Thomas Jefferson

Posted October 4, 2007, 3:37 pm by Growing Bolder


Thomas Jefferson
Born: April 13, 1743
Died: July 4, 1826

Most famous as the author the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson voiced the aspirations of a new America as no other individual of his era. In his life, he was a political philosopher, architect, historian, musician, book collector, scientist, horticulturist, diplomat, inventor, Secretary of State under George Washington, Vice President under John Adams, President of the United States, Governor of Virginia, U.S. Minister to France and founder of the University of Virginia.

Jefferson spoke English, Latin, Greek, French, Spanish, and Italia.

• At age 60 (1803),  negotiated the Louisiana Purchase that doubled the size of the United States
• At age 64 (1807),  he was the third President of the United States.

After the Age of Seventy

• At age 71 (1814),  he read Plato's Republic in Greek.
• At age 72 (1815),  sold his personal library to Congress in order to rebuild the collection of the Congressional Library, which had been destroyed by fire in 1814.
• At age 76, (1819) Jefferson embarked on his last great public service with the founding of the University of Virginia. He spearheaded the legislative campaign for its charter, secured its location, designed its buildings, planned its curriculum and served as the first rector.

He died on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Quotes

• "A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine."
• "All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent."
• "As our enemies have found we can reason like men, so now let us show them we can fight like men also. "
• "Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies."
• "Every generation needs a new revolution."
• "I'm a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it."
• "Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. "
  

© 2006-2009. Growing Bolder Media Group. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.