Thomas Jefferson

"I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it."

This meaningful and marvelous quote was said by one of the most influential minds of the 18th century: Thomas Jefferson. We believe this quote can represent very clearly and accurately Thomas Jefferson's life. He was lucky to have been born in one of Virginia's most distinguished families, and in addition he inherited a considerable landed estate from his father. However, this luck wasn't for free since he was a hard-working man throughout his life. He was a public official, historian, philosopher, and plantation owner who served his country for over fifty years. He was always known for his optimism and he performed his occupations with great honesty and responsibility. He fought for the colonists's rights and he opposed Britain's unfair treatment towards them. He was the author of the declaration of independence and he voiced the hopes of the American people as no other individual in his era. Even in his death bed he was a honorable and respectable gentleman, the kind that this world needs more of.

Thomas Jefferson was born in April 13, 1743 in Shadwell, Virginia and he died in July 4, 1826 in Monticello. Thomas Jefferson is a very important person because he was the author of the Declaration of Independence and also the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom. In fact he was so valuable to his country, that he became the third president of the United States. Thomas Jefferson was elected governor from the years 1779 to 1781. His father was named Peter Jefferson and he was a succesful planter, and his mother, Jane Randolph was a member of one of the most distinguished families in Virginia. When he was twenty six years old he began constructing Monticello. In the other hand, Jefferson had many debts, although he was always considered an optimistic man. He died when he was eighty three years old.

Thomas Jefferson had many accomplishment in his long life. First of all, he founded the University of Virginia, being him named the "Father of the University." Also, Thomas Jefferson was the first secretary state of America. In addition, he was the co-founder of the Democratic Republican Party, which was the opposition of the Federalist Party. The Democratic Republican Party controlled the Congress and the Presidency. Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory because he wanted to expand America and because it had a variety of natural resources.  Furthermore, Thomas Jefferson was the initiator of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The Lewis Clark Expedition was the first expedition to cross the western part of what is now the United States of America. Apart from this accomplishments, he was also a father, gardener, and thinker, who had a strong believe in the rights of all men. Thomas Jefferson was an incredible man and a wonderful example for future generations.

The Declaration of Independence

One simply can't talk about the history of the United States without mentioning the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence is the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty. This formal document was drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776. In this formal and well-drafted document, Jefferson expressed the ideas in the minds and hearts of the American people. Jefferson got most of the ideas from a very influential book written by Thomas Paine. The book was called "Common Sense" and it expressed in a clear and simple language the advantages and immediate need for independence. In proportion to the population of the colonies at that time, it had the largest sale of any book published in American history.

Although the ideas for individual liberty were taken from John Locke and other Enlightment philosophers, the Declaration of Independence still had a huge impact in the colonists's lives. Jefferson did an amazing work in drafting this document because the final draft published by the congress had very few modifications. However, it is worth noting that the congress removed one fourth of the original text since they said it was unnecessary wording. Jefferson set forth a list of grievances against the King of England. He did this to justify and explain to the world the breaking of political ties between the colonies and England. Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in a little house situated in the outskirts of town because he found his own house uncomfortable since it was located in the heart of town. The house belonged to a well-known bricklayer called Jacob Graff and the family continued to live there while Jefferson wrote the Declaration.

Jefferson wrote the Declaration in under three weeks. The house where he drafted the document is now known as The Declaration House. The Declaration of Independence had 56 signers. Among those, the first, largest, and most-known signature is the one of John Hancock, the president of the Continental Congress. The youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence was Edward Rutledge who was 26 years old, and the oldest was Benjamin Franklin with 70 years. The Declaration was also signed by two future U.S. presidents: John Adams who would become the second president and Thomas Jefferson who would become the third president. The Declaration of Independence inspired many other people and countries because at that time most formal declarations were made by a monarch giving privileges to their people, however this wasn't the case, and it was in fact a pioneering example of people announcing their own sovereignty.

The Second Continental Congress

The Second Continental Congress met on May 10, 1775 after the battles of Lexington and Concord. The delegates of the Congress met at the State House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (now a days call Independence Hall) for the first meeting. Some of the delegates of the Congress were: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Hancock. The Second Continental Congress was conformed by fifty-six delegates from different colonies. John Hancock became the new president of the Continental Congress. In the other hand, Benjamin Franklin proposed the idea of independence to the other delegates, but most of the delegates disagreed because they were not ready. After everything that had happened with Britain, America was still not ready for their own independence.

Particularly, the Second Continental Congress decided to take responsibility from the war. That was the reason for them to start organizing an army formed mostly of volunteers. In addition, the Congress named George Washington as the military commander. Furthermore, the Congress discussed the possibility of the print paper money. Later on, the Congress authorized the print paper money. As said before, the delegates didn't want independence from Britain, apart from some radicals. In July of 1775, Congress allowed the Olive Branch Petition, which was a letter for the King. The King rejected the petition and instead he sent troops to Boston.

In 1776, the Congress decided to become independent from Britain. As a result, the delegates wrote the famous document known as the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence was formed and written by several delegates including: Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman. In addition, all of the delegates of the Second Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence. John Hancock is known for writing his name first and biggest on the Declaration of Independence.This document stated that the states would be independent and no longer part of Britain. On July 4, 1776, the Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. At last, the Declaration of Independence was a union to form a new nation known as the United States of America.

Lexington and Concord

The Shot Heard Around the World was fired!! It took place in Lexington, Massachusetts. It all started when Thomas Gage sent 700 soldiers to destroy weapons and ammunition that the colonists were hiding in Concord. Also, the British had planned to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock. However, there was a brave man called Paul Revere, who with the company of two other men, went on horseback to alert John Hancock and Samuel Adams. On the evening of April 18th, 1775, British troops started to march towards Lexington. Before this movement took place, all colonists were alerted that British troops were coming. As a result, Samuel Adams and John Hancock managed to escape. Colonists were expecting a fight with the British, therefore they created a militia group that was known as the minutemen. The fight began and Captain Jonas Parker attacked British soldiers with 75 armed minutemen. At the end, 10 minutemen soldiers were injured and 8 were killed.

When the battle had finished, Paul Revere was caught by the British soldiers when he was reaching Concord to alert people that the British were coming. However, Paul Revere had messenger friends and they were the ones that managed to go to Concord and warn the people. The messengers plan consisted in alerting the people of Concord, taking as much ammunition as they could carry, and going to their hiding places. When British soldiers arrived they were only capable of destroying a small part of the supplies. Suddenly, a miracle occured and the colonists were able to surround the British and forced them to retreat. This plan's success can be attributed to the minutemen's quick response time and their ability to respond to messenger warnings. It is worth noting that the smoke from the burning supplies was attracting curious farmers and townspeople. The British killed 49 Patriots and injured 39, however the colonists were able to kill 73 British soldiers and injured 174.

British troops spent 4 hours in Concord searching and destroying the ammunition they were able to rescue. The colonists took advantage of this time and used the soldiers as a distraction to prepare for the battle. When the British arrived in Boston, 2,000 minutemen were prepared and ready for the battle. However, the minutemen were hiding in places such as: trees, stone walls, houses and sheds. They were not really prepared for the battle and this was evident when they weren't able to contain the British forces. Something interesting about this battle was that the British were called regulars because they wore red uniforms. The leader of the militia in Lexington was called Captain John Parker, and 25% of his army was composed by his relatives. The day after these battles took place, around 15,000 minutemen surrounded Boston.