Thomas Jefferson Declaration Of Independence Analysis

Ben Polk

Language Arts

Mrs. Allen

25th April, 2018

Father of the Declaration of Independence Our third president of the United States was Thomas Jefferson. He was a successful lawyer, he was the minister of France, then he was America's president. Thomas Jefferson, until death, was a hard worker, lawyer and president of the United States, who built our nation through the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson was born April 13th, 1743, at Shadwell Plantation. His father’s name was Peter Jefferson, who was a planter and surveyor. His mother's name was Jane Randolph Jefferson, who came from a special family in Virginia society (History.com). Jefferson lived at Shadwell plantation until he was two years old, then moved into a

Tom was not a good speaker, but a good writer, so he was chosen to draft the Declaration of Independence. That document was a beacon of American Independence to the world, it was passed July 4th, 1776 (History.com). That same year he resigned from Congress and was re- elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. There he proposed the Virginia Statute for religious freedom, which was not passed until 1786. From 1779- 1781 he served as the governor of Virginia (History.com). Again being elected to congress in 1783, he recommended the dollar as a money system and using the decimal system for coins. Jefferson also drafted the peace treaty with Britain to officially finish the war. Thomas, in 1785 was elected as minister to France. Jefferson then returned to the U.S. to take the job as secretary of state to George Washington, 1790- 1793 (Scholastic.com). In disputes with Alexander Hamilton, Jefferson chose a direct interpretation of the Constitution unlike Hamilton, believing it prevented war. In 1796, John Adams is elected president, with Jefferson as vice president. In 1806, Jefferson competed against Aaron Burr for presidency, the votes were even. The House of Representatives elected Jefferson as president, the first peaceful transfer of power in the United States

As president, he reduced taxes, and repealed the Alien and Sedition acts. He cooperated well with Congress, honoring the power of both branches of power. False accusations led to Jefferson being exposed as atheist, a rumor, but overall Jefferson was popular to the people. In 1803, he purchased the Louisiana Territory, he created and sent the Lewis and Clark expeditions (Scholastic.com). A bad move on Jefferson's part was the Embargo act, which closed American ports to foreign trade, which hurt the economy (1807). He repealed the act in 1809. Jefferson chose not to run a third term and James Madison is the fourth president of the United States. The former president spent years after presidency in Monticello, he founded the University of Virginia in 1825 (History.com). Back in 1776, five delegates were chose to write the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin, Rodger Sherman, John Adams, Robert R. Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson (millercenter.org). He was chosen to write the Declaration because they all admired the gift of his writing. Also because he represented Virginia interests, one of the lead states in the revolution. Benjamin Franklin even turned down the job and gave it to Jefferson. The Declaration contained a list of faults against King George and Great Britain presented as the “common sense of Independence”. He created and built the true meaning of