Thomas Jefferson

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the legacy of Thomas Jefferson is undeniable. The author points out that he was a president, a penman of the Declaration of Independence and a key contributor to the shaping of the U.S.; his name is matched by very few men. The paper relates that from the beginning, young Thomas was privileged by having an influential name and the power of his home state of Virginia. The author reports that Jefferson's political prowess began in the 1770s when he was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses and continued growing when he became a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, Governor of Virginia, Vice President under John Adams, and the third president of the U.S. The paper presents the controversy over Jefferson's alleged affair with his slave Sally Hemings with whom he is said to have had several children.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Early Life
Political Life
Controversy
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"From 1758 to 1760, Jefferson studied under James Maury in a school near Gordonsville, Virginia. In 1760, when Thomas was 16, he enrolled in the College of William and Mary. He studied philosophy, metaphysics, and mathematics. Professor William Small introduced his student to the writings of famous thinkers such as Sir Isaac Newton, John Locke and Francis Bacon. After studying for two years, he graduated with the highest honors possible, in 1762 . After graduating from William and Mary, Jefferson studied law with George Wythe, and was eventually admitted to the bar in Virginia in 1767."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bowers, Claude. The Young Jefferson. Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston, 1969.
• Curtis, William Eleroy. The True Thomas Jefferson. Lippincott Company: Philadelphia, 1908.
• Gordon-Reed, Annette. Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy. University Press: Charlottesville, 1997.
• Graff, Henry. Illustrious Americans: Thomas Jefferson. Burdett Company: New Jersey, 1968.
• Jefferson, Thomas. Preamble to the Declaration of Independence. 1776.

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