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    Thomas Jefferson: A Short Biography
    Thomas Jefferson: A Short Biography
    Thomas Jefferson: A Short Biography
    Ebook53 pages44 minutes

    Thomas Jefferson: A Short Biography

    By Doug West

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    About this ebook

    Thomas Jefferson is known by most as the third president of the United States, but his legacy extends much further than that. Born to a wealthy plantation owner, Thomas was the third of nine children. When he was just fourteen, his father died, leaving him half his land, slaves, and wealth. These circumstances allowed Thomas to attend college at the age of sixteen, and later on, to study under one of the top lawyers of the time.
    His political history is one of great triumph and struggle. Jefferson first practiced law and served in the government as a member of the House of Burgesses, later serving as a member of the Continental Congress, where he wrote the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson left Congress in 1776 and returned to Virginia to serve in the legislature, and then as Governor of Virginia for two years. He took a brief sabbatical until 1784, when he replaced Benjamin Franklin as minister to France.

    In 1790, Jefferson became Secretary of State under George Washington and later served as Vice President to John Adams. Jefferson won the presidency in a heated election in 1800. His first term resulted in some notable achievements, including the purchase of the Louisiana Territory in 1803, and then his support of the Lewis and Clark expedition. In his second term, he faced difficulties in the domestic and foreign fronts and was most remembered for his effort to remain neutral in the midst of the conflict between France and Britain.

    In 1809, President Jefferson was succeeded by James Madison. While he lived out his final seventeen years at his Virginia plantation, Monticello, Jefferson sold his collection of books to the government. Not only did he lay the foundation for the Library of Congress, but he was also the founder of the University of Virginia.
    Thomas Jefferson passed away on July 4, 1826, just hours before his friend John Adams died on the same date. It was the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and Jefferson was eighty-three years old.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDoug West
    Release dateApr 13, 2016
    ISBN9781310216480
    Thomas Jefferson: A Short Biography
    Author

    Doug West

    Doug West is a retired engineer, small business owner, and an experienced non-fiction writer with several books to his credit. His writing interests are general, with expertise in science, history, biographies, numismatics, and “How to” topics. Doug has a B.S. in Physics from the Missouri School of Science and Technology and a Ph.D. in General Engineering from Oklahoma State University. He lives with his wife and little dog “Millie” near Kansas City, Missouri.

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      Book preview

      Thomas Jefferson - Doug West

      Thomas Jefferson – A Short Biography

      By Doug West, Ph.D.

      Thomas Jefferson – A Short Biography

      Copyright © 2016 Doug West

      All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author. Reviewers may quote brief passages in reviews.

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Table of Contents

      Preface

      Introduction

      Chapter 1 – Early Years

      Chapter 2 – Rebel and Politician

      Chapter 3 – Minister to France and Secretary of State

      Chapter 4 – Vice President Jefferson

      Chapter 5 – Election of 1800

      Chapter 6 – The Presidency

      Chapter 7 – Second Term as President

      Chapter 8 – Jefferson the Man

      Chapter 9 – Life after the Presidency

      Chronology

      Acknowledgments

      Further Reading

      About the Author

      Preface

      Welcome to the book Thomas Jefferson – A Short Biography. This book is part of the 30 Minute Book Series and, as the name of the series implies, if you are an average reader this book will take around 30 minutes to read or a little longer to listen to in audio format. Since this book is not meant to be an all-encompassing biography of Thomas Jefferson, you may want to know more about this great man and his accomplishments. To help you with this, there are several good references at the end of this book. Thank you for purchasing this book and I hope you enjoy your time reading about Thomas Jefferson.

      Doug West

      April 2016

      Introduction

      Thomas Jefferson is most well-known for his role as the third president of the United States, but his legacy doesn’t just begin or end there. Born to a wealthy plantation owner, Thomas was the third of nine children. His father died when Thomas was only fourteen, leaving him half his father’s land, slaves, and wealth, which allowed him to attend college at the age of sixteen, and, later on, study under one of the top lawyers of the time.

      It has been said that studying law was Jefferson’s utmost passion, but many historians beg to differ that his utmost passion was his wife, Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson. Martha and Thomas were married on January 1, 1772. Unfortunately, Martha’s life would be cut short,

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