Thomas Jefferson
miércoles, 16 de marzo de 2011
Thomas Jefferson was born in spring of 1743in Virginia. His father Peter Jefferson was a successful planter and surveyor and his mother Jane Randolph a member of one of Virginia's most distinguished families. He married Martha Wayles Skelton, with whom he lived happily for ten years until her death. Their marriage produced six children, but only two survived to adulthood. Jefferson was sometimes called a renaissance man in early America. He could speak five different languages and was able to read two others. He was a lawyer, author, musician, inventor, and scientist. He studied farming and was an expert on growing all kinds of plants. Jefferson started his studies of Greek, Latin, and French languages when he was only nine years old. He began his studies at William and Mary College when he was sixteen. As a student at the college Williamsburg, he was able to see all the changes that were being debated in their colonies. He was taken to the House of Burgesses the day Patrick Henry said his famous “Give me liberty, or give me death”. It was here that Thomas Jefferson desire for freedom began. He wasn’t an orator who could move people with his words so he used his wisdom and talent with written paper to make his point. While he was a member of the House of Burgesses, he wrote many papers to support freedom and attended committees. In 1775, he replaced Payton Randolph at the meeting of the Continental Congress. Some papers he wrote while he was in the Congress were about the rights of British citizens in the colonies. These papers were published throughout the colonies and even got to England. In 1776, he was asked to write all his thoughts and desires of the colonists concerning freedom. His work was changed a little bit by James Madison and Benjamin Franklin. Jefferson was not happy with the changes. In July 4, 1776, his work became The Declaration of Independence. He became Virginia’s governor. He was sent to France with Benjamin Franklin and John Adams to secure their support in the war against England. After Revolutionary War ended he was appointed Secretary of State by George Washington the first President of the United States. After this he ran himself for president but was defeated by John Adams. So he became the vice-president. They didn’t agreed with their thoughts and hardly spoke each other. In 1801 he ran for president again and this time he won. He changed the way the president was elected and purchased the land west of the Mississippi River. Jefferson began the University of Virginia and the Library of Congress. He lived until July 4, 1826.
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