Thomas+Jefferson

=Thomas Jefferson-= Thomas Jefferson, most known for drafting the Declaration of Independence, was a very smart man. Not only was he book smart, in which he used to help set down the laws and tasks of the Constitution, but was also clever. He was so clever that he tricked half of the nation into thinking that they won and battle, but in fact they would lose it. He was the founder of American law, and the new concept of changing the laws. He wrote set down the very essence of life, and the what it means to be an American in the preamble of The Declaration of Independence: //"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."//

Early Life:
Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13,1743 into a rich Virginian family. He was the third of eight children. He was sent to a private Christan school, were he was educated well. It was there were he began to thirst for knowledge and become one of the world's best scholars.

After boarding school, Tom went to College of William and Mary in Williamsburg Virgina. At William & Mary, he enrolled in the philosophy school and studied mathematics, metaphysics, and philosophy. He graduated at the top of his class. It was then, after he had such high honors in college, that he was given the title of scholar and great thinker.

Once he was done with college, he moved back to Virgina were he started a plantation in growing cotton. He built his home there, which eventually became known as Monticello. In the 18th and 19th century, cotton was very profitable. Tom soon made lot's of money, and with that continued his education. He did this by reading many books and engaging in conversations with other scholars, men like Ben Franklin and other founding Fathers.

One of the reasons Tom's plantation was so successful was because he owned many slaves. They did all the work for no pay and little food. Later in life Tom would free his slaves and become a avid supporter for freedom for all, but in his younger days the thought slavery was good.

Political Advancement:
Tom's successful plantation made him and rich and powerful man in Virgina. When he went into politics in 1774, he was easily elected to to the Virginian House of Burgesses, which was the most powerful state government in colonial America. He was out-spoken and powerful in the house, that is how he got elected to the Continental Congress. The Continental Congress was the men who decided to declare independence from Britain and write the Declaration of Independence. Tom, the best writer in the lot, was chosen to write out the words.

During the Revolutionary War, he returned to the Virginia House of Delegates to serve his state. There he helped the war effort in any way possible. After the war was over with, he sailed over seas to France to study and learn more about government. He knew that America needed more than just the promises of The Declaration of Independence, they needed a government that could stand the test of time and be strong, even after the all the heroes and founding Fathers had all died.

France was a good place to study. Tom looked at all the European governments, what they did well and what they did wrong. He studied the Ancient Greeks and Romans in how their democracy (Greeks) and Republic (Romans) worked. One of the things Tom feared is that a man like Julius Ceaser, who toppled the the Roman Republic, would do that to America and make it a Totalitarianism. After studing in France form 1785–1789, he returned to America for the drafting of the Constitution. He took his ideas that he got while he overseas and put them into the Constitution.

During the convention, Tom pushed for outlawing slavery and giving equal rights for all. The representatives from the southern states would not sign the constitution if that was a part of it though. Tom, knowing that if the Constitution was going to be ratified, it could not include outlawing slavery or laws giving equal rights for all. Instead of giving up on the prospect of civil rights however, Tom devised a clever plan. He, and a few others, were developing the country's justice system. While doing this, Tom created a system that could change the constitution. These changes were called amendments, and every part of the constitution could be changed. Tom knew that he could not win the battle of Civil Rights at his time, so he devised a system that could allow the battle to be won later. Later, would be known as the Civil War.

The President
In 1800, Thomas Jefferson was elected the 3rd president in United States history. While in office, which was from 1800-1809, he was most famous for buying the Louisiana territory. This was giant amount of land, which was owned by France. Tom bought it of them, and more than doubled the size of the country.

Also while he was President, Tom made an attempt to push an amendment that would outlaw slavery. The south got rid of it before it could even go to court though. They would not allow the thing (slaves) that made them so much money become illegal. Tom knew this, he was once a slave owner himself and made lot's of money off of them. He knew in his heart though that slaves were not right, and later in his life he bought many slaves, educated them and freed them.

The most important thing he did in office though was probably separate the Church from State. In the Constitution, it says that this must be done, but none of the nervously Presidents had enforced it. Many schools required students to say prayers and read form the Bible. Many communities forced the residents to attend church. Tom enforced the separation of the Church from State policy and encouraged free religion for all.

Death and Legacy[[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Thomas_Jefferson%27s_Grave_Site.jpg width="351" height="480" align="right"]]
After being President, Tom moved off the political radar. He moved back to Virgina and his house Monticello. There he kept on reading and learning, and once in a while offering advice. He died on the 4th of July 1826, 50 years after the signing of The Declaration of Independence. He died of old age, heart faliure. He was layed to rest in the basement of Monticello and his grave rests in it's back yard. It reads:

//HERE WAS BURIED THOMAS JEFFERSON// //AUTHOR OF THE DECLARATION OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE// //OF THE STATUTE OF VIRGINIA FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM// //AND FATHER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA//

==Thomas Jefferson did more for Civil rights than most know. He gave the chance for people like Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Ceaser Chavez, and the many others that have tired hard for change and Civil Rights to change America for the better. What he could not do in his years he made possible for others that would come after him. When he wrote down the words of The Declaration of Independence, that all men are created equal, he really ment it. He had a dream of Civil Rights, for everyone.==

Famous Quotes by Thomas Jefferson:
"I cannot live without books." "It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself" "The man who fears no truth has nothing to fear from lies." "A banking establishment in more dangerous than a standing army"