2. Jefferson … Pre-Presidency
• Born April 13, 1743 at Shadwell Plantation in
Albemarle County Virginia to Peter Jefferson of
Welsh ancestry and Jane Randolph, a descendent
from kings of Scotland and England
• Spent boyhood at Tuckahoe Plantation (1745-1752) –
working farm established by prominent influential
Randolph family
• Educated in 1-room schoolhouse by private tutor
William Douglas, a Scottish minister – avid learner
of Greek, French and Latin from age 9 – read/wrote
music and played violin by age 14
• Left fatherless at age 14 – became landowner, slave
owner and head of family (1757)
• Earned B.A. degree at College of William & Mary in
Williamsburg, Virginia at age 19 (1762)
3. Jefferson … Pre-Presidency
Most Enlightened Man of the 18th Century
• Studied law under George Wythe, distinguished jurist
and prominent law professor – admitted to Virginia
Bar (1767)
• At age 25, elected to Virginia House of Burgesses – the
1st assembly of elected representatives of English
colonists in North America (1769)
• Served as Virginia delegate to Continental Congress
in Philadelphia (1775)
• Authored Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom
creating doctrine of separation of church and state
(1777) – became US law in 1786
• Primary author of Declaration of Independence
drafted alongside John Adams and Benjamin
Franklin – approved by Continental Congress on July
4, 1776
4. Jefferson … Pre-Presidency
• Served as wartime Governor of Virginia (1779-1781) during
American Revolution
• Became US Ambassador to France succeeding Benjamin Franklin
– stationed in Paris to negotiate commercial treaties (1785)
• Appointed US‟ 1st Secretary of State under President Washington
(1790-1793) – resigned due to sympathy for French Revolution
(1789-1799), a decade of social and political upheaval by the
people of France learning of democracy in America – resulted in
collapse of monarchy, aristocracy and religious authority
• As runner-up in 1st contested presidential election (defeated by 3
votes), became US‟ 2nd Vice-president (1797-1801) under President
John Adams
• While VP, wrote A Manual of Parliamentary Procedure to keep
order in Senate (1797)
• Became 3rd president of American Philosophical Society founded
by Benjamin Franklin (1797)
5. Jefferson …The President
Apostle of Democracy
• As member of Democrat-Republican party, elected 3rd US
president defeating John Adams and serving 2 terms (1801-1809)
– his 1st term election known as „Revolution of 1800‟ when
Republicans swept elections nationwide, marking 1st peaceful
transfer of power from one party to another in American history
• Established US Military Academy at West Point, NY through
Military Peace Establishment Act (1802) – underscoring
importance of useful sciences in educating corps of engineers to
protect a young nation from enemy forces
• Purchased 828,000-sq-mile Louisiana Territory from French
Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte for $15 million (roughly 4 cents
an acre) effectively doubling size of US – known as “Louisiana
Purchase” (1803)
• Sent Lewis & Clark Expedition (1804-1806) to explore “new
west”
6. Jefferson …The President
• Oversaw Embargo Act (1807) forbidding all foreign
commerce to persuade Britain to revise its maritime
policies by applying economic pressure – at his
request, Congress passes Enforcement Act
increasing authority to intercept and seize cargoes
suspected to be in violation of embargo
• Non-Intercourse Act (1809) replaced Embargo Act –
legalized trade with all nations except Britain and
France – authorized re-opening trade with either or
both if their maritime policies and American claims
to neutral shipping rights were recognized
• Laws resulted in great US economic distress –
induced Britain to begin military operations against
US eventually leading to War of 1812
• Left Washington DC for beloved estate Monticello –
never to return, or to leave Virginia (1809)
7. President: Fast Facts
• Throughout his lifetime, fiercely supported virtues of
Republicanism – democracy, states‟ rights and limited Federal
government
• 1st president inaugurated in new capital city of Washington DC
– took office at age 57
• Sold personal 6,000+ volume library to Congress for $24,000 to
pay down debts – collection begins Library of Congress, (1815),
and is now the world‟s largest library
• Founded University of Virginia (1819) fulfilling
aspirations for both free and universal education and
agrarian democracy in new Republic specifically free
of church influences – university opens as 1st centered
around a library rather than a church (1825)
• Died at Monticello on July 4, 1826 (on 50th anniversary of
Declaration of Independence signing and same day as rival
statesman John Adams) – buried in hillside family cemetery
beside his wife
8. Jefferson: Private Life
• Known as horticulturist, statesman, architect, archaeologist,
inventor
• Invented clocks, dumbwaiter, polygraph machine, Venetian blinds,
moldboard for a plow and achromatic telescope
• Mutual love of music cemented romance with Martha Wayles
Skelton – fond of Chamber and Baroque for strings and keyboard
– Italian Arcangelo Corelli known to be favorite composer
• 10-year marriage (1772) produced 6 children – only 2 survived to
adulthood – remained widower after Martha‟s death (1782)
• Established residence at Monticello plantation
estate on inherited land in Charlottesville, Virginia
• Sally Hemings, Jefferson‟s mixed-race fair-skin slave
inherited from his wife served as lady‟s maid to his daughters – in
2000, DNA tests and in-depth genealogy studies conducted by The
Monticello Foundation, The National Geographical Society and The
Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation concluded Jefferson
fathered Hemings‟ 6 children born between 1795-1808
9. Jefferson …The Memorial
Tribute to Philosopher & Statesman
• Located in West Potomac Park on shore of Tidal
Basin of Potomac River south of White House in
Washington DC
• Neoclassical Palladian-style architecture composed
of circular marble steps, a portico, a circular
colonnade of ionic order columns and a 129-ft high
shallow dome modeled after Pantheon of Rome
designed by architect John Russell Pope trained in
tradition of Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris
• Built by Philadelphia contractor John McShain
(1939-1943)
• 19-ft tall bronze statue of Jefferson by sculptor
Rudulph Evans casted by Roman Bronze Company
of NY – delayed installation (1947) due to shortage
of bronze during World War II
10. Jefferson …The Memorial
Interior walls engraved with
passages from Jefferson's writings:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness, that to secure these rights
governments are instituted among men. We solemnly publish
and declare, that these colonies are and of right ought to be
free and independent states. And for the support of this
declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine
providence, we mutually pledge our lives, our fortunes, and
our sacred honour.”
Southwest interior wall ~ Declaration of Independence (1776)
• Triangular pediment relief above entrance
created by sculptor Adolph A. Weinman depicts 5
members of Declaration of Independence Drafting
Committee
• Surrounded by cherry blossom trees given to US
by Tokyo (1912)
11. Memorial: Fast Facts
• Thomas Jefferson Memorial Commission was established to plan,
design and construct memorial (1934) – 108 years after his death
• Architectural style reflects Jefferson's documented tastes seen at
Monticello and Rotunda at University of Virginia – critics view its
imperial grandeur at odds with American democratic spirit
• Architect Pope dies without seeing completion of his vision (1937)
– partners Daniel P Higgins and Otto R. Eggers take over project
• Cornerstone laid by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1939)
• Dedicated by President Roosevelt on April 13, 1943 – 200th
anniversary of Jefferson's birthday
• Site of annual ceremonies including Easter Sunrise Services and
Cherry Blossom Festival
• Ranks 4th on list of America's Favorite
Architecture by American Institute of Architects
(2007)
• Final cost to build = $3,192,312
12. Other Honors & Tributes
• Jefferson National Expansion Memorial ("Gateway Arch") in Saint
Louis, Missouri
• Statue sculpted by Moses Ezekial – University of Virginia (1910)
• Depicted in stone at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South
Dakota
• Portrait featured on US $2 bill and 5¢ nickel
• Portrait appears 14 times on US Postage stamps (1856-1993)
including 1st commemorative issue to ever honor US President (1904)
– Memorial appears at least 6 times
• Thomas Jefferson University & Hospital, Philadelphia
• Washington & Jefferson College – Washington, Pennsylvania
• Thomas Jefferson School of Law – San Diego, California
• Thomas Jefferson Library, University of Missouri-St Louis
• Mount Jefferson – Cascade Range, Oregon
• Jefferson, Maine – Jefferson, New Hampshire – Jefferson City,
Missouri
• THOMAS.gov – In the spirit of Thomas Jefferson, legislative
information from the Library of Congress
13. References
Jefferson Pre-Presidency - Content & Images Timeline - http://www.shmoop.com/thomas-jefferson/timeline.html
Boyhood Tuckahoe Plantation - Thomas Jefferson – Schoolworkhelper.com, St. Rosemary Educational Institution -
http://www.tuckahoeplantation.com/Tuckahoe_Plantation/History.html, http://schoolworkhelper.net/2011/05/thomas-jefferson-biography-presidency/
http://www.virginia.org/Listings/HistoricSites/TuckahoePlantationboyhoodhomeofThoma West Point - http://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/united-states-
sJefferson/ military-academy-west-point
Thomas Jefferson, Famous People - http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thomas- Sally Hemings, Black History Month -
jefferson-72.php http://zmblackhistorymonth2011.blogspot.com/2011/02/feb-4-sally-hemings-mother-
Thomas Jefferson A Boy’s Life - http://www.awesomestories.com/biographies/thomas- to.html
jefferson/a-boys-life Photos:
Jefferson Childhood - http://www.shmoop.com/thomas-jefferson/childhood.html Statue of Thomas Jefferson - Rotunda - University of Virginia - www.virginia.edu
Jefferson the Violinist – http://lewis-clark.org/content/content-article.asp?ArticleID=1241 Statue of Thomas Jefferson at the University of Virginia at Wise -
Thomas Jefferson, Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson http://www.aboutfamouspeople.com/article5003.html
Thomas Jefferson – USHistory.org - Jefferson statue, Washington, D.C. Library of Congress -
http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/jefferson.htm http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2011630749/
Thomas Jefferson Declaration Committee, National Park Service Statue at Monticello - http://www2.monticello.org/featured/9statue.html
http://www.nps.gov/thje/historyculture/the-declaration-committee.htm Monticello Thomas Jefferson's home in Charlottesville, Virginia
Jefferson – Whitehouse.gov - http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2011633053/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/thomasjefferson Timeline - University of Virginia Rotunda - http://www.virginia.edu/rotunda/
http://www.shmoop.com/thomas-jefferson/timeline.html
Monticello – http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson Jefferson, The Memorial – Content & Images
Photos: Jefferson Memorial, National Park Service, http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc73.htm
Shadwell -Waymarking.com - Jefferson Memorial – About.com -
http://www.waymarking.com/gallery/image.aspx?f=1&guid=86b63133-5ca1-4830-9f14- http://dc.about.com/od/monuments/p/JeffersonMem.htm
f02f425ae47e Jefferson Memorial, Tour of DC - http://www.tourofdc.org/monuments/jefferson-
Tuckahoe Plantation - memorial/
http://www.tuckahoeplantation.com/Tuckahoe_Plantation/History.html John Russell Pope, Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Russell_Pope
College of William and Mary http://americangardenhistory.blogspot.com/2009/11/yards- Photos: Jefferson Memorial - http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/highsm.12557/ ,
in-early-american-landscape.html http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2010630278/
Writing the Declaration of Independence 1776- Wikipedia -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Writing_the_Declaration_of_Independence_1776_cph.3g Other Honors & Tributes – Content
09904.jpg List of Jefferson Tributes -
Declaration of Independence - http://research.history.org/pf/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_places_named_for_Thomas_Jefferson
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Audio: Arcangelo Corelli - Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 4 - 1. Adagio – Allegro, Advent
Chamber Orchestra - Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcangelo_Corelli
Jefferson, The President – Content
Thomas Jefferson, Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson, Famous People - http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thomas-
jefferson-72.php
Jefferson – Whitehouse.gov -
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/thomasjefferson
Content and images on this site are believed to be posted within rights according to the U.S. Copyright Fair Use Act (title 17, U.S. Code.), are
readily available in various places on Internet and believed to be in public domain. Compiled by Susan Senning, San Mateo CA 2012
