Short Biography Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was a leading  Founding Father of the United States, the author of the Declaration of Independence (1776) and served as the third President of the US (1801-1809). Jefferson was a committed Republican – arguing passionately for liberty, democracy and devolved power. Jefferson also wrote the statue for Religious Freedom in 1777 – it was adopted by the state of Virginia in 1786. Jefferson was also a noted polymath with wide ranging interests from architecture, to gardening, philosophy, literature and education. Although a slave owner himself, Jefferson sought to introduce a bill (1800) to end slavery in all Western territories. As President, he signed a bill to ban the importation of slaves into the US (1807).

Jefferson Childhood

Jefferson was born to a materially prosperous family in Shadwell, Goochland County, Virginia. He father Peter Jefferson was a land and slave owner in Virginia. When his father later died in 1745, Jefferson inherited 5,000 acres including Monticello. As a young child Thomas Jefferson was an enthusiastic student, often spending up to 15 hours a day studying. He was to retain a life long interest in reading. He had both a keen intellect and also a wide range of interests. His interests ranged from philosophy and architecture to the natural sciences. At the age of 16 he entered the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, and two years later he graduated with the highest honours. After leaving college he became a lawyer and later served in the Virginian state Burgess. One of his earliest political writings of significance was A Summary View of the Rights of British America (1774). This expressed a thoughtful summary of a way America could make a settlement with Britain. It played an important role in shaping opinions in the lead up to the War of Independence.