Top 10 Facts about Thomas Jefferson

By Mather Brown – Wikimedia

Top 10 Facts about Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson is well remembered for his role in writing the Declaration of Independence, his diplomatic service, and as a curious man who never stopped learning.

He was born on April 13, 1743, in Virginia and died on July 4, 1826. His death coincided with the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Jefferson was the third president of the United States. He as a man who wore many hats, he was a musician, an architect, a wine connoisseur and an author.

His tombstone bears his greatest achievement as the president of the United States, it reads:

Here was buried

Thomas Jefferson

Author of the Declaration of American Independence

of the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom

& Father of the University of Virginia.

Read more about Thomas Jefferson in these top 10 facts.

1. Thomas Jefferson loved to read

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

The third President of the United States of America owned thousands of books. He loved reading that he’d read anything even Latin books.

President Jefferson sold about 6,000 books to the US Library of Congress. This was after the Library was raided and destroyed by British troops in 1814.

His collection is believed to have been one of the largest personal collections at that time. He used the money to pay off debts and later bought more books.

2. He was an architect

Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, part of UNESCO World Heritage Site By Martin Falbisoner – Wikimedia

Thomas Jefferson loved renovating buildings. He is quoted as having said that architecture was his joy. He derived joy from putting up and pulling down structures.

Jefferson designed his own home which he named Monticello which means little mountain in Italian. The house is now a museum.

It took him about four decades to complete the house. He also designed the iconic Rotunda at the University of Virginia as well as the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond.

These buildings are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

3. Thomas Jefferson was a foodie too

His love for culinary art was stirred when he went to France for diplomatic duties. Thomas Jefferson served as a U.S. Minister to France.

While there, he developed a vast appreciation for the French culture. The food, art and architecture are some of the things that fascinated him. He went to France with one of his slaves James Hemings.

Jefferson made a pact with the James, if he mastered French cuisine, he would return to America a free man.

The French are known for their love of wine and Jefferson was soon caught up. He advised his friends about serving and pairing wines. The wine would often come from his well-stocked cellar.

His influence on French food in America became loved by many such as mac ‘n’ cheese, French fries and ice cream.

4. Jefferson left clear instructions for his tombstone

By Christopher Hollis – Wikimedia

Jefferson’s tombstone is not like any other ordinary grave marker. Before his death, he left very detailed instructions for a three-part stone sculpture.

His instructions were that it should be a granite obelisk sitting on top of a granite cube. The marble plaque on it had to be inscribed with words of his greatest accomplishment.

After it was erected, hundreds of tourists visited his Monticello home to see it.

5. He wanted all American children to have an education

Jefferson loved to read and believed that education was vital for every American. He wanted all children to have access to education.

He believed that knowledge and skills in art and business were essential life skills. These would be more beneficial by first attending public school for at least three years.

Jefferson wanted the best for all children including the slaves. His wish was for them to be able to afford an education at the public’s expense.

He advocated for the slaves in Virginia to get educated as they prepared for their freedom. Education, according to Jefferson, was a means of empowering the powerless. 

6. Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence

By Jean Leon Gerome Ferris – Wikimedia

In 1775, Jefferson was sent to the Second Continental Congress as a representative of Virginia. This was a meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies in America which united in the American Revolutionary War.

A year later, he was chosen as one of the five-man committees to write the Declaration of Independence.

The other authors were Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Robert R. Livingston of New York and John Adams of Massachusetts.

He was chosen to write the first draft which he wrote in 17 days. The committee revised it, and shared it with the Continental Congress.

The final draft was approved on July 4 1776.

He included his personal views on poverty in the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson believed that all men and women were born equal with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

7. He served as a diplomat and secretary of State

Jefferson was not only a politician but also a diplomat. He made a lot of contributions to U.S. foreign policy.

While serving as U.S. Minister in France, he negotiated a successful commercial treaty with Prussia.

As President, he solved a longstanding disagreement with France over navigation rights in the Mississippi River. This was after he purchased the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon Bonaparte.

Jefferson also served under President George Washington as the Secretary of State. He was the first Secretary of State and served from 1790 to 1793.

During his time as Secretary of State, he successfully brokered a policy of neutrality in the war between England and France.

He strongly supported the French Revolution. He allowed Marquis de Lafayette to host meetings in his private residence.

Jefferson assisted Lafayette in drafting the Declaration of the Rights of Man.

8. Jefferson strongly advocated for the separation of Church and State

Jefferson was a religious man but was not a big supporter of the two being one. He supported the banning of the clergy from running for public office.

His draft for the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was endorsed in 1786. The law made any forced attendance or contributions to state-sanctioned religious institutions illegal.  

He was a proponent for all men to freely share their opinions on matters of religion.

This Statute is one of only three accomplishments he chose to have inscribed in the epitaph on his gravestone.

Jefferson further believed that religion was between a man and God.

His interpretation of the First Amendment was that it built a wall of separation between the Church and State.

9. Thomas Jefferson opposed public borrowing

By John Trumbull – Wikimedia

President Jefferson distrusted government banks. He was against public borrowing because he believed it created long-term debt and invited dangerous speculation.

Jefferson believed that if a national bank was created, it would ignore the needs of individuals and farmers hence violating the Tenth Amendment.

Because of his stand, he constantly found himself at loggerheads with the Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. He eventually resigned from his position in 1793.

10. He did not publicly declare his stand on slavery

One thing that Jefferson never declared publicly was his stand on slavery and emancipation.

His reservations about promoting the emancipation of slaves were due to the attacks on white slave owners during the Haitian Revolution.

In two letters that he privately wrote, he stated that he had given up on seeing the end of slavery and had intentionally avoided publicly speaking about the matter.