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Philip Porter from Mt. Kisco, New York, writes: Thomas Jefferson is a real American hero because of the many things he did. He doubled the size of the United States when he purchased the Louisiana Territory. Spain had planned to turn all of the Louisiana Territory over to France.

Thomas Jefferson

by Gina from Elkins

"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."

Revered as the author of the Declaration of Independence yet condemned as a slave owner, Thomas Jefferson has entered a new era of controversy. Jefferson was a young man from the Virginia wilderness, transformed by the philosophical fire of the American Revolution. Torn between his career and family life at Monticello, he suffered heartrending personal loss even as he was formulating brilliant ideas about democratic government.

Thomas Jefferson was born April 13, 1743, in Shadewell, Virginia. He married Martha Skelton on January 1 1772.(There are no known pictures of Martha Skelton Jefferson.) They had one son and two daughters. Jefferson was in office from 1801 through 1809. He died July 4, 1826 and was buried in Montecello, Virginia.

Visit the award winning web site created by the Library of Congress called the American Memory Project. They have archived online the Thomas Jefferson Papers. The papers document Thomas Jefferson's life, 1743 - 1826: Virginia governor, secretary of state, president, and founder of the University of Virginia. 27,000 documents from the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress are digitized and available online. This web site also includes a timeline of Jefferson's life

Page created on 8/2/2015 8:47:33 PM

Last edited 4/8/2019 8:08:10 PM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

Related Links

The Home of Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson Online - This PBS site explores the storied and controversial life of Jefferson through a photo essay.
Thomas Jefferson - Official page from the White House history site on the third president of the United States