How Did Thomas Jefferson Contribute To The Declaration Of Independence

Thomas Jefferson was known as the “Founding Father,” of America, not because he found all the states of the U.S, but because he was the main author of the Declaration of Independence on July 2, 1776. In addition to being the “Founding Father,” of the U.S., he was also the secretary of war, a republican, a vice president, and president of the United States for one term. Thomas Jefferson shaped America’s history in many ways for instance, his involvement in writing The Declaration of Independence, commencing political parties, and arguably his greatest contribution, was the Louisiana Purchase which allowed America to grow, develop, and diversify.

On July 4, 1776, America declared official independence from Britain. This document would be known

The United States wished to create an independent nation and unify the thirteen colonies. High tariffs, trading with Britain only, and lack of representation in government increased the eagerness for independence. However, America did not just receive its independence effortlessly. The fight for independence led to the memorable Revolutionary War. Firstly, the colonies formed a war time alliance called the Articles of Confederation, which was the first constitution of America, which lasted between 1776-1783. George Washington was appointed general due to his military experience and the fact that he came from Virginia lead to his popularity. The revolutionaries began the war in the North and won the three main battles of Brooklyn, Trenton, and Saratoga. More importantly, the battle of Saratoga was significant because it obtained support from France in 1778. These battles then lead to war in the West and South.

Thomas Jefferson led the first Republican Party. Republicans, or anti-Federalists, opposed Nationalists, who opted for a national bank, high tariffs and pursued westward expansion. Instead, Republicans believed in a strong state government and in small scale farming. Another principle they held was being self-sufficient. Many people believe having different parties is a disadvantage; however, it could be viewed as an advantage because people, specifically voters, have the opportunity to choose whichever candidate party they mainly agree with instead of having to vote for the candidate you disagree with. In addition, if Jefferson had never started his opposing view of America, political parties would have most likely never existed. In 1803 the greatest success of Jefferson’s presidency occurred, The Louisiana Purchase. Napoleon Bonaparte was fighting a rather costly war with Britain and decided to sell all of France’s claims on Louisiana for $15 million dollars. Jefferson originally offered five million for New Orleans alone in order to gain control of the important ports and waterways; however, he was offered the whole territory, which was approximately 800,000 square miles of land. Even so, buying the Louisiana territory went against Jefferson’s principle as an anti-Federalist. He also worried that purchasing the land would upset the American people