Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was born in Shadwell Virginia on April 13, 1743. He was the third child out of six sisters and one brother. He did have two other brothers but they both died in infancy . His father was Peter Jefferson and died when he was only fourteen. His mother was Jane Randolph Jefferson. After his father died, he became the head of the household and inherited 2,500 acres of land and at least twenty enslaved African Americans. Even though Thomas inherited all of this his, guardian John harvie managed the estate until Thomas was twenty-one. Thomas began his studies under a tutor because the colony of Virginia had no public schools. When he was nine he went to live with a scottish clergyman who taught him Latin, Greek, and french. After the death of his father , he entered the school of James Maury near Charlottesville. In 1760 he entered the College of William and Mary at Williamsburg. After leaving college in 1762 he studied with George Wythe. In 1767 he was admitted to the bar. Thomas married in 1772 to Martha Wayles Skelton. They had one son and five daughters but only two lived to maturity. Martha died in 1782 leaving Thomas a widow. Thomas never remarried. Writers like John Locke, Algemon Sidney, Francis Hutcheson, Henry Home, and Lord Kames had an enourmous influence on thomas's political philosphy. thomas had been raised in the Anglican Church but he developed a dirstrust of organized religon. thomas had intrest othe thatn politics such as archeology, fishing, horticultur, riding, and playing violin.Other than a political office, Thomas had other jobs like beign a lawyer. After retiring at sixty-five, Thomas divided his time between his plantations at Monticello and Poplar Forest. His major activity was guiding the creation of the Uiniversity of Virginia. He turned to music, architecture, chemical experiments, and the study of religon, philosphy, law, and education.

Thomas's logical powers, sound but conservative statesmenship, public experience, past holds in office made him a well qualified canidate for presidency. he was part of teh Democratic-Republican party and the republics again nominated him for president in 1800 after the loss of teh previous election. his opponents, the federalist campaign were President Adams and Charles C. Pinckney of South Carolina. The federalist capaigned against jefferson as an infidel who would destryo religon and replace it with the Goddness of Reason. Even thogh the Federalist party made these acusations, the political reason in the United States was swinging away from the Federalist ideas, and advocatign towards a more democratic form of government so teh Republicans won a clear victory. This vote caused a crisis in American constitutional history.The electors, in voting for Jefferson or Burr, had not specified whether their vote was for president or vice president. Burr ended up having as many votes for the office of president as Jefferson had. The Constitution provides that in case no candidate in a presidential election wins a majority of the electoral votes, the election must go to the House of Representatives, where each state has one vote. To win, Jefferson or Burr had to have the support of a majority of the 16 states. Congress was dominated by Federalists who had to choose between two Republican candidates. From February 11 when the voting began to February 16, neither Jefferson or Burr could win nine states. Hamilton disliked Burr more than Jefferson so he favored Jefferson, but most Federalists did not . The crisis was resolved when a group of Federalists came to realize that if an good transfer of government power was to happen , the majority party must have its choice as president. So on February 17 the deadlock was broken. On the 36th ballot, Jefferson won the support of ten states and was elected president. Burr, who had the support of only four states, became vice president. As a result of this election, the 12th Amendment was added to the Constitution. This amendment specified that electors were to "name in their ballots the person voted for as president, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as vice president." Jefferson served two terms form 1801-1809.

During Jeffersons presidency he was faced with