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1. Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743- July 4, 1826) 2. Democratic-Republican 3. March 4, 1801- March 3, 1809 4. Aaron Burr (1801- 1805), George Clinton (1805-1809)

5. **Jefferson's Early Life:** Thomas Jefferson was born in 1743 in Albemarle County, Virginia. He inherited 5,000 acres of land from his mother and father (a planter). He attended the college of William and Mary to study law. In 1772, he married widowed Martha Wayles Skelton and moved to the Monticello mountaintop. During his time at the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Continental Congress, Jefferson was very quiet. He was not a public speaker, but rather a writer. At the age of 33, he drafted the Declaration of Independence. He later wrote a bill that established religious freedom which was enacted in 1786. This was a big accomplishment next to the Declaration of Independence for Jefferson.

If I were to grade Thomas Jefferson, I would give him an B. Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States and a principal author of the Declaration of Independence. He was also one of the most important founding fathers. During Jefferson's presidency, the Louisiana Purchase (1803) was signed. The Louisiana Purchase was established when the United States purchased the Louisiana territory from France. The land extended from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. Jefferson was worried about French intentions so he sent James Monroe and Robert Livingston to Paris to negotiate the purchase of the land on the lower Mississippi. The land cost Jefferson $15 million. It doubled America's size, adding 828,000 square miles to the country and costing 4 cents an acre. This expanded American territories and Jefferson was eager to settle. Jefferson also favored states rights and supported the separation of church and state. He was also very intellectual. He was a man of the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment was the realization that everything had a scientific meaning, not a meaning of religious beliefs.

Jefferson was the co-founder and leader of the Democratic-Republican, which was in effect for 25 years. This is a noted success. On the other had, he was very focused on foreign affairs, which was noted as unsuccessful. Although Jefferson was fond of "all men are created equal", he believed African-Americans, Native-Americans, and women were not equal to white males through culture and intellect. This went against his own famous quote. Jefferson also owned slaves himself, and did nothing to triumph the institution of slavery although it is believed he fathered the six children to slave Sally Hemings. He failed to address this problem. This is a reason I gave him a B. The Embargo Act (1807) was also noted as a failure of Thomas Jefferson. It was telling the Europeans that until the orders in council were repealed, they would no longer have customers in America. The act caused the prices of domestic shipping to rise incredibly. The English and French did not need to depend on American product, so the act only succeeded in harming the Americans.

Jefferson also had many successes during his career. In April 1784, he submitted the Notes on the Establishment of a Money Unit and of a Coinage for the United States. It advised the use of the decimal system which led to the adoption of the dollar in 1792 rather than the pound, a system that is used to this day. Jefferson also founded the University of Virginia at Charlottesville which is noted as one of Jefferson's major successes. He was also putting a lot of effort into remaining neutrual during the conflict between Britain and France. Thomas Jefferson was also very supportive of the Lewis and Clark Expedition which was the first expedition by the United States to travel to the Pacific Coast and back. The goal was to get a sense of the resources being exchanged during the Louisiana Purchase.

When elected, Jefferson wanted national unity to gain support from the Federalist-controlled Congress. He also lowered taxes and reduced the nation's national debt by a half. Jefferson also had great connections to the French and great negotiating skills, which is what earned him the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson was very smart for trying to avoid wars because he knew it would only cripple the growing country. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison wrote the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions to disregard the unconstitutional laws in their states (such as the Alien and Sedition Act). Jefferson believed the federal government's power should be limited and most of the authority should go to the state.

On March 4, 1809, Jefferson retired from presidency and continued public service for forty years. Although he was requested by legislatures of five states to be a candidate, Jefferson did not want to continue in office for a third term. He is known as one of the greatest political managers the country had. Jefferson's last years were devoted to establishing the University of Virginia at Charlottesville near his home. He planned its buildings, hired the faculty, and molded the organization. Typical administration and curriculum were anticipated by him. Thomas Jefferson died July 4, 1826 due to infection on the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and on the same day as John Adams. My reason for giving Thomas Jefferson a B was because he got the nation out of debt and he also expanded the states through the Louisiana Purchase. He also supported the Louis and Clark Expedition and was very achieved in his line of work. He also established the Declaration of Independence. I didn't give him an A because he was not perfect during his line of presidency. He did not speak out against slavery and established the Embargo Act which harmed the nation. Jefferson was very intellectual though, which is why I thought he deserved a B.
 * Jefferson's Retirement:**
 * Conclusion:**

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