1. Thomas Jefferson 1743-1826

2. ► Born into a wealthy Virginia family. ► Attended the College of William and Mary and graduated in 1762. ► Went on to earn a law degree in 1767.

3. ► Served in the Virginia House of Burgesses. ► Was a leader in America’s fight for independence from British rule. ► After the Revolutionary war, he served as the American minister to France, became the nation’s first secretary of state, and was the second vice-president before becoming president in 1801.

4. ► While in office, he nearly doubled the size of the nation by authorizing the Louisiana Territory from France. ► He helped found the University of Virginia. ► Helped establish the public school system. ► Designed his own house (Monticello) ► Invented a type of elevator for sending food from floor to floor. ► Created a decimal system for American money.

5. ► His personal library was the basis for the Library of Congress. ► He was an accomplished statesman, architect, botanist, paleontologist, linguist, and musician.

6. ► One way that Jefferson contributed to the fight for American freedom was through his writing. ► Wrote a pamphlet called “A Summary View of the Rights of British America” in 1774. ► In 1776 the Second Continental Congress chose him to help draft the Declaration of Independence.

7. ► Jefferson died on July 4, 1826—the 50 th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.