Thomas Jefferson possessed intelligence led him to create some major projects that cannot be forgotten through history. Most people and thinkers agree that Thomas Jefferson was one of the strongest and most influential presidents of the United States of America. Some of his most critical accomplishments achieved during his life included participating in the writing and signing of the Declaration of Independence, served as a successful President while purchasing the Louisiana territory and preventing a young nation from war, and spending much of his retirement time in designing the University of Virginia.
Thomas Jefferson was a scholar. He was obsessed with science, and he mastered five languages. Jefferson was interested in the leading figures of the nation which led him to be encouraged to study law which later drew him to an interest in politics. In 1775, he became a member of the First Continental Congress and in 1783 he became a member of the Second Continental Congress. During that time, he helped to write the Declaration of Independence and also became the Governor of Virginia. In 1784, the Congress appointed Jefferson as a dignitary to attempt to negotiate peace with Great Britain. Later, he was appointed as a diplomat, and following that, he replaced Benjamin Franklin as Minister to France. Jefferson was assigned as Secretary of State under George Washington, served as Vice President to John Adams, and he was elected President of the United States.
Writing the Declaration of Independence was one of the highlights of Jefferson’s life. He was a member of a five person committee, which had been assigned by the congress. Jefferson was appointed to produce the original draft. This draft resulted in the original list of freedoms to the United States, and proclaimed, “All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and pursuit of happiness” (Indiana School of Law, 2012). The echo of this statement spread the principles of freedom, equality, and the pursuit of happiness. Jefferson continued to be an invaluable part of the writing of The Declaration of Independence as well as the ratification process which followed.
After being elected the third President of the United States, Jefferson wanted to establish his office as one which instituted a wise and frugal government. He felt that the two main features of the federal government were that men should not injure each other but be allowed to conduct their own business. The federal government’s role, under his presidency, was to operate with a smaller bureaucracy, enable the states to have their autonomy, and cut debt. He also wanted to eliminate a standing army and revert to a disciplined militia in the event of an attack. Lastly, the promotion of agriculture should be a priority and commerce should be supported by the strength of the agricultural power of the nation (Miller Center, 2012).
The Louisiana Purchase was also one of the greatest missions in Jefferson’s legacy. It is considered as one of the largest land deals in history. America paid France approximately $15 million dollars for over 800,000 square miles of land (Indiana University School of Law, 2012). Some people were opposed to Jefferson purchasing the land. The purchasing of land is not a power specifically granted by the Constitution (Wikimedia Foundation, 2012).
He made the purchase because he wanted to free the United States from French presence in the region, but many people believed that he had overstepped the boundaries that had been granted to him by the Constitution. In truth, Jefferson was not comfortable having the powerful Napoleon Bonaparte, the ruler of France, controlling land so close to the United States. It had been not long since winning freedom from the powerful British Empire, and Jefferson was trying to protect the fledgling country. Napoleon had taken power of France in 1799, and was quickly demonstrating a powerful hand towards Spain. Jefferson was observing this, and was fearful that Spain would lose control of the New Orleans area. In 1802, Spain relinquished its control to New Orleans and Napoleon would not allow Americans to access the warehouses in the port city. Jefferson knew that he needed to act swiftly and powerfully to control the situation. He felt that he was correct in his interpretation of the Constitution and acted on it. He was trying to involve having the nation engage in war with France, as some areas in the West were trying to do. The western territories were trying to ensure that they had control of the lower Mississippi River and New Orleans.
The most radical groups were trying to succeed from the United States and have New Orleans and the lower Mississippi become independent. Jefferson’s main prerogative was to keep the nation together, protected, and strong (Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia, 2012). An additional incentive of this purchase was that having the land acquired in the Louisiana Purchase eased the trade access as there was now easy access to the Mississippi River (Wikimedia Foundation, 2012). It was actually Jefferson’s ability to encourage James Madison to stay in France and negotiate a deal with Napoleon that kept the peace between all parties in the end. Jefferson was able to demonstrate his ability to delegate and be an effective leader while Madison was able to negotiate a deal that avoided war between the nations (Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia, 2012).
Following this purchase was one of the greatest land surveys to ever be conducted by the government. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were selected to explore the Louisiana Purchase which Thomas Jefferson had made in 1803. For the fall and winter months of 1803, the two men camp in Camp Wood on the Wood River in Illinois. In March 1804, after a ceremony in St. Louis in which the territory is officially transferred to the control of the United States, the two men begin their exploration. It took the men five months to travel to an area just north of present-day Omaha, Nebraska, where they meet and hold a council with the Oto and Missouri Indians. This peaceful meeting establishes the setting for the rest of the trip that the two white men mean no harm. The Indian tribes allow them to explore peacefully at most times throughout their journey. Lewis and Clark meet the Yankton Sioux in present-day South Dakota and soon see many animals that they have never encountered. In late September, one of the less peaceful encounters occurs with the Teton Sioux, but conflict is avoided. In October, near present-day Bismarck, North Dakota, the party arrives at the hunting grounds of the Hidatsa and Mandan tribes, which hunt buffalo along the Missouri River. In November, Lewis and Clark hire French-Canadian Toussaint Charbonneau, a fur-trader; and his wife, Sacagawea, a Shoshone Indian, to be their interpreters for the remainder of their journey. The men experience the temperature of 45 degrees below zero, just before they finish building Fort Mandan in December, 1804, in present-day North Dakota.
Not only was the exploration of Lewis and Clark essential for determining what land lay west of the Mississippi River, but the men reported on other things as well. They had encountered many different tribes of Indians, and had found almost all to be peaceful. This helped to ease the minds of many people who were living in the frontier lands of that time. Additionally, they reported on the plains, the fertile land, and the wildlife that they had encountered as a means of sustaining an agricultural lifestyle. This was important to the families of the east and northeast, where the family farms were getting smaller and the sons without birthrights wanted land of their own (National Geographic, 1996).
Another of Jefferson’s accomplishments was the establishment of the University of Virginia. He considered founding this university to be one of his greatest achievements. He achieved this dream to spread the other sciences such as medicine and law rather than focusing only on religion. He created the first nonsectarian university in America and the first to use the elective system (The short history, n.d.).
Jefferson’s dream was unique, and he controlled every aspect of its implementation. He designed and implemented the initial curriculum. The aesthetics of the grounds were also important to Jefferson, as he designed what he coined the “Academical Village,” which was a green space that was terraced and surrounded the academic and residential buildings, the gardens, and the masterpiece, the Rotunda. This architectural masterpiece remains today at the north end of this Lawn and is 50% of the height and width of the Roman Pantheon, its inspiration.
When the University opened in 1825, there were 68 students and 8 members of the faculty. All of the faculty members were hand-selected by Jefferson. Five of the members were from England and three were from the United States. Following Jefferson’s love of linguistics, there was instruction in Greek and Latin as well as the modern languages. Additional subjects included moral and natural philosophy, mathematics, chemistry, law, and medicine. The original students came from the United States, mostly from the South and West, but few from Virginia (The short history, n.d.).
Jefferson is considered to have achieved accomplishments that widened the perceptions of people. Drafting the Declaration of Independence, which is a work of literary art; making the Louisiana Purchase, which was an early challenge testing the boundaries of the Constitution; and his establishment of the University of Virginia, which changed the education system at that time from being a church-centered curriculum to a subject-centered one.
There were so many accomplishments made by just one man in a lifetime. He had such dedication to public service and improving the lives of others. Initially, he served a nation struggling to form itself as the author of the Constitution that was so well written that it is the oldest one in existence in the world today. He then became a successful President of the United States, protecting the nation and increasing its size. Lastly, achieving a personal dream, he founded a university that still exists and thrives today. Thomas Jefferson is someone who has been respected by many, admired by some, replicated by none.
References
Indiana University School of Law. (2012). The declaration of Independence of the thirteen
colonies. Declaration of Independence: Indiana Law. Retriever from:
http://www.law.indiana.edu/uslawdocs/declaration.html
Miller Center. (2012). American president: A reference resource. University of Virginia.
Retrieved from: http://millercenter.org/president/jefferson/essays/biography/4
National Geographic. (2012). Lewis and Clark. Expedition Timeline. Retrieved from:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark/resources_timeline_1804.html
The short history of the University of Virginia. (n.d.). Retrieved from:
http://www.virginia.edu/uvatours/shorthistory
Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia. (2012). The Louisianna Purchase. The Jefferson Monticello.
Retrieved from: http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/louisiana-purchase
Wikimedia Foundation. (2012). Louisiana Purchase. Wikipedia. Retrieved from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Purchase
