Thomas Jefferson
He made a vow on the altar of God: "Forever oppose all forms of tyrannical domination over the human mind." This sentence summed up the faith and spirit that he had spent his life fighting for. Later, this sentence was engraved on the Jefferson Monument in Washington, D.C., and became a portrayal of his life. This is Thomas Jefferson, the national soul of America.
Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) was born on April 1, 1743 in Gushland, Virginia (now Albamar), and was still on the border when Thomas Jefferson was born. Thomas's father, Peter Jefferson, was a moderately affluent farmer who was a local land surveyor. Thomas's mother was born into one of Virginia's most prestigious families. Jefferson was tall and thin, with freckles on his face and yellow and red hair. He was one of the most talented figures in American history. Before the age of 30, he had studied 6 languages, law mathematics, science and philosophy; He is a self-taught architect who has designed many of the world's most beautiful housing; He was the inventor who designed the American monetary system; At the same time, he is also an excellent musician.
At the age of 14, Jefferson's father died, and Jefferson inherited the family's estate as the eldest son, including 500 acres of land and 100 black slaves.
In 1760, Jefferson was admitted to the William and Mary College, a prestigious institution of higher learning in Williamsburg, Virginia. Here, he read philosophy, history, natural sciences and literary works extensively, studied very hard, spent up to 15 hours a day, was deeply influenced by the European Enlightenment ideas that prevailed at that time, and participated in many progressive groups organized on campus. After graduating in 1762, he continued his studies in law with the famous Wise Professor of the school, and in 1767 he qualified as a local lawyer. In 1768 Jefferson served as magistrate in his native County of Alberta, and in 1769 he was elected to the Virginia Legislature, and curiously, he was not a brilliant orator, so he wrote many letters and articles in place of speeches. The letters and articles focused on the growing contradictions between the American colonies and Britain, and one of them was on what Jefferson called the "rights of Americans." The article caused Jefferson's name to spread throughout the North American colonies. His opposition to the British government was so strong that the British government declared him a traitor and would be hanged if he was caught.
On New Year's Day 1772, at the age of 28, Jefferson married Martha Skelleton, 23, and in 1769 the two met in Williamsburg, fell in love at first sight, and soon fell in love. Both had outstanding achievements in music, Martha Skelton was good at playing the cello, Jefferson was good at playing the violin, and the piano was good at playing the violin. Unfortunately, just 10 years later, Martha died, jefferson was infinitely sad, and did not continue the string.
Three years later, Jefferson was elected to the Continental Congress. Because of his ability to write, he was designated as the author of the Declaration of Independence.
During the Revolutionary War, Jefferson was the first member of the Virginia Legislature and then governor. He worked hard to pass a law guaranteeing freedom of religion or belief. This bill is the first of its kind in U.S. history.
After the end of the Revolutionary War, Jefferson served as Minister to France. When the new federal constitution was passed and Washington was elected as its first president, Jefferson was appointed secretary of state.
Jefferson feared that the United States of America would one day become a dictatorship, and he was fully convinced that the entire population of the United States could manage itself. Jefferson wanted the United States to be a country that required little law, grew up in border areas, and believed that only educated citizens could protect this nascent democracy. Therefore, Jefferson was very fond of education, he thought that all children should be at least up to the 3rd grade or above, which may not be a big education for us today, but for the United States at that time, it was undoubtedly a bombshell, because many people did not receive any education at all.
Then-Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton had a different idea, disagreeing with Jefferson's view of how to make government good. He agreed with the British political system, in which the king or a president, at least for life, was the best leader. Many people sincerely agree with Hamilton's views. However, Jefferson was convinced that, according to Milton, the United States would eventually become a dictatorship. And Hamilton believed that Jefferson's ideas would lead to mob rule.
At first, Jefferson didn't want to form a political party, but soon he was led by his adherents, known as Republicans (a few years later, these Republicans called themselves Democrats). People who agree with Hamilton's views are called Federalists. No one deliberately designed it, but it became the beginning of the American party system.
When Washington's first term ended, Jefferson resigned and returned to his native Virginia. When Washington assumed a third term as president, John Adams was elected president and Thomas New Jefferson was elected vice president. Adams belonged to the Federalists and Jefferson belonged to the Republicans, and this hybrid combination arose because the people who wrote the Federal Constitution did not realize the problem of political factions. Their plan is to have the person with the most votes as president and the person with the second most votes as vice president. Subsequently, the Federal Constitution was amended to provide that the President and the Vice-President should belong to the same political faction.
Adams served only one term as president, after which Jefferson was elected president. Since he believed that the state should operate at as low a cost as possible, he disarmed the army and navy. Unlike Washington, Jefferson never wore a dashing uniform, nor did he ride a quad with many horses, usually on foot or on horseback.
Jeffer set himself up as president, but paid little attention to his appearance, and his dress was frugal and casual, so that it caused a major misunderstanding. When the British Prime Minister and his Lady Mary visited the United States in December 1803, Jefferson received them in frugal clothes and slippers, and at a formal banquet at the White House, no one accompanied them to the table, so that the British Prime Minister and his wife had to compete with other guests for seats. The British Prime Minister and his wife felt that this reception was an insult to themselves and to the country, which caused a diplomatic war. Jefferson explains: "In social circles, everyone is equal, whether incumbent or not, domestic and foreign, male and female guests enjoy the same equality." He believed that dressing frugally and informally was the habit of this democratic republic and society. During his reign, he abolished many red tape, one of which was the abolition of hierarchical differences at banquets.
At this time, France declared a vast expanse of unknown land west of the Mississippi River to be owned by France. In New Orleans, France controlled the area on both sides of the Mississippi River estuary. This meant that the French could close the river at any time if they did not want American ships to come and go. But the waterway was too important for American settlers west of the Alabachian Mountains. In 1803, Jefferson decided to buy New Orleans from the French. To his surprise, Napoleon, the emperor of France, agreed to sell the entire Louisiana region from the Mississippi River to the Rockies.
Satellite map of New Orleans
At that time, The relationship between Britain and France was becoming increasingly tense, war was inevitable, and Napoleon urgently needed to raise funds to carry out this war. Although France was no longer able to defend the North American colonies, it did not see this large area of land fall into British hands, so it preferred to sell all louisiana to the United States. So, the day before Monroe arrived in Ba, French Foreign Minister Thalerão had proposed to the Levinsian church that Napoleon would be willing to betray not only New Orr, but also the entire Louisiana region. So on April 30, the two sides signed an agreement to price it at $15 million. In June, the draft agreement was sent to Washington. Desperate for the land, Jefferson was also disturbed by the constitutional spirit of the draft agreement, which, according to Jefferson's idea, should be submitted to Congress for approval and amendment, supplemented by amendments to the Constitution, to give full legitimacy to the purchase. But the process was too slow, and when he heard the envoy in France write that Napoleon had regretted the deal and that if it dragged on, perhaps he would retract his promise, Jefferson quickly changed his mind about the constitution and demanded that the Senate immediately review and approve the draft agreement. On December 20, 1803, the American flag was flying over New Orleans.
Folson argues that the president cannot have any powers other than those provided for in the Constitution. But there is nothing in the Constitution that says the president has the power to double the national territory of the United States. Jefferjin also believed that America's future depended on the West. This opportunity is really too important for the country, and it is a pity to lose this opportunity. So he signed an agreement to buy louisiana. After that, he asked Congress to agree to everything he had done. Some were furious at jefferson's actions of the authority given to it by the Federal Constitution, while others said Jefferson wanted to become emperor of the new territories.
In 1804, Jefferson was elected president for the second time, beginning his second term, and he could be re-elected president if Jefferson so wished. But he always feared that if a president's term was too long, he could become a dictator. Jefferson believes that no president should serve more than two terms. Of course, being president never made him feel truly happy. As a result, he refused to run for a third term. He returned to his hometown of Montisaro.
Thomas Jefferson was the first U.S. president to die of poverty. Jefferson's 8-year presidency left him with a huge debt and had to borrow another debt to pay off in order to leave the White House. After leaving the White House, although he owned several small workshops and a small farm, he could not make ends meet, and although he sold some land to pay off his debts, he still had about $50,000 in debt, so the debt repayment became a difficult knot that plagued the outgoing general manager. His eldest daughter, Marcia, who lives with him, wrote in a letter to her father: "I can tolerate anything, I just don't want to see you so old and worry about debt." ”
In 1812, when the British invaded and burned the National Library, Jefferson sold his $50,000 collection to Congress for $23,500, paying off nearly half of his debt. Despite his tight pockets, Jefferson planned and helped found the University of Virginia. From 1816 onwards, after Jefferson devoted his entire body and mind to the establishment of the University of Virginia, he donated $16,000 to the United States. Under his active lobbying, the state legislature approved a payment of $15,000 a year to fund the school. Jefferson went around collecting donations for the establishment of the school. On March 7, 1825, the University of Virginia opened, even though there were only 30 students at the time. Jefferson personally brought the teachers together to help them decide which classes to teach.
University of Virginia
On July 4, 1826, he wrote the last handwritten letter of his life, apologetically resigning from the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in Washington, and finally fulfilled his last wish to live until July 4, and died at 12:50 p.m. at the age of 73. A few hours later, Jefferson's former president, Adams, another drafter of the Declaration of Independence, also died.
Jefferson has been politically active for nearly 60 years and is a great hero in the eyes of the American people. Jefferson was a representative of the bourgeois democrats and the founder of the Republican Party. In 1773, he founded the Virginia "Communications Committee" to promote the idea of colonial independence. He advocated the doctrine of natural human rights and proposed a revolutionary rebellion against tyrants. Advocated the free development of smallholder economies and opposed slavery and restrictions on property qualifications in parliamentary elections. Later, he was a delegate to the Continental Congress and participated in the drafting of the "Independent Yiyan". He served as Governor of Virginia, Minister to France, Secretary of State, and Vice President. During his presidency, louisiana was purchased from France, which doubled the size of the U.S. border with Mexico; and the "Western Gradualist Policy" was introduced, and decrees prohibiting the importation of slaves were issued. In his later years, he founded the University of Virginia. He ensured that the power of the federal government was in the hands of the people, and was judged by historians to be a president who was "great" or "close to great."
Jefferson's epitaph
Before his death, Jefferson personally wrote an epitaph for himself: "Here is buried Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, author of the Virginia Freedom of Religion Act, and father of Virginia State University." He didn't even mention that he had been president of the United States.