Thomas Jefferson: Life and Contributions History Assignment (Essay Sample)

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Thomas Jefferson: Life and Contributions
Many came before him, and many more left after him, but not many have made great marks as one American lawyer, Thomas Jefferson. Born in 1743 in Shadwell, Virginia of a prosperous planter Peter Jefferson and a lady member of Virginia’s most distinguished family, Jane Randolph, Jefferson was the beneficiary of a large estate and high social standing (Miller). Jefferson is known for his luxurious Monticello home, a cradle to over 200 slaves and its neighboring plantations (Kloppenberg). From his childhood, Jefferson received what rivaled Europe’s finest education, though he never stepped foot out of America until late in life. He was the master of five languages both in spoken and written, and an additional two languages in writing (The White House). It should, however, be noted that Jefferson is not revered for his wealth and social stature, but for his life-long contributions to the political, social and economic welfare of the American people and the world as a whole.
Jefferson was a politician, a revolutionist, a lawyer, an author, an agronomist, a musician, an architect, a philosopher, inventor and a statesman. He served the United States as the second vice president from 1797 to 1801, and afterward as the third American president from 1801 to 1808 (The White House). Jefferson is renowned for his part in the American Revolution and as the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. Furthermore, Jefferson is associated with religious independence and individuals rights to an association by drafting a bill that was later to be enacted in 1786 in Virginia (Peterson). This bill championed for the separation of religion from state matters, giving individuals an exclusive right to following their religious beliefs without government interference. He was also the founder, designer director of the construction of University of Virginia (Peterson). According to a post on Miller Centre, Thomas Jefferson voiced the needs of new America than anyone else in his lifetime.
Politically, Jefferson shaped both local and international policies and conventions. It should be noted that after he succeeded Franklin as the minister to France in 1785, Jefferson developed a strong sympathy for the French Revolution, a factor that contributed to his resignation as the secretary of state in 1793 (Jefferson et al.). His departure from office was as a result of ideological conflicts between him and Alexander Hamilton. These sharp political conflicts led to the formation of two separate parties Federalist and the Democratic-Republicans, and the eventual birth of the first party system in North America. Through his Republican Party, he championed the rights of States and strongly opposed Central Governments. It should also be recalled that it was during his first tenure in office, that the procedure for appointing the vice president was reversed (Miller). This was in a bid to prevent enemies from occupying the first and second positions in the executive, as was his case with John Adams. Jefferson’s presidency also initiated what came to be known as the quarter-century rule of the ‘Virginia Dynasty’ 1801-1825, which included the presidencies of Jeffersonian loyalist (Miller). Although not a good public speaker, Jefferson was a talented correspondent and influential writer who penned some of the powerful articles in the history of this new America, including of Declaration of Independence.
When Jefferson assumed office in 1801, the crisis in France had subsided (The White House). His primary objective was then, therefore, to bring the American economy on track towards world superiority. He slashed Army and Naval expenditure, cut the budget, eliminated tax on whiskey and ultimately reduced the national budget by a third (Jefferson et al.). Most notably was his acquisition of the Louisiana Territories from Napoleon in 1803 and his battle against the pirates of Barbary, who were harassing American trade at the Mediterranean. Much as the constitution never made a provision for acquisition of new land, and the Republicans made an issue of it, Jefferson went ahead to with the purchase of New Orleans and the adjacent coastal lands from France (Miller). The new acquisition doubled the country’s size and contained some of the best agricultural lands in America. The sale is also believed to have stopped the French imperialistic ambitions in North America, thus removing a hurdle to the American westward expansion. During his lifetime, Jefferson also made several invention, some of which greatly lifted the American economy. An excellent example, according to Peterson was the moldboard plow, which revolutionized the agricultural landscape in the state of Virginia and the rest of the United States.
Thomas Jefferson undoubtedly fought for the social welfare of all men of diverse stature, color, and origin. “Equal rights for all men,” was and is still considered some of the most potent words ever penned in the history of America and lies in the middle of the Declaration of Independence (Jefferson et al.). He v...