Jefferson, Thomas (1743–1826)

American philosopher, statesman, and third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson was the primary drafter of the Declaration of Independence. A man of expansive interests and pursuits, he exercised great influence on the political and intellectual life of the early United States.

In 1769, Jefferson's public service career began when he served as a representative in the Virginia House of Burgesses. He was appointed to the Second Continental Congress and leapt to national prominence as the main author of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson's most notable contribution during the American Revolution was his ability to articulate the ideas and political philosophy that underlined the revolution. Having immersed himself in the philosophy of the 18th-century Enlightenment, Jefferson came to believe in man's inherent capacity for justice, reason, and progress. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was able to enumerate the principles of natural equality, the inalienable right of man, the sovereignty of the people, and the right to revolution that would be the basis of a new nation.

Jefferson was elected governor of Virginia in 1779, and in 1783 he was appointed to the Confederation Congress where he drafted the Ordinance of 1784 that organized the western territories. From 1785 to 1789, Jefferson served as U.S. minister to France. In 1790, President George Washington appointed Jefferson secretary of state. However, Jefferson often clashed with Alexander Hamilton, supported Democratic-Republican opposition to the Federalist Party, and ultimately resigned his position in 1793.

In the presidential election of 1796, John Adams defeated Jefferson by only three electoral votes. Under the rules that governed presidential elections at the time, the recipient of the second highest number of votes in the Electoral College became vice president. Although Jefferson did not share much of Adams's political philosophy, he was required to be Adams's vice president.

Jefferson was also responsible for drafting the Kentucky Resolutions of 1798. In the resolutions he described the Union as a compact among the several states, declared the Alien and Sedition Laws unconstitutional, and argued for the use of state nullification when the federal government exceeded the powers granted to it by the U.S. Constitution. Although Kentucky did not endorse the Resolutions of 1798, they did contribute to the debate over civil liberties and the defense of state's rights.

In the 1800 presidential election, popular opposition to Adams resulting from the Alien and Sedition Acts, as well as a split in the Federalist Party, ensured a Democratic-Republican victory. Uncertainty over the election resulted, when Jefferson and his running mate, Aaron Burr, received the same number of electoral votes. Under the Constitution (later changed by the Twelfth Amendment), the election went to the Federalist-controlled House of Representatives. The House chose Jefferson as president after Hamilton gave his support to his longtime adversary.

As president, Jefferson worked with Congress to restore freedom of the press, decrease the size of the Army and Navy, and abolish all domestic taxes. By concentrating his efforts on reducing the size and powers of government, Jefferson sought to ensure peace, guarantee equality, and expand individual freedom. However, his most notable achievement as president was the Louisiana Purchase. After leaving office, Jefferson was instrumental in founding the University of Virginia in 1819.

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