The life of Thomas Jefferson

Answer 1

The Life of Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson's life began with his birth on April 13, 1743. His mother, Jane Randolph, was from the important Randolph family of Virginia. His father, Peter Jefferson, was an explorer and surveyor as well as a representative to the Virginia House of Burgesses. Tom's first home was at Shadwell, a large tobacco plantation which had been built by Peter Jefferson. Shadwell was named after the town in England where Jane's mother had been born. In 1745, Tom Jefferson's uncle William Randolph died. Before William's death, Peter Jefferson had promised that he would look after William's children when William died, so the Jefferson family moved to the larger Randolph plantation of Tuckahoe since Shadwell was not large enough to house so many people. At Tuckahoe, the Jefferson children played with the younger Randolph children and were taught many different subjects by tutors. After 7 years, when the Randolph children were ready to be on their own, the Jefferson family returned to Shadwell. Tom Jefferson was aged 9 when he returned home to Shadwell. Even though Shadwell was far from any city, Tom never felt lonely because of his family's size. Tom had 2 elder sisters, Jane and Mary, and 3 younger sisters, Elizabeth, Martha, and Lucy. Later on, the two twins Anna and Randolph joined the family.

Peter Jefferson gave a lot of attention to his first son. Tom's parents Jane and Peter wanted Tom to have a good education. Since there were few schools around at the time, boys like Tom were often sent to live with an educated man. Peter also wanted his son to be strong both physically and mentally. Tom was taught to hunt, fish, swim, and ride horseback, churn cream into butter, make a barrel out of round pieces of wood, and separate healthy tobacco leaves from unhealthy ones. Tom was also taught how to rotate crops each year by planting a certain crop in a field one year and a different crop the next year. At age 9, Tom was sent to learn and board with the Reverend William Douglass, who lived 50 miles from Shadwell. Tom's father gave him a beautiful leather-bound Latin dictionary as a going away gift. With the tough Douglass, Tom learned Greek, Latin, and French. He even memorized the manners the gentlemen had to know at the time. These rules included "Spit not, cough not, nor blow thy nose at a table."

In 1757, Tom's life changed forever when his father, Peter, had died of a disease that the doctors of the time didn't know how to cure. Peter's dying words were about Tom's education. He wanted Tom to have a thorough classical education. He also wanted to leave his surveying tools, cherrywood writing desk, and his library of 40 books to Tom. Peter Jefferson had been Tom's hero. Tom's goal in life had been to be just like his father, but now that could never become true. Tom was crushed and missed his father very much.

After his father's death, Tom became in charge of the family now that he was the oldest man in the house. His father's will split the Jefferson Plantation between Tom and his brother Randolph. Tom inherited the part of the plantation where he had been born. Since Peter had known that the 2 brothers would not be old enough to legally inherit when he died, Peter had asked 5 honest men to help the family until the 2 boys were 21, the legal inheritance age at the time.

The first decision that Tom made after his father's death was to change his teacher from William Douglass to Dr. Joseph Maury, who lived 14 miles from Shadwell, much closer then Douglass. Dr. Maury was a classical scholar who had a much better curriculum than Douglass. Maury taught Jefferson Latin, Greek, French, Italian, and how to play the violin. Dr. Maury had a library of over 400 books. Young Tom spent many hours reading all of these books and taking notes about each of them. Tom also made friends with other students of Dr. Maury such as Dabney Carr. Since Dr. Maury's home was so close to Shadwell, Tom could always go home on the weekends. His friend Dabney Carr often accompanied him on these trips to Shadwell to study and explore. At a place called Little Mountain on Shadwell, the 2 friends made a pact that if 1 of them died, the other would bury him under the large oak tree on Little Mountain where they had spent so many hours discussing subjects. Soon, Tom and his sister Jane became closer because they shared many of the same interests. Among these interests were reading, walking, and discussing topics under the Sun. Often, Jane would sing while Tom played his violin.

After 2 years of studying with Dr. Maury, Dr. Maury agreed that Tom was ready to go to college. But before this could happen, Tom had to convince his guardians that he should go to college. Tom sent the guardians a letter to convince them that he should go to the College of William and Mary. And the guardians agreed. In 1760, Thomas Jefferson, aged 16, rode of to Williamsburg, Virginia to go to the College of William and Mary. At college, Tom settled into life as easily as a groundhog in its burrow. The rules at college were strict. There was to be no racehorses, gambling, lying, cursing, or fighting on campus. Tom could usually be spotted among the young folks dancing minuets or the Virginia reel in the Apollo Room of the Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg. Even though the tall, freckle-faced boy was a bit shy, his intelligent hazel-blue eyes, clever conservation, and charming manners made him a favorite with the ladies and his fellow students.

Tom might have been interested in so many subjects that he might have neglected his studies if he hadn't met some extraordinary companions. One of these companions was Dr. William Small, a professor of mathematics. Small was not only a mathematician but also a scholar, thinker, and philosopher. Dr. Small taught his students the new scientific method of using observations and experimentation to solve problems. The 2 other companions that Tom met were George Wythe, a brilliant lawyer, and Francis Fauquier, the royal governor of Virginia at the time. The 4 friends spent many hours together discussing different subjects. Soon, the older men began to see something in the young Tom that made him a desirable companion.

In 1762, Thomas Jefferson graduated from the College of William and Mary with many skills acquired including the ability to speak Greek, Latin, French, and Italian. Because of his 3 mentors, Tomas Jefferson was one of the best-educated people in Virginia. His 3 friends Dabney Carr, John Tyler, and Patrick Henry had decided to study law, so Tom decided to do the same. Since there were no law schools at the time, a person would learn law by studying with an attorney. Tom already knew someone who fit this description, George Wythe. George Wythe was considered the best teacher of law in Virginia and had one of the largest law practices in the country. Many of his students later became important leaders in the colonies. Wythe's favorite student was always Tom and when Wythe died years later, he left all of his books to Tom. Tom studied with Wythe for 5 years, benefiting from the older man's experience of the law.

During the trips when Tom visited Shadwell, Dabney often accompanied him there. As Dabney began to get fonder with everyone in Tom's family, there was one person who Dabney began to get closer to, Tom's sister Martha. Finally, they fell in love and were married in July 1765 at Shadwell. Now Tom's best friend was also a part of his family. Soon after the wedding at Shadwell, Tom returned to Williamsburg to continue studying law. A week later, his joy of Dabney's marriage turned to sorrow when his beloved sister Jane died at the age of 25. Jane had been his companion and fellow maker of music. Soon after Jane's death, Tom began a Garden Book to keep track of the flowering and death of every blossom in his garden; Jane had always loved flowers.

Over the next 8 years, Tom handled almost 1,000 cases in his law practice and became a respected attorney. Tom developed one of the largest law practices in Virginia, riding almost 200 miles a month to handle cases. When he was 25, Tom was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses, just like his father Peter had been. Immediately, Jefferson used his position to oppose slavery. Slave owners in Virginia were not allowed to free their own slaves, so Jefferson proposed a law that would allow them to do so. Tom was shouted down and the proposed law was defeated.

Jefferson was traveling for his law practice in February 1770 when he received news that his childhood home Shadwell had been burned almost to the ground. His violin had been rescued, but all the books that Jefferson had grown up with had been destroyed in the fire. For Jefferson, books had been more precious than gold. Over the next 2 years, Jefferson collected over 1,250 books for a new library.

In 1770, Jefferson met a 21 year old widow named Martha Wayles Skelyton. Martha was the daughter of his friend and fellow attorney John Wayles. Martha had married young, but her husband had died a short time after their marriage. When Jefferson met Martha, she had a 3 year old son, but the son died of a childhood illness before he turned 4. Martha was a tall and slim lady with who walked gracefully. She could discuss books and current events. Jefferson and Martha had much in common, but the interest that they both shared most was their interest in music. Just like he had with his sister Jane, Jefferson played the violin while Martha sang. Sometimes, Martha would play the harpsichord, and other times they would both sing together. On January 1, 1772, Martha and Jefferson married at The Forest, Martha's father's home, surrounded by family and friends. It was an extremely happy moment, with fiddlers adding to the moment. Jefferson was 29, and Martha 23. After the wedding, the couple set of to the home that Jefferson had built on Little Mountain, called Monticello (At the time, Monticello was just a small cabin. Martha and Jefferson were staying at a small cabin on Little Mountain while the main house at Monticello was being built.) On their way to Monticello, Martha and Jefferson were caught in a raging snowstorm that forced the couple to abandon their carriage. When the couple finally reached the cabin that was serving as Monticello, the 2 had fun lighting candles about the 18 square foot house. The 2 had wine, music, and each other to have fun with.

On September 27, 1772, Martha gave birth to the couple's first child; a daughter called Martha but also called Patsy. For months Patsy's parents worried about her health, for Patsy was sickly at first, but Patsy eventually got better.

Jefferson's life was busier than ever since Jefferson had to supervise the running of thousands of acres of farmland, supervise the building of Monticello, and handle many legal cases. Martha and Jefferson often met Dabney Carr, also a successful lawyer and a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. However, Carr was an exciting speaker, and after his first speech, people predicted that he would have an excellent future. But after that first speech, Carr fell ill with an infection that quickly spread through his body. Carr eventually died on May 16, 1773. Jefferson was away at the time of Carr's death, but as soon as he heard about the death of his friend, he rushed home to discover that Carr had already been buried at Shadwell. Jefferson had not forgotten the promise that he had made to Carr all those years ago. Jefferson had Carr's body moved to the old oak tree on Little Mountain where they had spent so many hours sharing their thoughts to each other. On April 3, 1774, Jefferson's 2nd daughter Jane Randolph came into the world. On March 31, 1776, Thomas Jefferson's mother, Jane Randolph, died.

In May 1776, Thomas Jefferson returned to Philadelphia to attend the 2nd Continental congress taking place in Philadelphia. He was appointed on a committee to write an explanation of why the colonies were separating from Britain, for the colonists were fighting the Revolutionary War with Britain at the time. The document that the committee that Thomas Jefferson was writing was to be called the Declaration of Independence and would help to introduce a new era in the world. The delegates eventually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, a day remembered today as Independence Day. Each delegate knew that if the Patriots lost their cause, each would lose all of their possessions and be hanged for treason.

In 1779, 36 year old Thomas Jefferson was elected governor of Virginia. Thomas Jefferson had many hopes and plans for his state. Unfortunately, Thomas Jefferson had become governor of Virginia when the British were attacking Virginia. Just month earlier, a fleet of British ships had landed on the coast of Virginia, delivering 18,000 British troops that marched through the Virginia countryside, destroying crops and towns. Jefferson worked tirelessly at Richmond, Virginia, the new state capital where the government had moved for safety from the advancing British army. Despite many desperate letters to Congress for help, help never came. The Virginia Militia was poorly trained and had few supplies to defend the state. Soon, the British led by Benedict Arnold set fire to Richmond. The Virginia government was forced to move to Charlottesville, not far from Monticello. Personal problems also added to Jefferson's problems. In April 1780, Martha gave birth to the couple's 5th child. In 1781, the infant died and Martha's health worsened. Soon, the peace treaty for the Revolutionary War was signed and the war finally ended in 1783.

In 1781, French diplomat Francois de Barbe-Marbois sent Jefferson a letter with 21 questions about Virginia. Barbe-Marbois wanted to know many different things about Virginia. This was the perfect task for Jefferson since he had just had an accident when he was thrown of his horse and could not do many other activities. Jefferson described the geography, people, and politics of Virginia. Soon, Jefferson had enough writing for a book. He sent an unpublished copy of Notes on the State of Virginia to Barbe-Marbois on December 20, 1781. Notes on the State of Virginia had many private thoughts and Jefferson had no intention of publishing the book. He showed the book only to a couple of friends who begged him to publish it, but Jefferson refused. 4 years later, Jefferson allowed 200 copies to be printed in France.

In April 1782, Martha gave birth to Jefferson's 6th child Lucy was born, and Martha became very ill and weak, and her condition continued to worsen. Jefferson became frantic, focusing all of his attention on Martha's health. He administered her medicines and drink to the last, but the struggle was hopeless. Martha died on September 6, 1782. Jefferson shut himself in his room and did not come out for 3 weeks. When Thomas Jefferson finally came out of his room, he was a different man, with hollow eyes and a face worn by sorrow. He was always trying to lose himself in mindless activities such as riding horseback. Jefferson had hoped to live out his life peacefully with Martha at Monticello, but that could never happen. He engraved on Martha's tombstone:

To the memory of

Martha Jefferson

Daughter of John Wayles;

Born October 19th, 1748

Married Thomas Jefferson

January 1, 1772

Torn from him by Death

September 6th, 1782

The Monument of his Love is inscribed.

On her deathbed, Martha had made Jefferson promise never to marry again. She did not want her children to grow up with a stepmother as she had when she was growing up. Jefferson agreed, and never married again.

In November 1782, Thomas Jefferson traveled to Philadelphia to board a ship to Paris, France to help draw up a peace treaty with Britain. The ship was unable to sail because of thick ice, so Jefferson stayed in Philadelphia to wait for the ice to melt. During this time, he met some old friends and once again became interested in government. The peace treaty was signed in 1783 while Jefferson was still in Philadelphia and Jefferson had no more reasons to go to France. Jefferson was elected as a delegate to Congress where important decisions were being made about the new government for the United States.

On July 5, 1784, Thomas Jefferson sailed out of Boston Harbor on a ship called Ceres on his way to Paris with Patsy and a parrot named Shadwell. In Paris, Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams were to set up trade agreements with France. In Paris, Jefferson purchased hundreds of books from book stalls along the Seine River and took notes about the architecture of many buildings in Paris. Jefferson was often called to meet the king of France. Soon, Benjamin Franklin, the minister to France, fell into a state of poor health and had to return home to the United States. Congress then appointed Jefferson as the new minister to France. Knowing that he would be staying in France for a long time, Jefferson wanted his whole family to be with him. The only family member who was not in France was Polly, since the baby Lucy had died at the age of 2. Since Polly didn't want to come, Jefferson had to trick. So Polly and her friends were sent to play on a ship in the harbor. The friends came back day after day, and 1 day, the other girls were awakened and taken away quietly while the girls were all sleeping. The ship then set sail with the sleeping Polly onboard. On September 16, 1789, after 5 years in France, Congress approved for Thomas Jefferson to go home.

In 1790, Jefferson was chosen by the nation's 1st president George Washington to be the 1st secretary of state. Just before Jefferson left for New York City, the nation's capital, a happy family event kept him staying at Monticello a little longer. Patsy had fallen in love with her 3rd cousin Thomas Mann Randolph Jr. and they wanted to marry. On February 23, 1790, Patsy and Thomas were married at Monticello. 1 week later, Jefferson left for his position of secretary of state in New York City. In 1797, Jefferson became the vice-President of the United States under John Adams. As vice president, Jefferson's only job was to hold meetings of the Senate. He always observed confusion at meetings of the Senate. Immediately, Jefferson wrote a book called A Manual of Parliamentary Practice to help prevent confusion at Senate meetings. This book is still in use today.

In 1800, Thomas Jefferson was elected as the 3rd president of the United States. He was sworn into office on March 4, 1801. He was the 1st president to take office in the nation's new capital, Washington, D.C. At the time, the capital was just a few buildings surrounded by acres of mud. Jefferson tried to choose wisely for his cabinet. He picked people from many different regions of the country such as James Madison of Virginia. In 1803, Thomas Jefferson made the purchase of the century when he made the Louisiana Purchase from France. This purchase of land contained more than 1,000,000 square miles of forests, plains, mountains, and valleys stretching from the Mississippi River all the way to the Rocky Mountains. In 1804, Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark with a group of 30 men to explore this vast territory. This group of men was called the Corps of Discovery. They recorded 122 animals and 178 plants and trees that were new to them by the time they returned back to the United States in 1806. In 1809, Jefferson finished his 2 terms of presidency and retired to Monticello.

In 1817, Thomas Jefferson began to make plans for an ideal public school system for the United States. He decided on courses, types of faculty, student preparation, and classroom design. He drew up plans for a building that would embody all the educational goals that he wanted. In 1825, his dream came true when the University of Virginia opened. It was not just a college for the wealthy. Poor students who showed talent could study at the school for free.

Thomas Jefferson lived to see the 50th anniversary of his country. He died at his beloved home of Monticello on July 4, 1826. His friend John Adams died on the same day. Jefferson's daughter Martha found a poem that he had written for her:

Then farewell, my dear, loved daughter, adieu!

The last pang of life is in parting from you.

Jefferson had already prepared an inscription for his gravestone that listed what he thought of as his most important achievements.

Here was buried Thomas Jefferson

author of the

Declaration of American Independence

of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom

and Father of the

University of Virginia