson attends the College of William & Mary, is exposed to Enlightenment ideals.
  • 1767
    Thomas Jefferson is admitted to the Virginia bar, begins practicing law before the General Court.
  • 1768
    Thomas Jefferson is elected to the House of Burgesses; begins construction of his beloved home at Monticello.
  • 1 Jan 1772
    Thomas Jefferson marries Martha Wayles Skelton, a young widow.
  • 1774
    Thomas Jefferson writes 'A Summary View of the Rights of British America', catapulting him to the front of the Patriot movement.
  • May 1775
    Thomas Jefferson arrives in Philadelphia as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress.
  • 11 Jun 1776 - 28 Jun 1776
    Thomas Jefferson writes the Declaration of Independence in isolation before handing it off the Congress for approval.
  • 1779 - 1781
    Thomas Jefferson serves two single-year terms as the governor of Virginia.
  • 6 Sep 1782
    Martha Jefferson dies after a difficult childbirth, at the age of 33.
  • 6 Aug 1784
    Thomas Jefferson arrives in Paris, having been appointed US minister to France.
  • Jul 1787
    Sally Hemings, an enslaved teenaged girl, joins her master, Thomas Jefferson, in Paris; is likely impregnated by him within the next two years.
  • 1790 - 1793
    Thomas Jefferson serves as the first US Secretary of State in the Washington Administration; beginning of his rivalry with Alexander Hamilton and the Federalist Party.
  • 4 Nov 1796 - 7 Dec 1796
    The Election of 1796 is held in the United States; John Adams is elected president, with Thomas Jefferson as his vice president.
  • Jun 1798
    Thomas Jefferson condemns the Alien and Sedition Acts as unconstitutional; responds with the equally controversial Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions.
  • 1801
    President Jefferson declares war on the Barbary Pirates, sparking the First Barbary War.
  • 4 Mar 1801
    Thomas Jefferson is sworn in as the third president of the United States.
  • 2 May 1803
    The Louisiana Purchase is finalized in Paris; the 828,000 acres of the Louisiana Territory are sold to the United States.
  • 1804
    Thomas Jefferson is elected for a second term as US president.
  • 17 Apr 1804
    Mary Jefferson Eppes, daughter of US President Thomas Jefferson, dies several months after a difficult childbirth.
  • 14 May 1804 - 23 Sep 1806
    In the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Corps of Discovery heads west, eventually reaches the Pacific Ocean.
  • 1 Jan 1808
    The slave trade is prohibited in the United States, after Congress passes legislation promoted by the Jefferson Administration.
  • 4 Mar 1809
    Thomas Jefferson leaves office at the end of his second presidential term, returns to Monticello for retirement.
  • 4 Jul 1826
    Thomas Jefferson dies at Monticello, aged 83.
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