Thomas Jefferson symbolizes the promise and contradictions of America's historical legacy. As the third President of the United States, diplomat, plantation owner, architect, scientist and philosopher, he is one of the most important figures in American history. The writings of Thomas Jefferson are more significant in American history today than ever before. You could reach into your pocket, pull out a nickel, and find him staring off into the distance. Jefferson was born on April 13 (April 2, old style) 1743 at Shadwell, the largest of the tobacco plantations owned by his father Peter Jefferson, in the Virginia backwoods. An intelligent, although educated, man, Peter Jefferson became a surveyor, landowner, and member of the Virginia House of Burgesses from Albemarle County. His wife Jane Randolph, a member of one of Virginia's most distinguished families. As a child, he took full advantage of the advantages of his family's position: books, horses, and the good life of the "big houses" of Tuckahoe and Shadwell. When his father died, he left his fourteen-year-old son not only valuable land and property, but also the inheritance of Virginia's wealth as well as loving and caring guidance. Thomas did not formally educate himself; he studied at the school of the revered Mr. Maury, not far from Shadwell. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayAfter two years, in the spring of 1760, he left his native Albemarle to attend William and Mary College. Jefferson shows that he enjoys the party scene: the music, the dancing, the flirting, and the drinking of punch. After graduating from William and Mary in the spring of 1762, Jefferson studied law for five years under George Wythe. Knowledge of the law is essential to understanding government procedures. He became a successful lawyer early in his career. When Jefferson was thirty years old, he began his political career. In January 1772 he married Martha Wayles Skelton. After marrying, they moved to Monticello, not far from his former home in Shadwell, which had been destroyed by fire in 1770. Jefferson arrived in Philadelphia in June 1775 as a Virginia delegate to the Second Continental Congress; he already had it, as John Adams pointed out. “A reputation for literature, science and a fortunate talent for composition. » Upon his return later, he was appointed to the five-member committee, including Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. It was the most important mission ever given in American history: the drafting of a formal declaration of independence from Great Britain. Jefferson was given responsibility for preparing the project and was finally approved on July 4, 1776. By the age of thirty-three, his reputation had grown. Returning to the Virginia House of Delegates in October 1776, Jefferson immediately set to work on a carefully planned reform of Virginia's laws. He introduced a bill to reorganize the courts. Jefferson took advantage of the opportunity to modernize the legal corpus. He studied the entire field of education and proposed a systematic plan for statewide education. He attempted to enshrine religious tolerance in Virginia laws by separating church and state; When the "Religious Liberty Establishment Bill" was finally passed in 1785, he considered it a major contribution to American society. In June 1779 he was elected governor of Virginia. Jefferson took office at a time when the British were attacking Virginia; If theycontrolled the sea, they could send raiding parties to capture food and munitions and destroy them. Jefferson himself escaped capture by Colonel Tarleton's troops. In June 1781 he injured his wrist and was unable to ride a horse for a time. During this period, he wrote to the Marquis de Marbois, secretary of the French Legation in Philadelphia. The observations Jefferson had been making for years about the surrounding country, its climate, its natural beauties, its minerals, its waterways, its agriculture, and its government. The manuscript was later the Notes of Virginie. In September 1782, Jefferson's wife, who had been ill since the birth of their last daughter, died. Shortly thereafter, in June 1783, the Virginia General Assembly elected Jefferson as a delegate to the Congress of the Confederacy where he again led important committees, wrote reports and official documents. Here he criticized the proposed monetary system and proposed, in his "Notes on the Establishment of a Monetary Unit", a sound money system to replace it. He drafted a temporary government of the Western Territory or the North-West Territory Ordinance, emphasizing the importance of equality between the original and new states and attempting to exclude slavery of all territories. Jefferson was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States to assist Benjamin Franklin and John Adams on May 7, 1784. Jefferson entered the European scene where diplomacy and society, arts and sciences, revolution and love would offer him the richest years of his life. In 1785, upon Franklin's departure for America, Jefferson was appointed minister plenipotentiary to the Court of France. In January 1794, having been a private, free man, able to read, write and appreciate music, he retired. During the few months of his retirement, Jefferson began to supervise the farming of his estates and designed a plow that revolutionized agriculture. He also read in his library and wrote to his friends. After three years of retirement, Jefferson was drafted in 1796 to run for president and accepted. He ran against John Adams losing but became vice president. After Adams' term, Jefferson again ran for president against Aaron Burr. During Jefferson's second term, an impatient John Randolph of Roanoke resented Jefferson's methods in dealing with the Federalists. Rejecting Jefferson's policies involving territorial controversies with Spain, he led a small but powerful team of anti-administration Republicans in the House of Representatives. At the end of Jefferson's second term, he reopened his campaign for a general education system in Virginia. Jefferson was convinced that this institution could be the greatest achievement of a life dedicated to the belief that the truth sets men free. The Virginia state institution or university was the first American university to be free of any official ties to the church. The University of Virginia was Jefferson's daily focus during his final seven years. He chooses the books for the college library, establishes the curriculum, designs the buildings and supervises their construction. The university opened in 1825, the winter before Jefferson's death. Jefferson continued to perform a multitude of other tasks. In his eightieth year he wrote on politics and sent lengthy briefings to President Monroe later known as the Monroe Doctrine. Jefferson's life had been rich and deep, astonishing in its complexity, enriching for his family, his friends, his fellow citizens and for America. Jefferson died ten days.