Thomas Jefferson

CIVICS FACTS 1. Thomas Jefferson liked languages and when he was nine years old he began to study Latin, Greek, and French. 2. Before he became President of the United States, Jefferson was also Vice President of the United States, U.S. Secretary of State, and Governor of Virginia. 3. His home is called Monticello and is located near Charlottesville, Virginia. 4. Jefferson was a widower and he never remarried. Because his wife died before he was elected president, his daughter, Martha Washington Jefferson Randolph, acted as First Lady of the United States. 5. His grave marker does not mention that he was President of the United States:  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.

• Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743.



• He served as the third President of the United States from 1801-1809.



• Before he became president, Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.



• The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. It announced our independence from Great Britain.



• Three rights in the Declaration of Independence are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.



• Jefferson believed in the ideals of Republicanism. Republicanism is the belief that the supreme power of a country belongs to the people.



• He also believed in separation of church and state.



• Jefferson favored states' rights and a restricted federal government.



• In 1803, while Jefferson was president, the United States bought the Louisiana Territory from France.



• After the purchase of the Louisiana Territory, Jefferson hired Lewis and Clark to explore the new area. Their trip is called the Corps of Discovery.



• A favorite project of Jefferson's was designing and starting the University of Virginia. He designed both the buildings and the curriculum.



• Jefferson was married to Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson, and they had six children. Martha died before Jefferson became President of the United States.



• Although Jefferson wrote against slavery, he owned slaves that he inherited. It is believed that he had children with Sally Hemings, one of his slaves.



• Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, when he was 83 years old.



• He died on the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.