Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743. He lived at the family home in Shadwell in the Colony of Virginia. He was the third of ten children. Thomas Jefferson’s father, Peter Jefferson, died when Thomas Jefferson was 14 years old. Thomas inherited approximately 5,000 acres of land, including Monticello. He got full authority of his land when he was 21. After Thomas practiced as a circuit lawyer for many years, he married a 23 year old widow, Martha Wayles Skelton. They were said to have a happy marriage and they both had a strong mutual love for music. In their 10 years of marriage they had 6 children, only two survived to adulthood. Later Martha suffered from diabetes and ill health and having children often weakened her even more. She died on …show more content…
He was 33 years old. He was one of the youngest delegates to the Second Continental Congress beginning in 1775 at the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. The formal declaration of independence from Britain was overwhelmingly favored. Thomas Jefferson chose his words for the Declaration in June 1775. It was shortly after the war had begun. At that time the idea of Independence from Britain had become very popular among the colonies. Jefferson was inspired by the Enlightenment ideals of the sanctity of the individual. He was also inspired by the writings of Locke and Montesquieu. Jefferson sought out John Adams. John Adams was an emerging leader of the Congress. They became close friends. John Adams supported Jefferson’s appointment to the Committee of Five. The Committee of Five consisted of John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and Roger Sherman of Connecticut. Their job was to draft a declaration. The committee first thought that John Adams was going to write the document, but Adams insisted on choosing Thomas Jefferson to write the