April 13, 1743 Thomas Jefferson is Born

April 13, 1743 Thomas Jefferson is Born Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743 (April 2, 1743, by the calendar that was in use at that time). He was born at Shadwell, which is the family farm that was located in what is now Albermarle County, Virginia, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Thomas had six sisters and one brother that lived and two brothers who died as babies. His father Peter was a surveyor, sheriff, militia colonel, and a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. His mother Jane was from a very old family in Virginia. Thomas Jefferson was educated by a tutor as a child. Later, he went to live with a clergyman who taught him Latin, Greek, and French. When Thomas Jefferson was fourteen, his father died. Since Thomas was the oldest son, he became head of the family and inherited more than 2,500 acres of land. After his father died, Thomas went to another school taught by an Anglican clergyman. His guardian managed everything until he was 21 years old. When he was sixteen, Thomas began studies at the College of William and Mary at Williamsburg, Virginia. It is thought that he loved learning, as he is said to have often spent up to 15 hours a day with his books. While at college, he met many influential people who had an impact on his thinking about many subjects, including politics. He attended the College of William and Mary for two years and left without earning a degree. He went to study law with George Wythe, a very influential lawyer in Virginia. Jefferson was admitted to practice law in 1767. He was said to be a little nervous when appearing in court and not an exceptional speaker, but his writing and understanding of the law was impressive. Along with practicing law, Jefferson also pursued political life, serving as a local magistrate, county lieutenant, and a member of the House of Burgesses. He was also one of the representatives of Virginia at the Second Continental Congress and served in the Virginia legislature after leaving the Continental Congress. He was elected governor of Virginia from 1779 to 1781. In 1772, Thomas Jefferson got married. He and his wife had five children, but only two lived to adulthood. His wife died in 1782, and Thomas Jefferson never remarried. ***** Try the following true and false questions to see what you know about the later life of Thomas Jefferson. Research any of the questions you are not certain of. An answer key for the true and false is provided if you get stuck. Then try a few of the research questions that follow.

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Mark each statement T for true or F for false. If the statement is false, see if you can correct it. _____1.

Thomas Jefferson was very much in favor of a Bill of Rights to go along with the new Constitution.

_____2.

In 1784, Thomas Jefferson served with John Adams and Thomas Paine in France to negotiate treaties of commerce.

_____3.

In 1783, Thomas Jefferson was chosen to serve as one of Virginia’s representatives to the Continental Congress where he chaired a committee that worked out a decimal system of currency.

_____4.

Thomas Jefferson was made chairman of two committees that drafted a law for the organization of the territories in the west that were becoming part of the new nation.

_____5.

Thomas Jefferson wanted all new states to be allowed to have slavery if they wanted it.

_____6.

In 1789, Thomas Jefferson was asked to be Secretary of the Treasury under President George Washington.

_____7.

Many southern states did not want to help pay the debts of the other states from the Revolutionary War. In order to compromise, Jefferson helped arrange for the capital of the nation to be in present-day Washington, D.C.

_____8.

The first political parties came about partially because of the disputes between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr as to how the Constitution should be interpreted.

_____9.

Thomas Jefferson ran against John Adams for president in 1796. He lost the election, and according to the law at the time, this made him Vice President.

_____10.

Thomas Jefferson was very much against the Alien and Sedition Acts which were passed while he was Vice President.

_____11.

Thomas Jefferson ran for president again in 1800. Aaron Burr ran as his Vice President. Because there was no distinction between who the electoral votes were cast for, the House of Representatives had to choose if Jefferson or Burr had won the presidency.

_____12.

In 1801, Tripoli declared war on the United States of America.

_____13.

Under President Jefferson, the Gadsden Purchase took place.


_____14.

Thomas Jefferson’s grandson was the first child born in the White House.

_____15.

It was during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson that the power of the Supreme Court to declare whether a law was unconstitutional was established.

_____16.

Thomas Jefferson selected William Clark to lead an expedition across the country to explore to the Pacific Ocean. William Clark chose Meriwether Lewis to go with him.

_____17.

Thomas Jefferson was reelected president in 1807.

_____18.

Thomas Jefferson was 69 when he retired from the presidency in March 1809.

_____19.

Thomas Jefferson was a major force in the creation of the University of Virginia.

_____20.

Thomas Jefferson improved a copying machine called the polygraph.

Research Topics 1.

What were the Alien and Sedition Acts? What eventually happened to them?

2.

During Thomas Jefferson’s presidency, the 12th Amendment to the Constitution was adopted. What did the 12th Amendment provide for?

3.

In a letter to his daughter Martha dated May 5, 1787, Thomas Jefferson wrote: “Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.” What are your thoughts about this statement?

4.

Within a year of the time the United States purchased a vast amount of land from France, Napoleon crowned himself emperor of the French. How did the reign of Napoleon impact the relationship of France and the United States?

5.

During the second term of Thomas Jefferson as president, Robert Fulton began the first successful steamboat service. Did this have an impact on the movement west of the people of the United States? If so, how?


Answer Key __T__1. __F__2.

. . . John Adams and Benjamin Franklin . . .

__T__3. __T__4. __F__5.

. . . wanted slavery to be forbidden west of the Appalachian Mountains.

__F__6.

. . . asked to be Secretary of State . . .

__T__7. __F__8.

. . . Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton as to how the Constitution . . .

__T__9. __T__10. __T__11. __T__12. __F__13.

. . . the Louisiana Purchase took place.

__T__14. __T__15. __F__16.

. . . selected Meriwether Lewis to lead . . . Meriwether Lewis chose William Clark to go with him.

__F__17.

. . . reelected president in 1804.

__F__18.

. . . was 65 when he retired from the presidency . . .

__T__19. __T__20.
