Thomas Jefferson's Beliefs

Thomas Jefferson. His name struck awe in the hearts of many, and still strikes some today. Contrary to what some would say, he is not just the old fart on the nickel. He was not only the writer of the Declaration of Independence, but he was also the third President of the United States of America, constructor of Monticello, founder of the University of Virginia, and more. He was raised as an Anglican, but was influenced by English Deists, later even going on to tell his nephew, "Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear..." in the spirit of the Enlightenment. However, the real reasons I want to talk about him in this essay is his intriguing

There, he passed a law for religious freedom. He later joined the Continental Congress and wrote the Declaration of Independence. He served as the second minister to France in the years following the war, resigning in 1793. He then joined in the political debates over the new nation. Jefferson was a Democratic Republican in the new nation of America, which meant he was against strong centralized government that the Federalists, the other party (conservative), pushed. He was advocate for the rights of states and was the first of his party to become President. This led to him cutting a few taxes, ironically also reducing the national debt during his time by a third, and investing in the expansion of the country, even though it wasn’t explicitly constitutional. The Lewis and Clark Expedition, Pike Expeditions, and the Louisiana Purchase all exemplify this. He also sent a proper naval fleet to battle the Barbary Pirates that were harassing American merchant ships. Jefferson was also a sympathizer for France, but did not want to get involved in Europe, as we were such a young nation then. Jefferson never sent forces to help in the bloody French Revolution(s? It’s never really clear) or the Napoleonic Wars (via a trade embargo), but that didn’t stop both the British and French Navies from illegally boarding ships and enlisting troops that weren’t their own. His presidency

He inherited the Monticello estate at 26 and was a very well educated man, rivaling that of the most expensive tutoring in all of Europe. He began tutoring under Reverend James Maury at the age of nine, attended the College of William and Mary at sixteen, and further continued his law studies under George Wythe, a man who also went on to sign the Declaration of Independence. He started to attend the House of Burgesses in 1765, and was elected to it in 1769. He later went on to be a delegate for the Continental Congress in 1775 and later wrote the famous document itself, the Declaration of Independence. However, he returned home shortly after to tend to his very ill wife and children and because he missed the estate he called home. He was elected to be the Governor of Virginia in 1779, at a time when the nation was still at war. Being hesitant in his decision-making, he decided a military man would do this job much better than him. In 1781, he retired back to Monticello to tend to his still ill wife, write, and work with plants. During this time, he wrote Notes on the State of Virginia, which he never really finished, and his wife, Martha Jefferson, died. This lead him into a depression that his eldest daughter said he “[N]ever really recovered