Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was a champion of freedom and individual rights. He was born in Virginia in 1743. He wrote the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming that “all men are created equal” and have God-given, inalienable rights.

Jefferson fought for individual freedoms. He authored the Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom in 1786. This statute, which is still part of Virginia law, brought an end to the state church.

Jefferson was serving in France while the Constitution was being drafted in 1787. He wrote letters to several Convention delegates, expressing his concern that peoples’ rights should be protected. He wanted a bill of rights to be added to the Constitution. He fought against a 1798 law making it a crime to criticize the government. Two years later, he was elected president in a landslide victory.

After two terms as president, he retired to Monticello. In 1819, he founded the University of Virginia, one of his proudest achievements. He hoped his university would be a “blessing” to his home state and to the country, and that its influence on future generations’ “freedom, fame and happiness” would go on forever.