下载掌阅APP，畅读海量书库
立即打开
Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13，1743， at Shadwell plantation， Albemarle county，Virginia.His birthplace was destroyed by fire in 1770.
Jefferson was named after his grandfather， who was a prominent landowner，military captain， and Justice of Chesterfield county， Virginia .His father， Peter Jefferson， was a planter， surveyor and public official.As a prominent landowner like his father， Peter owned a land of some 5，000—7，000 acres in western Virginia.He died of unknown cause at 49， when Jefferson was 14 years old.His mother， Jane Randolph Jefferson， was born in London， and she was still a child when she went to America with her family.Little is known of her， for Jefferson rarely mentioned her in his writings.She died from a stroke a few months before he wrote the Declaration of Independence.
Jefferson was the third of the eight children to live to maturity， and he had six sisters and one brother.Jefferson had two daughters to live to maturity——Martha Patsy Jefferson， who married her second cousin.Mary Polly Jefferson， who was more delicate and prettier than her sister.She died at 25 after giving birth to her second child.It was her death that prompted Abigail Adams to extend written condolences to President Jefferson， thus ending the long silence between the two families that had been brought on by political differences.
Jefferson´s earliest recollection was of when he was about age three ridding with a slave on horseback， moving with his father who was taking the family in order to discharge his duties as executor of the will of his late friend William Randolph.Little is known of Jefferson´s childhood education， except that he was bookish， enjoyed tramping through the woods and observing nature， and prowled the eastern slopes of the Southwest Mountain in search of deer， turkey， and other wild game.
From about age 9 to 14， Jefferson studied the Reverend William Douglas at Saint James parish in Northam.From age 14 to 16 he attended the Reverend James Maury´s school at Fredericksville.In 1760 Jefferson enrolled at the College of William and Mary at Williamsburg.In 1762 after graduation from William and Mary， where young Jefferson was stimulated by the lively and energetic culture of the Virginia Capital， the 19⁃year old Jefferson took the study of law， which he continued for five years under the direction of George Wythe， who later became the first American law professor， until being admitted to the Virginia bar in 1767.In 1773， Jefferson was appointed by the Virginia legislature as a member of the Committee of Correspondence to keep in touch with patriotic leaders of other colonies.His enthusiasm and inspiration to protect the colonial legislation won him the fame as“Mr.Jefferson´s Bill of Rights .”
Jefferson was tall and thin， with small eyes， an angular nose， thin lips， sound straight teeth， a pointed chin， a long neck， and reddish hair.In his youth， he was heavily freckled and rather gawky.He had large hands and feet， walking in a loping gait with poor posture.He had generally good health， except for severe headaches that struck usually after a personal loss and sometimes lingered for weeks.In later years he suffered from rheumatism.From 1786 his right hand became crippled， which brought him no less trouble in his afterword days of office work.
Jefferson displayed a mild， easy and obliging temper， though he is somewhat cold and reserved.His conversation was the most agreeable kind and he was open and approachable， yet he maintained an impregnable core of inner feeling that has frustrated his biographers.He had an insatiable curiosity about all aspects of life.His fondness for structure and order can be seen in the meticulous records he maintained on plant life and weather conditions at Monticello.Despite his many years in politics， he never acquired two attributes usually considered essential to success for that profession： a thick skin and a gift for oratory.He was acutely sensitive to public criticism， although captivating in small groups， delivered unmoving speeches even in small groups.He tended to mumble softly out of earshot of much of his audience.
Jefferson´s most significant achievement before his presidency was obviously the drafting for the most important piece of writing in American history.A five⁃man committee， including Roger Sherman， Robert Livingston， Benjamin Franklin， John Adams and Thomas Jefferson， was chosen to write the “Declaration of Independence .”It´s bold assertion of fundamental human rights， still relevant today， succinctly enunciates the American philosophy of government：
“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 .”
Jefferson joined four other Virginians， including Benjamin Franklin， John Adams，Roger Sherman and Robert R.Livingston in signing the Declaration.Although himself a slave⁃owner， Jefferson endeavored to abolish slavery， but succeeded only in outlawing further importation of slaves.He included in the original document a condemnation of slavery， which was about 500⁃word long.The delegates of the Congress expunged this passage before they approved the Declaration， to Jefferson´s bitter disappointment.
But Jefferson regarded his greatest accomplishment during this time to be the establishment of religious freedom in Virginia.The Virginia Statute he pushed to set up later became the basis for the First Amendment to the Constitution.At 36， Jefferson was elected by the legislature as the governor of the state when the revolution was largely unsuccessful.Two years later， he declined re⁃election.Upon temporary retiring from public service， he devoted considerably to writing Notes on Virginia ， a book on natural history that won him a reputation in Europe as a scholar and scientist.
On June 1，1779， Jefferson was elected Governor of Virginia， but he was not successful in this position.He was eventually accused of failing to provide an adequate militia to protect the citizens when the British army invaded Virginia.An investigation was launched， and he left office.
In 1783， Jefferson returned to public life.With his election to Congress by the state legislature， Jefferson again began to utilize the great sources of his mind for his country´s benefit.He served as chairman of a committee handling the peace treating with the Great Britain； he invented the decimal system of coinage adopted by the natural government； he also wrote a bill for organizing the Northwest Territory which was later largely adopted.The bill prohibited the slavery in the future new states.Jefferson sought to forbid slavery from all future states， a measure which，had it been adopted， might have prevented the Civil War.
In July 1784， Jefferson sailed to Europe as a special envoy of Congress， remaining there for the next five years.He first joined Benjamin Franklin and then John Adams，negotiating trade treaties for the United States government and afterward became Unites States minister to France.In Europe， Jefferson wrote exuberantly.He enjoyed the culture of France and traveled extensively on the Continent.Since he arrived in Europe， Jefferson took no part in the writing of the National Constitution.He was dismayed by the absence of a Bill of Rights guaranteeing the freedom of the people， and expressed his strong disapprove of the provision that permitted a President to be reelected， fearing it could lead to monarchy.His views of the Bill of Rights later prevailed when the first ten amendments were added to the Constitution.
Living in Paris during the early stages of the French Revolution， Jefferson heartily endorsed its democratic ideas and followed its progress with hope.With American recognition of the new French Republic， an important precedent was set： the American government would deal with any government based on the will of its people.By the time he returned to the U.S.in the autumn of 1789， Jefferson had acquired a fondness for the French people that was to influence his judgment in international relations for the rest of his life.Jefferson also felt that the United States should aid France in accordance with the treaty signed between the two countries during the American Revolution.However， Washington， at Hamilton´s urging， decided that the treaty was no longer blinding because it had been made with the royal government of France.Jefferson reluctantly went with Washington´s decision to proclaim the neutrality of the United States.
Appointed by President Washington in December 1789， Jefferson became the first secretary of state.However， the political atmosphere of New York， the then capital，discouraged him.Shortly after joining Washington´s administration， Jefferson took part in a“ deal” with Alexander Hamilton.Jefferson had to aid in switching the votes of some of the southern congressmen for Hamilton´s plan that the national government should assume the war debts of the states so that Hamilton would help him win congressional approval of another plan to move the national capital to Philadelphia temporarily， and then to Georgetown， Virginia， permanently.In fact， Jefferson helped plan the new federal city that was to become Washington， D.C.But Jefferson soon fell out with Hamilton， when the latter won the approval of a Bank of the Unites States，which Jefferson believed was an evil instrument of power not authorized by the Constitution.Because Hamilton spoke favorably of the British system of government，Jefferson concluded Hamilton“was not only a monarchist but for a monarchy bottomed on corruption” Jefferson became the acknowledged leader of the Democratic⁃Republican party while Hamilton the leader of the Federalists party.Realizing that Washington tended to turn to Hamilton´s world view， Jefferson resolutely resigned.
With repeated efforts to resign his cabinet post， Jefferson finally persuaded Washington to accept his resignation on the last day of 1793.Immediately he set off for his beloved Monticello in the belief that he would retire forever from public life.
Jefferson´s peaceful retirement was disturbed by the Jay Treaty with the Great Britain， which he denounced as an“execrable thing” and an“infamous act .” In the presidential election of 1796， his unexpected victory in votes——he had lost to Adams by only three votes， 71 to 68 four years before， brought him back again to the government office.As time went by， Jefferson felt the branch widened between him and Adams made him more and more convinced that Adams wanted war with France.
With the Federalists firmly in control of the government， Jefferson´s role as Vice President was largely full of frustration and disapproval.Denounced as a radical and an atheist by his conservative political opponents， Jefferson became the first leader of an opposition political party to wrest control of the national government from the party in power.Jefferson believed that the United States should remain an agricultural country of small farms with a national government that interfered as little as possible in the lives of its people.The Alien and Sedition Acts convinced him that the Federalists had no regard for the Bill of Rights.As the presidential election of 1800 approached， the attacks on Jefferson by the Federalists increased in the fury， for it was evident that he would be the Anti⁃Federalist candidate.Though he disliked the inactivity of the vice presidency， Jefferson fulfilled his responsibility as presiding officer of the Senate with utmost fairness and courtesy.In his free time， he compiled A Manual of Parliamentary Practice ， which is still used in the Senate of the U.S.today.Jefferson was the first vice president to be later elected to and serve two full terms as president.
Jefferson was 57 years old when he was sworn in as President on March 4，1801，at a simple ceremony in Washington D.C .——the first president to take office in the new capital.His defeat of Adams is sometimes referred to as the Revolution of 1800，because it marked the fall of Federalism and the rise of Republicanism.
In order to immediately correct the Federalist abuse of power， Jefferson first freed all people prisoned or under prosecution by the Alien and Sedition Acts.When he learned in 1802 that Spain had turned over to France the vast Louisiana Territory， he soon asked Livingston to urge the French to sell New Orleans to the United States， then dispatched James Monroe to negotiate with France.To Jefferson´s great amazement， his commissioners reached an agreement with Napoleon to purchase the entire Louisiana Territory for ＄ 15 million （about three cents an acre）.With a minimum of discussion，Congress approved the purchase in the autumn of 1803.The Louisiana Purchase， which doubled the size of the United States， as it extended from the Gulf of Mexico on the South， to what is now Minnesota on the North， and from the Mississippi River west to the Rocky Mountains .It was the most significant achievement of Jefferson´s administration.The prosperity and expansion of the country during Jefferson´s first term helped him win an overwhelming victory in a due in July 1804 election.He received 162 electoral votes to 14 for the Federalist candidate， Charles Cotesworth Pinckney.
However， the Aaron Burr treason scandal rocked the nation during Jefferson´s second term and the forcible impression of American seamen into the British Navy brought a new threat of war in 1807.In an effort to preserve neutrality， Jefferson persuaded Congress to pass an embargo act that forbade the shipping of American products to any foreign country and outlawed the sailing of American ships to foreign ports.Despite opposition by New England merchants， the act remained in force to the end of his administration.The war was avoided.
Refusing all pleas that he run for a third term， Jefferson supported his friend and Secretary of State， James Madison， as his successor.Learning that Madison won the presidential election， Jefferson was gratified both at his friend´s success and at his own final approaching retirement.He wrote：“Never did a prisoner released from his chains feel such relief as I shall on shaking on shackles of power… I think God for the opportunity of retiring from them without censure， and carrying with me the most consoling proofs of public approbation .”
It is impossible to avoid Jefferson while attempting to master the highlights of the American Revolution， since his career cross⁃crossed the major events of that era.In fact，“Jefferson had become the Great Sphinx of American history， the enigmatic and elusive touchstone for most cherished convictions and contested truths in American culture .” Joseph J.Ellis wrote in his American Sphinx ： The Character of Thomas Jefferson ：“ working on Jefferson was entering a crowded room in which there were always several on⁃goings conversations， and the constant buzz suggested that more was at stake than the revolution of merely historical questions .Jefferson was electromagnetic.He symbolized the most cherished and most contested values in modern American culture.He was one of those dead white males who still mattered .”
March 4，1809， upon the inauguration of James Madison， Jefferson permanently retired to Monticello， living as a farmer⁃philosopher， content with his performances as a public figure and eager to enjoy the blessings of retirement.In 1815， after the British had burned the Capital in the Second War of Independence， destroying the Library of Congress， Jefferson sold his 6，500⁃volume collection to the United States for＄ 23，950.
Jefferson´s most important contribution in retirement was the founding of the University of Virginia at Charlottesville.He even designed the buildings， directed their construction， drew up the course of study， chose the faculty， and served as university´s first rector.One innovation he introduced was the system of student electives.The University of Virginia opened in 1825.
Jefferson felt a glow of pride when the University of Virginia first opened its doors to students.They had disagreed， however， about the matter of rules for student behavior， with Madison urging sternness and Jefferson feeling these young adults were interested in learning and would not cause trouble.
Within a few weeks there were student riots， supposedly in protest against having European professors.Jefferson was forced to allow harsh discipline to be imposed， and several leading agitators were expelled.These events led to Jefferson´s severe financial difficulties and hastened his death.Realizing his death was failing， Jefferson asked James Madison to succeed him as Rector of the University and member of the Executive Committee.
July 4，1826， Jefferson died at his Monticello estate， Virginia.Already wrecked by rheumatism， Jefferson developed an enlarged prostate and spent his last months in great pain.On the morning of July 3， he woke to ask，“Is it the Fourth？” his doctor，Dr.Robley Dunglison， replied：“ It soon will be .” He fell back to sleep and died peacefully the next day， July 4，1826.Coincidentally， John Adams also died later that day.Thus the only two signers of the Declaration of Independence to become presidents died simultaneously——on the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of that great document.
In accordance with his instructions， Jefferson was buried in a simple ceremony at the family cemetery on the Monticello grounds， for he believed his presidential accomplishments were among the least of his contributions.This was evidenced by his epitaph.He had designed his own tombstone and composed the modest inscription to bear.He asked that “ not a word more” than the following be engraved on his monument at Monticello：
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
Jefferson´s first love， Rebecca Burwell， was an orphan of a prosperous Virginian family， who was said to be beautiful and pious.When they began to date， Jefferson was 19， and she was 16.Jefferson was then a law student with ambition to tour Europe，hoping her to wait for him to return from abroad though he did not make the trip after all.But his clumsiness when proposing made her change her mind and marry somebody else.Besides that， he once fell in love with Betsey Moor Walker passionately， the wife of one of his friends and neighbor John Walker.
At the age of 28， Jefferson married Martha Wayles Skelton， 23， a widow， the daughter of a prominent lawyer and landowner， on January 1，1772.Martha´s father，John Wayles， was reluctant to give his consent for Martha to marry Jefferson.Wayles had emigrated from England and had a large legal practice in addition to his land holdings.Jefferson liked Wayles， but he was in no way awed by his education for legal abilities.Jefferson considered himself equal to Mr.Wyales.This probably bothered Wayles quite a bit.Another reason Wayles hated to have Martha´s leave his home was that she kept plantation accounts for her father.
However， the couples.persistence overcame Wayles.disagreement.After they got married， Martha´s fortune practically doubled Jefferson´s already sizable estate， for she had inherited more than 11，000 acres of land as well as a large number of slaves.Jefferson stayed home with his family and out of politics for about two years after he and Martha were married.Throughout their 10⁃year marriage， they wholly devoted to each other.Though it was rare in that time for a wife and mother to pursue her own interest.Jefferson encouraged Martha to do so.He engaged an Italian musician to give her music lessons on violin and piano.There was no evidence to indicate that Martha ever had any influence on Thomas Jefferson´s political thinking.She was a sweet， amiable，loving wife and mother， whose chief interest lay in her home and husband.
Seven pregnancies made her weak； she died on September 6，1782， four months after giving birth to her last child， a daughter who died two years later.Jefferson promised his wife that he would never remarry.He never did.He was inconsolable in his loss.He destroyed all the letters they had written each other， it is said that he had collapsed just before she died.After his wife´s funeral， Jefferson even refused to leave his room for three weeks.Then he spent endless hours ridding horseback alone around Monticello.Not till mid⁃October did he begin to resume a normal life.