Thomas Jefferson

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Do-Gooder
Full Name	Thomas Jefferson
Alias	Red Fox Long Tom Father of the Declaration of Independence Architect Of America
Origin	United States of America
Occupation	Farmer Lawyer Statesman Architect Inventor Delegate of the 2nd Continental Congress Author of the Declaration of Independence Governor of Virginia Ambassador of France 1st Secretary of State 2nd Vice President of the United States 3rd President of the United States
Skills	Intelligence Writing Communicator
Hobby	Listening to music Reading Gardening
Goals	Make America an independent nation from Britain by writing the Declaration of Independence (succeeded) Avoid European wars (succeeded) Win the Barbary Wars (succeeded) End Slavery (failed, but succeeded in ending slave trade)
Family	Peter Jefferson (father; deceased) Jane Jefferson (mother; deceased) Martha Wayles Skelton (wife) Sally Hemings (significant other)
Allies	John Adams (frenemy) James Madison Benjamin Franklin John Hancock George Washington James Monroe Alexander Hamilton (on/off) Napoleon Bonaparte
Enemies	John Adams (frenemy) Alexander Hamilton (on/off) The British Redcoats Aaron Burr (his Vice President) Federalists
Type of Hero	Patriotic Leader

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
― Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson (April 13^th, 1743 – July 4^th, 1826) was the third US President. He is best known for writing the Declaration of Independence. Before becoming president, he was the second Vice President under John Adams and as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.

As president, he repealed the Alien and Sedition Acts and had the Louisiana Territory opened upon making a deal with Napoleon Bonaparte, even though it was technically unconstitutional. He also send Merryweather Lewis and William Clark to explore the new territory.

More of those was that he banned piracy, grew the first tomatoes in the United States, wanting to prove to Americans that they were not poisonous, and introduced ice cream.   

He was a lifelong friend to John Adams, both serving in the Continental Congress and worked together to write the Declaration of Independence. However, Jefferson’s status as a Democratic-Republican would make Adams, a member of the Federalist Party, his biggest political rival, when they came back from Europe. In the 1796 election, he was defeated by Adams and together, the two men did not agree on how America and foreign power should be based on. The 1800 election would make them not speak or see each other again until after Jefferson concluded his presidency. In New Years Day of 1812, Jefferson and Adams reconciled their friendship and exchanged their letters that lasted fourteen years until their deaths on July 4^th, 1826. 83-year old Thomas Jefferson died on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, just five hours before 90-year old John Adams died on the very same day.

Heroism

• With the help of John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, he wrote the Declaration of Independence, listing all the grievances that King George III has committed against the thirteen colonies.
• He founded the Democratic Party with James Madison.
• While serving as Vice President under John Adams, Jefferson and Madison wrote the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions to prove that the Alien and Sedition Acts violated the Constitution.
• While he was believed to have an alleged affair with Sally Hemings and owned slaves, he opposed slavery and did sign a law to ban the slave trade, first from Virginia and then from the United States as a whole, and supported attempts to ban slavery in all U.S. territories which failed by one vote.
• He undid the court packing system and didn't go full spoils by establishing the Marbury vs. Madison case.
• He believed in religious freedom by writing the Virginia Statue of Religious Freedom.
• One of his first acts he did as President was to undo the Alien and Sedition Acts and pardon the violators.
• Unlike John Adams, Jefferson did not restrict civil liberties as he followed the Constitution and help America defeat the Barbary Pirates in the Barbary War.
• He reduced the national debt, cut wasteful spending, and end the whisky tax, while keeping the national bank intact.
• Even though it's technically unconstitutional, Jefferson made a great deal with France by purchasing the Louisiana Territory, which doubled the size of the United States with a cost of $15 million.
• He refused to go to war with France and England, even though he signed the Embargo Act which damaged the economy.
• He help establish the US Military Academy.
• During the War of 1812, he sold Congress his personal library of 6707 books for $23. 950.
• After becoming President, he help establish the University of Virginia, which first opened in 1825.

Trivia

• He is known as a Renaissance man due to his many talents in learning, writing, economics, religion, philosophy, horticulture, and mathematics.
• He was the only former president to develop a college after becoming president.
• During his tenure as Ambassador to France, he introduced to the dessert known as ice cream that became popularized in America.
• He was the first president to be inaugurated in Washington D.C.
• He was technically the first to be considered for an impeachment inquiry, which got cancelled once the House of Representatives agree that his actions didn’t constitute and impeachable offense.
• His pet mockingbird was named Dick.
• He had a fear of public speaking.
• He died the on the Fourth of July, the same day as his lifelong frenemy, John Adams.
• As one of the most influential figures in History, he was played by several different actors, including Ben Stiller, Billy West, Ken Howard, Stephen Dillane, and Hans Conried.