There are some interesting facts that you should know about Thomas Jefferson that caused him to become such a remarkable personality.Thomas Jefferson served as the third President of America from 1801-1809. He was a well-known and yet contradictory figure in the political history of the country.Although his contributions are significant and form the foundation of American independence, he was also a knowledgeable individual.He was a sincere student and had a keen interest in art and music. He developed compassion for the slaves and hence drifted to studying law and then participating in his political career. He was also a language expert. Coming from a simple family, Thomas Jefferson grew to be a renowned and complex president in the history of America who also had sympathies for the French Revolution.Read on to know more about the incident where the British burned American merchant ships when Jefferson resigned. After you have read all about the life and death of Jefferson, also check out Buddhism facts for kids and Amerigo Vespucci facts for kids.Thomas Jefferson Childhood FactsJefferson was a keen learner and a sincere student. His early childhood education was provided by tutors. He was born in Albemarle County, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.He spent most of his time outdoors observing the surroundings and nature, he read many books. Thomas Jefferson also loved to write and thus enjoyed his time in nature.He began his education in 1752. He was then admitted to a school that was run by a Scottish minister, William Douglas. Thomas Jefferson also started practicing law and handled a number of cases from 1768-1773. He soon established himself as a reputed lawyer. He excelled in numerous academic fields.Thomas Jefferson Cool FactsThomas Jefferson was greatly influenced by two professors while he studied at William & Mary. A professor introduced Jefferson to the thinkers of Enlightenment.Around the 18th century, the Enlightenment was a movement characterized by reason, skepticism of organized religion, humanism, and inner spirit. He grew up to become a knowledgeable and intelligent person before starting his political career.Thomas Jefferson had been a distinct individual since his childhood. His studies and other interests are reflected in his unique personality. His personal life was also different, as Thomas Jefferson married a young widow in 1772. Her name was Martha Wayles Skelton. Thomas Jefferson and Martha had six children, namely Martha Jefferson Randolf, Jane Randolph, Mary Wales, Lucy Elizabeth, and Elizabeth. His wife Martha breathed her last in 1782.Thomas Jefferson Crazy FactsBy the age of nine, Jefferson started developing a keen interest in languages. He knew Greek, French, and Latin. He was a keen and curious student. He studied for 15 hours a day.He also had an interest in learning to play the violin. He was a creative child and hence took an interest in learning about the arts. After the death of his father, he went to study higher education in 1760. He enrolled at the College of William & Mary, in Williamsburg.There he studied metaphysics, mathematics, and philosophy and graduated with the highest honors in 1762. Thereafter, he went on to study law under the guidance of George Wythe at the Virginia bar in 1767. After obtaining a license and obtaining valuable mentorship from his professor, he fought many legal cases.Thomas Jefferson Facts Before The PresidencyThomas Jefferson was appointed as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress in 1775. He also served as a member of the committee drafting the declaration. In the year 1776, Jefferson was also appointed as a delegate to the new Virginia House of Delegates.Among his reforms, the most prominent were laws to establish religious freedom in the state.Jefferson was the Governor of Virginia in 1779 and held that position till 1781. During his tenure as Governor, the capital of Virginia was transferred to Richmond from Williamsburg in 1780. His reputation as governor was ruined due to two British invasions, and he never won an election in Virginia again after that.He was also a minister in France from 1785-89 and supported France against Britain during the war. Jefferson became the first secretary of state in 1790 and spoke against federalism in the US when George Washington was President. He co-founded the Democratic-Republican Party with James Madison.Thomas Jefferson Basic FactsIn 1774, Thomas Jefferson wrote a book that is considered an early advocate of American independence from Parliamentary authority. The book was ‘A Summary View of the Rights of British America’.Thomas Jefferson had compassion for the slaves since his early life, and he took a leadership role in pushing slavery as a critical agenda item in the Virginia Assembly and the Federal Congress. Jefferson penned the ‘Notes on the State of Virginia’. These notes contained an elaborate discussion of slavery and its horrific effects on both blacks and whites, which violates the basic principles of the American revolution.Thus, by 1760-1770, Jefferson endorsed the end of the slave trade. Thus, in his original draft of the Declaration of Independence, he included a passage blaming both the slave trade and slavery.Thomas Jefferson Biography FactsJefferson always had an active and busy schedule during the last days of his life. He rose with the dawn and spent his morning reaching out to his correspondence and working in the garden.He also took a two-hour ride around his grounds. Dinner was served in the late afternoon, which gave him a chance to sit with his daughter Martha and her 12 children, along with other visitors.In 1812, his correspondence also started to include an exchange with his former friend but now recent rival, John Adams. The reconciliation between the two leaders of the Revolution was arranged by their mutual friend, Benjamin Rush. He used to describe them as two poles: the North and South of the well-known American Revolution.Adams advocated an American version of Edmund Burke where he attributed the success of the American Revolution that was linked with its past practices, especially the form of representative government. The genuine differences of opinion between Jefferson and Adams put them on different sides during the American Revolution. This was the primary reason why they drifted to different sides during the party wars of the late 18th century.Thomas Jefferson Facts And AccomplishmentsHe consciously made two important decisions in his life that opened the gates of Jefferson’s political career. He decided to build his own home on a mountain at a height of 867 ft (264.26 m) near Shadwell, and his second decision was to stand as a candidate for the House of Burgesses.He, therefore, combined an active career in politics with seclusion in his own home. The timing of his political career was also remarkable. He entered the Virginia Legislature just as the opposition to the taxation policies of the British Parliament was becoming an issue. He gave a few speeches and supported the resolutions opposing Parliament’s authority over the colonies.Thomas Jefferson Lewis And Clark Expedition FactsWhen Thomas Jefferson served as the US President, he asked Captain Lewis to examine the Louisiana Territory and America’s Wild West after it was purchased.Lewis then gathered the necessary supplies, and Clark trained 40 men. The Lewis and Clark expedition is also known as the ‘Corps of Discovery’ by historians. Thomas Jefferson gave a letter of credit to Lewis before they left for the expedition. That letter of credit would allow him to get whatever he needed for the trip. Their supplies included a massive arsenal of gunpowder in case of encounters with the Native American tribes.During the expedition, Lewis and Clark were almost arrested by the Spanish because they feared the expedition was encroaching on their territory. The Spanish missed them, and the Lewis and Clark expedition continued, reaching the Pacific Ocean in 1805.In March 1806, the expedition left on the return journey. They discovered animals during their expedition. This expedition was successful. Thereafter, Lewis became governor of the Louisiana Territory and Clark became governor of the Missouri Territory.Did you know that Jefferson harbored enmity toward Patrick Henry?Facts About Thomas Jefferson’s DeathThe day Jefferson died coincided with a memorable event. He died on July 4, 1826, which also commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. He was 83 years old when he died.Jefferson had a huge debt, so after his death, his assets were auctioned. His mortals remained buried at Monticello, a home that was built in his youth in Virginia. Jefferson’s last conscious words were ‘Is it the fourth?’ which he uttered in the evening. He somehow managed to control the timing of his own death with that of a historical event in the country’s history. Before his death, Jefferson spent his post-presidential years at Monticello.Interesting Thomas Jefferson FactsThomas Jefferson was also known for his shyness because, apart from his inaugural addresses as President of the United States, he had never delivered any public speeches. He is known for his zealous certainty about the American cause.He was seen as a man of contradictions, as Jefferson believed in freedom and equality but still owned hundreds of enslaved people. Thomas Jefferson is considered America’s most problematic and paradoxical hero. Since there was a wide gap between his expression of liberal ideals and the actual reality of his own life.He was a passionate human. Jefferson believed that one has to keep working hard to find one’s purpose in life. ‘Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you!‘Important Thomas Jefferson FactsThomas Jefferson was the draftsman of the Declaration of Independence of the United States. He was also the founder and architect of the University of Virginia.He held the position of the first Secretary of State from 1789–1794. He was then elected as the Vice President in 1797-1801. He was the third president of the country from 1801-1809. He supported the total separation of power between the church and the state.Thomas Jefferson Memorial FactsIn order to remember his contributions made in the history of America, the Jefferson Memorial was built in Washington, D.C. The building is a circular, open-air structure with a shallow dome. It has a circular colonnade composed of 26 ionic columns. The memorial is constructed with Imperial Danby marble obtained from Vermont.A flight of stairs made of granite and platforms leads up to the Tidal Basin. The stairs further rise to the portico with a triangular pediment, which features a sculpture by Adolph Weinman depicting the members of the Drafting Committee. The Thomas Jefferson statue stands in the center of a chamber on a black granite pedestal. It is inscribed with the birth and death of Jefferson. The statue is made of bronze by Rudulph Evans. It depicts Jefferson in his mid-life, holding the Declaration of Independence in his left hand.Jefferson lost many chances, but Jefferson implemented some bills in Jefferson’s life that became Jefferson’s greatest accomplishment in American history before Jefferson’s retirement, just like the Declaration of Independence. While Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin helped with his assistance and editing skills.The first secretary of state and third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, was very close to his friend, John Adams. Children knew Thomas Jefferson as the author of books, not as the third president of the United States. John Adams was serving in the Continental Congress and was drafting the Declaration of Independence with him.Just like his friendship with John Adams, Thomas Jefferson was close to his father, Peter Jefferson, as well as his mother, Jane Randolph Jefferson, based on the volumes of family letters exchanged. William Clark became personal secretary to President Thomas Jefferson. A protégé of Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), James Monroe was a delegate to the Continental Congress and served as a U.S. senator, governor of Virginia’s house, and minister to France and Great Britain. Jefferson is believed to have fathered Eston Hemings, born in 1808, the last known child born to Sally Hemings.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! 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There are some interesting facts that you should know about Thomas Jefferson that caused him to become such a remarkable personality.
