Thomas Jefferson was born on 13 April 1743
in Virginia and grew up near the frontier.
His father managed farms and surveyed land.
Thomas adopted the motto “Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God.”
He studied history and learned Latin and Greek.
He learned French, studied philosophy at the College of William and Mary.
In 1764 Jefferson’s father died, and he inherited land and slaves.
In May 1765 he heard Patrick Henry speak for the Stamp Act Resolves.
In 1766 Jefferson was inoculated against smallpox.
His friend George Wythe helped him learn law, and he passed the bar in 1767.
Jefferson was elected to the Virginia legislature in 1769.
His effort to emancipate slaves was rejected.
In August 1771 Jefferson recommended many books.
He married a widow in 1772.
He read many books including novels and plays.
He especially liked books by Francis Bacon, John Locke, and Bolingbroke.
Jefferson worked as a lawyer from 1767 to 1774 on 939 cases,
and he was active politically in opposing British taxes.
In 1769 he ordered 14 books on government from London.
When his Shadwell home burned in February 1770,
he lost his library of 1,256 books.
In 1773 his wife inherited 11,000 acres and 135 slaves.
On 24 May 1774 Jefferson and others organized a day of fasting and prayer.
He and Patrick Henry led the effort in Virginia
not to pay debts to British merchants.
British Governor Dunsmore went to war against Indians,
and Jefferson would write about it in his Notes on Virginia.
On August 1 the Virginia convention resolved to stop exports to the British.
Jefferson later described many events in his Autobiography.
In July Albemarle County re-elected him to the House of Burgesses.
Jefferson wrote about natural and legal rights.
In August 1774 he ended his legal practice, and he wrote instructions
for legislators and his Summary View of the Rights of British America.
In February 1775 Assemblies in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia
sent American papers to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia,
and on May 24 they elected John Hancock their president.
Virginia’s Speaker Peyton Randolph chose Jefferson to write a response
to Gov. Dunmore which he read to the House on June 5.
John Adams nominated George Washington as Commander in Chief,
and he was elected.
That summer Jefferson reported from the Congress in Philadelphia.
In his Autobiography he wrote about Congress in June and July 1775.
On July 22 a committee of Jefferson, Ben Franklin, John Adams,
and Richard Henry Lee began meeting.
Jefferson wrote letters to John Randolph on August 25 and November 9.
Before they adjourned, Jefferson noted 27 issues that needed work.
On December 4 they learned that the British were using slaves to fight.
In 1776 Jefferson studied the history of the British in the American colonies,
and he worked on a new constitution for Virginia.
In February he read Common Sense by Thomas Paine.
On May 15 a Virginia convention proposed independence from Britain.
Jefferson in June completed his draft of a constitution for Virginia.
George Mason provided a Declaration of Rights that
the Virginia legislature adopted on June 12.
Mason also wrote a constitution for Virginia, and Jefferson wrote the preamble.
Richard Henry Lee proposed a resolution for independence
to the Continental Congress on 7 June 1776.
In his Autobiography Jefferson explained the
process of the Declaration of Independence.
John Adams persuaded Jefferson to write a draft for the document.
A few minor changes were made, and Congress approved it on July 4.
Jefferson in his Autobiography included what was removed from the Declaration.
He also wrote extensively about the history of the Articles of Confederation.
Jefferson wrote a letter to John Hancock on October 11.
That month Jefferson managed to get a reform of entails passed in Virginia’s legislature.
Jefferson in January 1777 during the War for Independence
began working with Wythe, Pendleton, and Mason on revising laws.
Other members of Congress also made suggestions, and Virginia’s
General Assembly passed some of them in May 1777.
On August 13 Jefferson wrote to Benjamin Franklin who was in France.
In 1778 Jefferson persuaded Virginia to stop importing slaves.
He suggested many legal changes in Virginia that he described in his Autobiography.
Jefferson was Governor of Virginia from 1 June 1779 for two one-year terms.
He began by improving the treatment of prisoners,
and his major effort was to improve education.
On war strategy he corresponded with General Washington and wrote to him six times.
Because of the danger of a British invasion, Jefferson moved his government
from Williamsburg to Richmond in April 1780,
and he wrote to General Horatio Gates and Baron von Steuben.
In January 1781 Gov. Jefferson had to respond to the imminent invasion
of Virginia by the British, and on January 2 he wrote to General Thomas Nelson.
Jefferson called out the militia and retreated to Westham.
He offered a reward of 5,000 guineas for the capture of the traitor Benedict Arnold.
General Washington in February sent troops led by Lafayette,
and on March 10 Jefferson wrote to Lafayette welcoming him.
On April 26 Jefferson explained his policy to Steuben.
On May 10 he wrote to the Congress about the attack on Richmond and
why he wrote to the British General William Phillips
who had contempt for Lafayette and Steuben.
Jefferson in June smoked a peace pipe and spoke
to Brother de Coigne of the Illinois Indians.
On June 30 Jefferson fell from his horse and broke his arm.
On July 28 he wrote to delegate George Nicholas
and asked why he was being investigated.
The British army led by Cornwallis surrendered on the Yorktown peninsula in October.
On December 12 the Virginia General Assembly voted unanimously
that Gov. Jefferson had acted with integrity and ability.
Col. James Monroe advised Jefferson to defend his conduct,
and on 29 May 1782 he explained what he had done.
On November 1 the United States Congress
re-appointed Jefferson as a peace commissioner.
On 22 January 1783 Jefferson wrote to Washington about the peace negotiation,
and on February 10 Washington thanked him for sending him information.
Jefferson used a cipher in letters to Madison on February 14 and May 7.
On 17 June 1783 Jefferson wrote to Madison about a
convention to amend the Confederation’s constitution.
Jefferson on July 18 wrote to Virginia Gov. Benjamin Harrison about various issues.
Jefferson reported on December 16 that the peace treaty was completed.
Jefferson attended the Confederation Congress from 1782 to May 1784.
Chastellux from France had visited him, and Jefferson wrote to him in January 1784.
Jefferson read Richard Price’s book on the American Revolutio
and wrote to him on 1 February 1784.
Jefferson advised Washington about the Cincinnati for veterans in April.
He gave the Confederate Congress a report on the Western Territory’s government,
and they approved the Northwest Ordinance on April 23.
Jefferson wrote to Washington about western trade.
He was also working on a decimal system for money.
Jefferson in August 1784 met Ben Franklin in Paris,
and he was glad to see John Adams and his family.
Congress reduced their salaries, and Jefferson went into debt.
On June 17 he wrote to John Jay about Europe.
Jefferson published his Notes on Virginia in 1785 and 1787.
Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin made a treaty with Prussia in August 1785
Jefferson wrote to John Jay about commerce
and a navy and to Madison about property.
Virginia enacted Jefferson’s “Statute for Religious Freedom” in January 1786.
He considered that work more important than his presidency.
He wrote to Jay in January 1786 about piracy and again in April.
Jefferson wrote a long letter to Adams in July 1786
and to Madison about religious freedom in December.
In January 1887 Jefferson wrote about Shays’ Rebellion in western Massachusetts
and a long letter to Madison on politics and diplomacy.
In October the Congress re-elected Jefferson for three more years in France.
In February 1788 he commented on the new Constitution.
Jefferson with Lafayette, Condorcet, and La Rochefoucauld organized a political club.
Jefferson informed John Jay that the governments of France
and the United States had ratified a convention.
Jefferson in his Autobiography described the French Revolution
that he witnessed as a participant.
On 27 December in 1788 the people found a better way of voting.
Jefferson noted that Finance Minister Necker had other concessions that
included a promise from the King not to impose a new tax nor extend an old one.
The states were ready to meet and without “lettres de Cachet.”
He attended the daily States General at Versailles and advised Lafayette.
Jefferson in June met with other leaders of the revolution,
and they discussed proposing a Charter of Rights the next day.
The people of the Third Estate outnumbered the nobles,
and they took over the National Assembly.
They locked out the soldiers on June 20.
The King was applauded by the aristocrats and clergy.
The people refused to leave.
Jefferson's house was robbed three times.
France's Finance Minister Necker was dismissed.
Jefferson influenced his friend Lafayette who presented a Declaration of Rights.
A committee worked on a constitution, and they asked Jefferson to help.
He declined, and Lafayette became popular.
Jefferson wrote to Richard Price and James Madison.
Jefferson realized he was not an antifederalist or a federalist.
He continued to advise Lafayette and then sent reports to John Jay.
He wrote two more letters to Madison noting that the French
were influenced by America’s democracy.
Eventually Jefferson left Paris on 26 September 1789 and
returned to his Monticello home in Virginia on December 23.
On December 25 he wrote to President Washington
that he would serve in his administration.
On 12 February 1790 Jefferson spoke to citizens in Albemarle,
Virginia that he would serve “the holy cause of freedom.”
He reported to President Washington in New York, was made Secretary of State
and met with him on Sunday, March 28.
Jefferson wrote to Lafayette on April 2.
Jefferson had doubts about Treasury Secretary Hamilton’s plan to assume
the states’ debts, and he wrote to Dr. George Gilmer on April 27.
Jefferson wrote to James Mason on June 13 and to James Monroe one week later.
Jefferson in June mediated a compromise by James Madison and Alexander Hamilton
that assumed the debts and planned a new capital by the Potomac River.
On July 4 Jefferson wrote to Frances Eppes and to John Rutledge.
Hamilton accepted Jefferson’s decimal plan for coins.
Jefferson in August sent a confidential package to the diplomat William Short in France.
In August he wrote to Col. David Humphreys, a secret agent in Europe.
He wrote to Gouverneur Morris about a possible war in Europe
and used his knowledge in a report on December 15.
Jefferson on 15 February 1791 presented his opinion
on the constitutionality of a national bank.
He hired editor Philip Freneau as clerk of foreign languages in August,
and on October 31 Freneau began publishing the National Gazette
to promote the democratic policies of Jefferson and Madison.
Jefferson wrote many more letters to key people in 1791 to carry out
the policies of the State Department including George Nicholas,
President Washington, Senator James Monroe, William Short,
Secretary of War Henry Knox, Benjamin Banneker, and Archibald Stuart.
In January 1792 Secretary of State Jefferson chose William Short
for The Hague, Thomas Pinckney for London, and Gouverneur Morris for France.
President Washington appointed them, and the Senate confirmed them.
On March 18 Jefferson presented his lengthy “Report on Negotiation with Spain.”
On May 23 he urged President Washington to continue for a second term.
On September 9 Jefferson wrote a long letter to Washington
on his concerns about Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton.
On December 3 Jefferson wrote his “Opinion on Offenses against the Law of Nations.”
On that day he also wrote to Thomas Pinckney about
Republican Party gains in the elections for Congress.
On December 30 Jefferson wrote to Minister Gouverneur Morris in France.
On 3 January 1793 Jefferson at the behest of President Washington
wrote a letter advising Minister Short in France how he could improve his diplomacy.
Jefferson learned that Hamilton was not using revenues to pay down the national debt.
France declared war against Britain on February 1.
On March 10 Congress condemned filibusters in the Northwest Territory.
On March 12 Jefferson wrote to Gouverneur Morris in Paris.
On March 23 he wrote to the Commissioners Carmichael and Short in Spain.
The next day he wrote to James Madison about the naval war.
Washington’s cabinet learned on April 12 that France
was at war against Britain, Spain, and Holland.
Washington asked Jefferson to prevent violation of US neutrality,
and the President proclaimed United States neutrality on April 22.
On April 28 Jefferson published his comprehensive Opinion on the French Treaties.
In his Autobiography he wrote about his concern for France.
French minister Edmond Charles Genêt arrived on April 8
and commissioned two British ships as privateers.
At this time Jefferson and Republicans were for France
while Hamilton and Federalists sided with England.
Jefferson wrote to Madison about Genêt, and then on May 31
he wrote again to Carmichael and Short in Spain.
Jefferson wrote to Genêt several times.
In August he asked his friend Madison to oppose the arguments of Hamilton.
In response to Washington’s request Jefferson wrote hi
“Report on the Privileges and Restrictions on the Commerce of the
United States in Foreign Countries” that included recommendations.
After being away for ten years, in the years 1794 to 1796
Thomas Jefferson took a break from public service and spent
his time at home in the Monticello house he designed.
He had many debts and got a Dutch loan to finance his building plans.
He owned 10,647 acres and 154 slaves which he mortgaged for collateral.
He consulted President George Washington on farming.
He began rotating his crops of wheat, peas, potatoes, corn, rye, and clover.
Edmund Randolph had succeeded him as Secretary of State,
and Jefferson wrote to him on 3 February 1794.
In the spring he also wrote to Senator Monroe, Vice President John Adams,
Tench Coxe, and President Washington.
On December 17 Jefferson wrote to his ally in the Congress, William Branch Giles.
On the 28th he wrote to his best friend James Madison on various current issues.
Madison was the leader of the majority Republicans in the House of Representatives.
Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton resigned in January 1795.
News that John Jay had signed a treaty with Britain in London
in November 1794 arrived on 7 March 1795.
Jefferson wrote to Madison again on March 23.
On April 27 Jefferson wrote to Madison and Giles.
President Washington in July asked the US Senate to ratify Jay’s Treaty.
In his letter on September 21 Jefferson asked Madison to take up his pen
and counter the arguments of Hamilton and the Federalists,
and on December 31 he wrote a long letter to Giles.
In 1794 and 1795 Jefferson had written 220 letters.
The commercial treaty arrived from London in February 1796,
and President Washington said it was the law.
Republicans objected that he had taken control of commerce
that the Constitution had assigned to Congress.
Jefferson wrote to Vice President John Adams on
February 28 questioning experiments and honesty.
He wrote to Monroe on March 2, Madison on the 6th,
Giles on 19, Monroe on 21 and Madison on 27.
After a great speech by Fisher Ames of Massachusetts,
the House of Representatives barely passed the Jay Treaty on April 26.
Jefferson complained in a long letter to Washington on June 19.
On December 17 Jefferson wrote a letter wishing
Madison had been elected President.
Jefferson wrote to Adams who had won the presidency
with 71 electoral votes over Jefferson’s 68.
Coming in second in the 1796 election made the Republican Jefferson
the Vice President of the United States while the Federalist John Adams was President.
Jefferson wrote to his friend James Madison on 1 January 1797.
John Adams had found the Vice Presidency a useless job,
and Jefferson was not sure he wanted the position.
He and Adams had been friends during the Revolution and in Europe as diplomats.
In the early days of the new Constitution they emerged as rivals of the
centralizing Federalists versus the Democratic Republicans
who preferred a more limited federal government.
On January 4 Jefferson in a letter advised Archibald Stuart regarding
the last two months of the Washington Administration prior to
the inauguration of Adams on 4 March 1797.
Jefferson hoped that Adams was “detached from Hamilton.”
Jefferson in January 1797 wrote five letters to James Madison.
Jefferson wrote a parliamentary manual for the United States Senate
that was published in February 1801.
The American Philosophical Society elected him their president on 3 March 1797.
Jefferson’s duties as VP were to preside over the Senate,
and he could only vote when there was a tie.
Adams wanted Jefferson to persuade Madison to go to France.
When Madison declined that and was no longer in the House of Representatives,
Adams chose not to consult with Jefferson anymore during his presidency.
Jefferson wrote to Elbridge Gerry on May 13 and to Madison on May 18.
Jefferson had defeated Thomas Pinckney for Vice President,
and he wrote to him about peace and commerce on May 29.
Jefferson confided again with Madison on June 1 and 15.
New York Senator Aaron Burr had come in fourth in the 1796 presidential race,
and his Senate term ended.
In the election he had helped organize Republicans in New York.
Jefferson wrote to Burr on June 17.
Jefferson wrote to Gerry again on June 21 and urged him to seek a diplomatic position.
Edward Rutledge of South Carolina had supported Jefferson
in the election and was elected a state senator.
Jefferson on June 24 wrote to him about the probability of a European war.
Jefferson in August submitted a petition to the Virginia House of Delegates
about judicial interference.
Jefferson wrote to Madison again on 15 February 1798
and on March 2, 21, and 29.
On April 2 he wrote to Virginia Chief Justice Edmund Pendleton.
Jefferson also wrote to Madison on April 5, 6 & 26, May 10, June 4 & 7.
After the Federalists passed the Alien and Sedition Acts, Jefferson wrote
nine Resolutions in October that Kentucky approved on November 10.
In a letter to Elbridge Gerry on 3 January 1799 Jefferson explained
his political principles that included honesty and peace.
He wrote to Madison and Monroe about military defense on February 5 and 11.
In 1800 Jefferson was concerned about education and rights.
Republicans and Jefferson chose Senator Burr of New York
as their candidate for Vice President.
In the election Jefferson and Burr each received 73 electoral votes
because no Republican had withheld a vote for Burr.
The Constitution called for voting in the House of Representatives
with each state having one vote.
Burr tried to make deals to become President,
though eventually Jefferson was elected by ten states.
He had won 60% of the popular votes.
Federalists passed the Judiciary Act on 4 February 1801
allowing Adams to appoint many judges before March 4.
President Jefferson was inaugurated on March 4,
and in his fairly long address he explained how he would govern.
His Republican approach was to limit the federal government and increase freedom.
The next day he nominated Madison for Secretary of State,
Henry Dearborn to be Secretary of War, and Levi Lincoln as Attorney General.
On March 7 he wrote to James Monroe.
Jefferson told Madison not to deliver the commissions
to the 42 judges recently appointed by Adams.
Jefferson chose the capable Albert Gallatin to be Secretary of the Treasury.
Jefferson agreed with Ben Franklin and George Washington
that honesty is most important.
On March 21 he wrote to Dr. Joseph Priestley about peace
and to the private peacemaker George Logan.
He wrote to Dr. Benjamin Rush on March 24 on how
Republicans will improve on Federalist policies.
Treasury Secretary Gallatin arrived on May 13,
and he worked on reducing the national debt.
Jefferson spent more time in the capital each year than Adams had.
Napoleon and France acquired Louisiana territory from Spain on October 1.
The United States had made a treaty with France at Mortefontaine
on 30 September, and a revised treaty went into effect after Jefferson agreed to it.
The United States Senate ratified it on 21 December 1801.
Ships from Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli tried to get
protection money in 1801, and Jefferson asked his cabinet for advice.
The United States stopped paying tribute, and Tripoli declared war on May 10.
After the USS George Washington frigate was challenged,
Jefferson had acting Navy Secretary Samuel Smith order
Commodore Richard Dale to lead four frigates to Tripoli in the Mediterranean.
Dale’s blockade of the city was successful.
In February 1802 the US Congress authorized the
protection of commerce and American sailors.
On June 25 Morocco declared war on the United States.
In early 1803 Congress funded fifteen gunboats and four warships.
American marines first landed on a foreign shore in June at Tripoli.
In October the USS Philadelphia was lost, and 307 men were captured.
The US Senate raised import duties to fund another squadron,
and they attacked Tripoli in August 1804.
Consul General Tobias Lear made a treaty with Morocco in October,
and in June 1805 at Algiers he negotiated peace and the release of the 307 men.
The US Senate ratified the Tripoli treaty in April 1806.
The Federalist Chief Justice John Marshall began
handing down important decisions in August 1801.
On December 12 Jefferson sent his first annual message to Congress
reporting on the state of the union and his policies and achievements.
He encouraged immigration, and the naturalization period to become
a citizen was reduced from fourteen years to five.
Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin worked on decreasing the national debt,
and military spending was reduced nearly 70% the first year.
On 27 January 1802 Vice President Burr voted
against the repeal of the Judiciary Act.
Yet the Senate passed it on February 3,
and Republicans in the House did so on March 3.
Congress reduced the number of judges in the Judiciary Act on April 29.
Congress had approved the war against Tripoli in February,
and Tripoli appealed to allies.
Late in 1801 French ships had captured 20 American ships at St. Domingue.
On 18 April 1802 Jefferson wrote to Minister Robert Livingston in France.
By then France had captured 104 US ships and Spain 118.
Congress approved Ohio becoming a state.
Spending on the US Navy had been reduced by at least half to $915,000.
Jefferson on November 28 appointed Gideon Granger Postmaster-General.
J. T. Callender was not appointed, and he reported that
Jefferson had children by his slave Sally Hemings.
In his first two years Jefferson removed only 14 officeholders.
Republicans did well in the elections as the Census had added 36 seats in the
House of Representatives giving them a 102-30 advantage and 22-9 in the Senate.
Jefferson sent his second message to Congress on December 15,
and he discussed many issues including finances and the reduction of the debt.
President Jefferson considered New Orleans important
because three-eighths of US produce passed through there.
Jefferson worked out a treaty with Napoleon,
and the US Senate had ratified it on 19 December 1801.
France bought the Florida area and Louisiana from Spain,
and Dupont de Nemours told Jefferson he would improve relations with France.
In October he wrote to Jefferson that France would
sell Florida and Louisiana for six million dollars.
On October 16 Spain closed New Orleans to American trade.
Jefferson asked permission to send an expedition to the Missouri River.
The US Army had only 3,350 men, though a military academy
was established at West Point in 1802.
On 13 January 1803 he wrote to Monroe
informing him he nominated him as a diplomat.
The Federalist Chief Justice John Marshall recognized treaties as the supreme law,
and in Marbury v. Madison on February 24 he assumed
the Supreme Court’s authority to declare laws unconstitutional.
In the Stuart v. Laird decision on March 2
Marshall upheld the Judiciary Act of April 1802.
Jefferson wrote to Gov. Harrison in the Indiana Territory.
Ohio became the 17th state in March with a constitution
that
banned slavery, though they began passing black codes in 1804.
Jefferson agreed to reduce the Navy budget to $600,000
as the nation was paying off its debt.
Jefferson in May let a slave trader stay in prison to discourage others.
He got funding from Congress for the Missouri River exploration.
He sent Monroe to France to buy territory near the Mississippi River
which was considered essential.
Madison got France to respect the 1795 treaty with Spain.
Gov. Claiborne told Jefferson they had enough troops to take over New Orleans.
France’s Foreign Minister Talleyrand offered to sell all of Louisiana
to the United States, and Robert Livingston negotiated the sale for $15 million.
The Louisiana cession with 828,000 square miles
doubled the territory of the United States.
In June 1803 Jefferson asked Meriwether Lewis to explore the Missouri River.
Tom Paine in September advised Jefferson that buying Louisiana
did not require a constitutional amendment.
Jefferson signed the enabling act on October 31.
He had sent his third message to Congress on October 17.
He was working to keep out of the wars in Europe.
On December 20 General Wilkinson with 450 American soldiers took over
New Orleans, and he was appointed governor of the Louisiana Territory.
Spain controlled the Floridas.
Vice President Burr was suspected of a conspiracy in the West with the British.
Congress in March 1804 approved ad valorem duties on imported goods
that increased 1804 revenues by $11,600,000.
The US Navy was fighting pirates in the Mediterranean in 1803 and 1804.
The Lewis & Clark expedition departed from St. Louis on 14 May 1804.
Spain still claimed West Florida.
A Federalist conspiracy to have New England secede failed to gain support.
New York’s Governor George Clinton was re-elected defeating Aaron Burr.
Rejected Burr quarreled with Alexander Hamilton, killed him in a duel, and fled.
Chief Justice Samuel Chase was impeached by the US House of Representatives,
but was not convicted of any crime by the US Senate.
The 12th amendment separated the Electoral College
voting for President and Vice President.
Republicans did well in the elections, and Jefferson
without campaigning was easily re-elected.
George Clinton became Vice President, and Jefferson
gave Burr a position in the Louisiana Territory.
Jefferson’s 4th message to Congress arrived on November 8.
Indiana Territory Governor Harrison made treaties with Indians in 1804 and 1805.
The Presbyterian Gideon Blackburn helped to educate the Cherokees
from 1803 to 1809, and they reformed their laws.
On 2 March 1805 the United States Congress authorized the
building of 25 gunboats, and they provided $60,000 for operations.
They also allowed elections in Louisiana, and on that day
James Monroe joined the diplomat Charles Pinckney in Spain.
On March 4 President Jefferson described his plans
for his second term in his second inaugural address.
Most important was friendship with all nations,
though injustices may require some war efforts.
Americans could now settle west of the Mississippi River.
The rights of all including Indians would be respected.
He announced that he would retire after his second term,
and that weakened his power to get support.
Some politicians looked for future leaders.
On April 27 Jefferson wrote to Spain’s Minister James Bowdoin.
On May 11 he wrote to the peace activist George Logan.
They restored peace with Tripoli, and trade increased revenues.
Monroe and Charles Pinckney in Madrid
worked on negotiating over Florida and Texas.
Spanish forces also occupied Florida and Texas.
In March 1805 Aaron Burr wrote to the British minister Anthony Merry.
Jefferson sent 18 Navy ships to Tunis Bay in July 1805.
The Seneca’s Chief Red Jacket in 1805 gave an eloquent speech
asserting their right to choose their own religion.
The revolutionary Francisco de Miranda came to New York in November,
and in Washington he met with Madison and Jefferson.
Two British ships blockaded New York for one year.
An estimated 2,500 British sailors deserted and worked on American ships,
and the British Navy impressed about a thousand of them.
Jefferson presented his 5th Annual Message on December 3.
He agreed not to pay for peace, though he ransomed prisoners.
Jefferson in a letter to Joel Barlow
on 24 February 1806 proposed a National Academy.
The Senate ratified the treaty with Tripoli on April 12.
The Cherokee-Chickamauga Chief Doublehead was killed in August
for selling land to Major Meigs and the United States.
Madison criticized British foreign policy in his pamphlet
Examination of the British Doctrine, Which Subjects to Capture a Neutral Trade.
On May 14 Jefferson wrote commending Dr. Edward Jenner for the smallpox vaccine.
American non-importation became effective in November,
and Napoleon blockaded England.
Jefferson prohibited expeditions in Spanish territory.
Monroe and William Pinkney signed a treaty with Spain,
though Jefferson decided not to submit it to the Senate.
In 1806 the US Treasury had a surplus of $4 million.
On November 7 the Lewis & Clark expedition reached the Pacific Ocean.
Lt. Pike led soldiers and explored western rivers.
Jefferson’s 6th Annual Message was presented on December 2.
On the 5th a jury in Frankfort, Kentucky dismissed charges against Aaron Burr.
Jefferson warned citizens in Spanish territory they could be punished.
On 13 January 1807 Jefferson wrote to John Dickinson
about how the government was functioning.
Attorney General Breckinridge died, and Jefferson
replaced him with Caesar A. Rodney of Delaware.
Aaron Burr conspired with the governors Wilkinson in Louisiana
and Claiborne in New Orleans trying to form an independent nation,
and he obtained support from the British.
On September 27 Burr met with Andrew Jackson
who later sent him $3,500 to build boats.
On November 5 US District Attorney Daveiss for Kentucky
began investigating Burr’s planned invasion of Mexico.
On the 27th President Jefferson warned citizens against
participating in this unlawful expedition.
Burr was eventually captured on March 6.
Chief Justice Marshall tried Burr and Blennerhassett for treason,
but the jury did not find them guilty.
On November 27 Jefferson in a proclamation warned citizens against participating
in any unlawful “enterprise against the dominions of Spain,”
and he ordered military officers and judges to punish violators.
Jefferson worked on stopping the Burr conspiracy,
and Wilkinson arrested Senator Adair of Kentucky and two others.
Jefferson replaced Wilkinson on February 28 by making
Meriwether Lewis governor of Upper Louisiana.
Jefferson would not agree to a treaty with Britain
until they stopped impressing American sailors.
He asked Congress to abolish the slave trade,
and they banned it beginning on 1 January 1808.
Jefferson wrote 11 letters to Virginia’s District Attorney about Burr in June.
On 1 September 1807 a jury in Richmond acquitted Aaron Burr.
A British ship attacked the USS Chesapeake killing 3 and wounding 16,
though Jefferson did not retaliate.
On July 2 he ordered all British warships to leave American waters.
He knew that only Congress should declare war.
Jefferson considered peace his passion.
Yet in August he warned that all British ships would be considered enemies.
On August 16 he wrote to Madison about the crisis.
Fulton’s steamboat invention took people from
New York City to Albany in September.
Jefferson’s 7th Annual Message to Congress was delivered on October 2
and described current circumstances.
Napoleon warned that American ships must be either for or against France.
British demanded they reject that.
Congress sent William Pinkney to London, and Monroe left on October 29.
When the British ordered ships to get a British license, Jefferson decided
to impose an embargo on American shipping to protect them.
On December 14 the Non-importation Act was revived.
Jefferson wanted to avoid war, and his Embargo Act became law on December 23.
This stopped trade with American ships while
foreign ships
could bring goods to American ports.
Jefferson’s embargo banned trade with other nations in order to prevent warfare.
This affected the West Indies more than Europe.
The United States following its Constitution banned the slave trade
starting in 1808, though slaves were still imported illegally.
On 1 January 1808 Jefferson asked Congress to begin extending rights to Africans.
On January 21 Virginia legislators nominated James Madison for President.
He was trying to negotiate with the British on shipping.
Jefferson explained to Monroe why he chose Madison as his successor.
Jefferson went against his principles when he asked to increase
the standing army from 2,500 to 6,000 plus 24,000 volunteers.
His embargo reduced American trade by 80% and caused a depression,
though it did develop self-reliance in manufacturing and other businesses
as well as preventing war.
In March the embargo was extended to any foreign nation.
Vermont especially suffered as they lost trade with Canada.
Congress approved a third Embargo Act on March 12.
Jefferson ordered smuggling stopped by Lake Champlain.
When a Circuit Court ruled against him, Jefferson declared martial law.
In August he called out the army and navy in the north.
Republicans nominated Madison with Vice President Clinton to keep his job.
Federalists chose C. C. Pinckney for President with Rufus King for VP.
In the election Madison won the electoral voting 122-47, and Clinton was re-elected.
In the fall Jefferson negotiated with Indian nations,
and Chickamaugas moved west of the Mississippi.
Jefferson submitted his last Annual Message to Congress on November 8.
The legislatures of 8 states asked Jefferson to continue his presidency,
and he explained that it was his duty to terminate his services
in respect for Washington’s example.
Republicans retained majorities with 27-7 in the Senate
and 94-48 in the House of Representatives.
He reported how sharply imports fell.
Government revenue was still over $17 million,
though it would fall to under $8 million in 1809.
People in northern states passed resolutions against the embargo,
and Federalists called a convention in Hartford.
The Embargo Act passed on 6 January 1809 required secure bonds
of six times the value of the ship and its cargo.
On January 9 the Congress approved using the Army and the Navy.
Jefferson wrote to Monroe about the future.
Republicans in Congress refused to repeal the embargo even though
it had also cost Americans about $50 million in lost exports.
Connecticut refused to enforce the embargo in February.
That month Jefferson wrote to Henri Gregoire about Negro capabilities.
In Jefferson’s eight years the Republicans had reduced
the national debt by about $26 million or 31%.
After Madison became President on 4 March 1809,
Jefferson left Washington and returned to his Montecito home.
He lived there for the last seventeen years of his life.
He managed his farms, read books, and wrote letters.
On May 19 he wrote to John Wyche to support circulating libraries.
In 1811 he helped with the translating and publishing of
A Commentary and Review of Montesquieu’s Spirit of the Laws.
On September 16 he wrote Clement Caine.
After a break of so many years Jefferson was surprised to receive a letter
from John Adams on 1 January 1812, and he replied to Adams on January 21.
Jefferson wrote to President James Madison on April 12 and discussed war.
Congress declared war against Britain on June 17,
and on the 29th Jefferson wrote to Madison to make suggestions.
He wrote again to Madison on November 12.
Jefferson on 25 August 1814 wrote to Edward Coles about emancipating slaves.
Jefferson proposed an educational academy to Peter Carr.
On September 21 Jefferson offered to sell his valuable library to Congress
which had their library burned by the British in the war.
On 12 July 1816 Jefferson wrote to Samuel Kercheval
suggesting how to reform the Virginia constitution.
Jefferson on 31 October 1819 wrote to
William Short on the ethical philosophers.
During the controversy over Missouri being admitted as a slave state,
Jefferson wrote to John Holmes on 22 April 1820.
On December 25 Jefferson wrote to Thomas Ritchie on the judiciary.
On 22 January 1821 Jefferson wrote to John Adams about politics.
In the first seven months of 1821 Jefferson worked on his Autobiography.
He wrote to Dr. Benjamin Rush on 22 June 1822,
and he compared Unitarian theology to Calvinism.
He wrote a longer letter to James Monroe on 24 October 1823.
John Adams’ son John Quincy Adams was elected President by the
House of Representatives on 9 February 1825,
and Jefferson wrote to congratulate John Adams on February 15.
Jefferson on 25 March 1826 wrote to President John Quincy Adams.
Both John Adams in Massachusetts and Thomas Jefferson in Virginia
died on 4 July 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Thomas Jefferson was well educated, and he learned Latin, Greek, and French.
He read many books on various subjects.
He had a good mentor teaching him law,
and he practiced law successfully for seven years.
He loved freedom and had a passion for peace, and he opposed tyranny.
He had the good fortune to inherit land and slaves,
and he kept their families together and claimed he treated them well.
In May 1765 he was inspired by the speech Patrick Henry gave for
the Stamp Act
Resolves that challenged that unjust tax imposed by the British overlords.
Jefferson was elected to the Virginia legislature in 1769,
and his effort to emancipate slaves was rejected.
He studied and practiced the ethics of Jesus the Christ and other philosophers.
He was very active in the effort to make the
American colonies independent of the British empire.
He was a gifted writer and wrote hundreds of letters
and some books and long essays.
He was re-elected to the House of Burgesses in 1774, and that year
he gave up his law practice to work for independence.
His Summary View of the Rights of British America was influential among
the revolutionaries at the Continental Congress, and he wrote the draft that
became the famous Declaration of Independence in July 1776.
He worked for reforms in Virginia such as changing
the practice of entails regarding inheritance.
He worked with James Mason on human rights and
wrote the preamble for Mason’s proposed constitution for Virginia.
During the War for Independence Jefferson served as the Governor of Virginia
for two years 1779-1781, and despite a British invasion
and critics the legislature unanimously approved his conduct.
The United States Congress appointed him a commissioner to negotiate
the peace treaty with the British that was completed in 1783.
In 1784 he was sent to Paris as a diplomat, and he and his friend Lafayette
were witnesses and participants in the revolution that accelerated in 1789.
His largest book, Notes on Virginia, was published in English and in French.
Virginia in January 1786 adopted his “Statute for Religious Freedom”
which would influence the famous first amendment to the United States Constitution
that emphasized that neither government nor religious organizations have any right
to impose their beliefs and practices on individuals.
Jefferson helped France and the United States to ratify a convention.
His ideas influenced Lafayette to write a Declaration of Rights
that the impending revolution adopted.
He sent reports to John Jay and James Madison who became his best friend.
The first President George Washington appointed Jefferson his Secretary of State
while he was in France, and he returned to take up the office in 1790.
He challenged some of the ideas of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton,
and they became the leaders of the first political parties.
Jefferson founded the Democratic Republicans, and Hamilton led
the Federalists who included Washington and Vice President John Adams.
Madison had worked with Hamilton on the Federalist Papers,
and Madison decided to join Jefferson’s Republican Party.
President Washington worked to resolve their differences,
and they all learned from each other.
Jefferson and Hamilton worked out a compromise that allowed
assuming the debts of the states and placing the new capital by the Potomac River.
When the radical Genêt came to the United States in 1793,
Jefferson had to handle him with diplomatic skill.
The rule of law held sway over Genêt’s ambitions
to help France’s cause in the war against Britain.
After serving his country actively for nearly two decades,
Jefferson resigned from Washington’s cabinet at the end of 1793
and returned to his Monticello home in Virginia for three years.
He managed his farms while continuing to write letters.
He had persuaded Washington to stay for a second term,
and in 1796 Vice President Adams was elected President by a 71-68
electoral college vote over Jefferson who did not campaign.
The Constitution at that time made Jefferson the Vice President,
and he served in that capacity for four years.
On 4 March 1801 President Thomas Jefferson began the era of Republican
political influence as they sought to limit government and maximize freedom.
Jefferson encouraged immigration, and the naturalization period
was reduced from fourteen to five years.
His Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin worked to decrease the national debt,
and military spending was cut back nearly 70% the first year.
The Federalist Chief Justice John Marshall recognized treaties as the supreme law,
and in Marbury v. Madison he established the
Supreme Court’s
power to declare laws unconstitutional.
The US Army had only 3,350 men,
and a military academy was established at West Point in 1802.
In the 1802 elections the Republicans won even more seats in Congress.
Ohio became the 17th state in 1803 and banned slavery but created “black laws.”
In his first week President Jefferson consulted his cabinet about the Barbary pirates,
and they sent a naval squadron led by Commodore Richard Dale in June.
Because the United States stopped paying tribute, Tripoli declared war.
In February 1802 the US Congress authorized
the protection of commerce and American sailors.
On June 25 Morocco declared war on the United States.
In early 1803 Congress funded fifteen gunboats and four warships.
American marines first landed on a foreign shore in June at Tripoli.
In October the USS Philadelphia was lost, and 307 men were captured.
The US Senate raised import duties to fund another squadron,
and they attacked Tripoli in August 1804.
Consul General Tobias Lear made a treaty with Morocco in October,
and in June 1805 at Algiers he negotiated peace and the release of the 307 men.
The United States Senate ratified the Tripoli treaty in April 1806.
Napoleon and Jefferson agreed to a revised treaty,
and the US Senate ratified it in December 1801.
Jefferson in January 1803 asked Congress for funding
to buy New Orleans and to explore the Missouri River,
and he sent James Monroe to France to negotiate a deal.
France’s Foreign Minister Talleyrand offered to sell all of Louisiana,
and the United States bought 828,000 square miles for $15 million.
Congress approved it in October.
The New Orleans Territory was governed by federal agents and then
by unpopular William Claiborne and James Wilkinson.
In 1806 people in Louisiana adopted the Code Noir segregation.
Jefferson sent an expedition led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
that left St. Louis in May 1804 and explored the Missouri, Snake,
Columbia and other rivers, reaching the Pacific Ocean in November.
They got along with the Indians and brought back new plant and animal species.
Lt. Zebulon Pike explored the sources of the Mississippi and Arkansas rivers,
and Jefferson sent scientists to explore the Red River.
The US Supreme Court led by John Marshall made another significant decision
in Stuart v. Laird by upholding the Judiciary Act of April 1802
that reorganized the federal court system.
Treasury Secretary Gallatin advised reducing the Navy budget,
and added duties on imports increased revenues in 1804
and helped pay down the national debt.
A Federalist conspiracy to have New England secede failed to gain support.
New York’s Governor George Clinton defeated Aaron Burr and was re-elected.
Then the Republicans elected Clinton Vice President
as President Jefferson easily won re-election.
Republicans now outnumbered Federalists in Congress 141 to 35.
Rejected Burr quarreled with Alexander Hamilton, killed him in a duel, and fled.
Chief Justice Samuel Chase was impeached by the US House of Representatives
but was not convicted of any crime by the US Senate.
The Presbyterian Gideon Blackburn helped to educate the Cherokees,
and they reformed their laws.
In 1805 the Seneca’s Chief Red Jacket gave an eloquent speech
asserting their right to choose their own religion.
In his second term Jefferson continued his
constructive efforts while maintaining peace.
A Kentucky court in Thompson v. Wilmot upheld the rights of a freed slave.
Increased revenues helped pay the public debt.
Gov. William Henry Harrison made treaties with tribes in the Indiana Territory,
and Chickasaws, Cherokees, and Creeks sold land to Tennessee and Georgia.
The British were at war and seized American ships;
but they continued to be the main trading partner,
and neutral Americans made money on exports.
Spaniards complained about West Florida and also fought Americans in Texas.
Jefferson agreed to a Non-importation Bill that went into effect
in November 1806 as negotiations with the British continued.
Aaron Burr conspired with the governors Wilkinson in Louisiana and Claiborne
in New Orleans trying to form an independent nation,
and he sought support from the British.
On September 27 Burr met with Andrew Jackson
who later sent him $3,500 to build boats.
On November 5 US District Attorney Daveiss for Kentucky
began investigating Burr’s planned invasion of Mexico.
On the 27th President Jefferson warned citizens
against participating in this unlawful expedition.
Burr was eventually captured on March 6.
Chief Justice Marshall tried Burr and Blennerhassett for treason,
but the jury did not find them guilty.
On November 27 Jefferson in a proclamation warned citizens against participating
in any unlawful “enterprise against the dominions of Spain,”
and he ordered military officers and judges to punish violators.
The United States following its Constitution banned the slave trade
starting in 1808, but slaves were still imported illegally.
Republicans ended the salt tax, the last domestic tax.
Jefferson rejected a treaty with England because it would have let
impressment of American sailors continue.
On 22 June 1807 the British ship Leopard killed three men
on the USS Chesapeake and removed four crewmen.
Jefferson ordered British ships to leave American waters.
England and France were at war, and each declared that
any ship trading with their enemy could be confiscated.
Jefferson wanted to avoid war, and his Embargo Act became law on December 22.
This stopped trade with American ships,
but foreign ships could bring goods to American ports.
The most seriously affected were the slaves in the West Indies who lacked food,
and the business of merchants and others also suffered.
In January 1808 the Enforcement Act made punishment
more severe for violations of the embargo.
The US Army was increased to 6,000 and added 24,000 volunteers.
In March exports were banned to any foreign country
including Canada and Spanish colonies.
Jefferson in April ordered a stop to smuggling by Lake Champlain,
and in August he sent the Army and the Navy.
Republican James Madison was elected President easily,
and George Clinton was re-elected Vice President.
Federalists made gains in New England, New York, and Maryland but nowhere else.
Jefferson acknowledged Congress’s right to declare war;
and
near the end of his term he hoped they would end the embargo
because it had drastically reduced trade and caused economic hardship in America.
Federalists met in Hartford, and in February 1809
Connecticut refused to enforce the embargo.
On March 1 the Non-Intercourse Act ended all embargoes
while closing American ports to the British and French.
The embargo had cost much in lost exports.
Yet it prevented war and stimulated American
self-sufficiency and developed manufacturing.
The Jefferson administration had reduced the
national debt by about 31% or $26 million.
Jeffersonian democracy began in 1801 by reducing military expenditures
and domestic taxes while using import duties to pay down the national debt.
President Jefferson refused to pay tribute to the pirates in North Africa.
The US Navy defeated them, and a peace treaty was worked out.
Jefferson arranged the purchase of the immense Louisiana Territory
and sent Lewis and Clark to explore its resources.
Jefferson’s Indian policy was more humane and just than
that of any other US President in the 19th century.
More treaties and land purchases were made with Indian tribes,
and diplomacy was used to get territory from Spain.
The United States made the slave trade illegal in 1808.
Jefferson managed to avoid war with England by imposing embargoes
that kept American ships out of danger.
This severely reduced foreign trade and angered Federalists
in New England and the middle states; but the experiment prevented
the evils of war and strengthened American independence and manufacturing.
Jefferson considered the embargo an experiment to prevent war,
and despite its temporary difficulties it prevented
many deaths, destruction, and the expenses of a war.
During his two terms the national debt was reduced by about $26 million.
Like Washington, Jefferson was also a slaveowner who
kept families together and treated them fairly well.
Yet he could have freed them or at least paid them.
He could have educated their children.
Although he tried and failed to abolish slavery, this flaw led to the continuance
of slavery and the conflicts that eventually caused a bloody Civil War.
In my opinion Thomas Jefferson’s presidency was excellent, and I rank him #3.
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