Essay on Thomas Jefferson A Controversial Man - 1785 Words

Most people only know Thomas Jefferson as the third President of the United States but he was much more than that. Thomas Jefferson was a very controversial man. From his work as a Founding Father to the mysteries of his personal life, Americans continue to find him to be very intriguing. He challenged the way the government was run previously by the first two presidents and became an advocate for the people. This paper talks about Jefferson’s role as a leader during the creation of the Declaration of Independence, his life before he became well-known, and the controversies related to his relationship with his slave named Sally Hemings. Thomas Jefferson was one of the most famous of the Founding Fathers of the†¦show more content†¦Around this time, disagreements began and people had different viewpoints on how the country should be run. Two political parties formed, the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans. This was the time when the government was being develop ed. People were just figuring out what party they wanted to be a part of, and who they did not care for. Thomas Jefferson helped reshape the government before he was even elected President. He â€Å"promoted religious freedom, helping to establish the countrys separation between church and state, and he advocated free public education, an idea considered radical by his contemporaries† (Millercenter web). He was also a delegate for the Virginia House of Delegates and later became the governor of Virginia for two years (Millercenter web). Jefferson influenced the way people thought about the relationship between the government and the lives of citizens. His beliefs challenged the government’s role established by the Founding Fathers. Thomas Jefferson was elected the third President of the United States in 1801. On Inauguration Day, he broke tradition and rode on a single horse by riding to and from the ceremony by himself (Crawford 16). One of the most notable contributi ons of Jefferson’s presidency was the Louisiana Purchase, which nearly doubled the size of the United States (Crawford 16). When Jefferson was sworn in, he wasShow MoreRelatedAmerican Sphinx The True Character Of Thomas Jefferson Analysis963 Words   |  4 Pages Many books have been written about Thomas Jefferson, the writer of the Declaration of Independence, the first secretary of state the third president of the United States of America, but the majority are biographies. In the book American Sphinx: The True Character of Thomas Jefferson, author, Joseph J. Ellis, writes about the character of Thomas Jefferson, by examining his thoughts, actions, and writings in different periods of his life. 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