Thomas Jefferson Facts

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href="/biography/Thomas-Jefferson">Introduction & Top Questions</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref61876"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/biography/Thomas-Jefferson#ref61876">Early years</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref384060"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/biography/Thomas-Jefferson#ref384060">At a glance: the Jefferson presidency</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref61877"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/biography/Thomas-Jefferson/Declaring-independence">Declaring independence</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref61878"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/biography/Thomas-Jefferson/Declaring-independence#ref61878">American in Paris</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref61879"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/biography/Thomas-Jefferson/Slavery-and-racism">Slavery and racism</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref61880"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/biography/Thomas-Jefferson/Party-politics">Party politics</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref61881"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/biography/Thomas-Jefferson/Presidency">Presidency</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref61882"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/biography/Thomas-Jefferson/Retirement">Retirement</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref277386"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/biography/Thomas-Jefferson/Retirement#ref277386">Cabinet of President Thomas Jefferson</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li></ul> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/quotes/Thomas-Jefferson">Quotes</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Jefferson/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900 selected" href="/facts/Thomas-Jefferson">Quick Facts & Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" 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src="https://cdn.britannica.com/98/172698-138-9CD9F1E6/overview-Thomas-Jefferson.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence, and the Louisiana Purchase" class="col-100" /> <div class="btn btn-sm btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; left:50%; transform: translate(-50%, -50%)"> <em class="material-icons font-14" data-icon="play_arrow" > </em> </div> </div> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/181989-050-E3CC6BB4/Jefferson-Memorial-Washington-DC.jpg" data-href="/media/1/302264/229334" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/181989-004-CC62269D/Jefferson-Memorial-Washington-DC.jpg" alt="Jefferson Memorial" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/68/92868-050-F61AEAF2/Monticello-Charlottesville-Virginia.jpg" data-href="/media/1/302264/106712" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" 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(ancient architecture; architectural ruins)" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/list/new-seven-wonders-of-the-world" >New Seven Wonders of the World</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <button class="drawerToggle btn position-sticky border btn-xs btn-white btn-circle rounded-sm d-none d-lg-flex " type="button" aria-label="Toggle Drawer"> <em class="material-icons font-18 text-blue" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="col" id="facts-content"> <script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ ] } </script> <div class="ml-0 pr-sm-10 pr-lg-0 "> <div class="grid gx-0 gx-sm-20 facts-container"> <div class="col-sm d-flex flex-column"> <div class="toc-sticky-header d-none d-lg-none bg-gray-50 px-10 px-sm-30 position-sticky w-100 "> <div class="toc-sticky-header-inner-container align-items-center d-flex mx-auto h-100 w-100"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-sm btn-white text-blue border-2 border-gray-100 gtm-mobile-toc-header-button js-sections-button d-lg-none p-10"> <em class="material-icons my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Contents </button> <div class="header-ai-simplify-button-placeholder"></div> <div class="header-ai-ask-button-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <div id="facts-Thomas-Jefferson" class="facts-page facts-content"> <div class="grey-box w-100 grey-box-middle"> <div class="grey-box-content mx-auto w-100"> <script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement" : [ { "@type" : "ListItem", "position" : 1, "item" : { "@id" : "https://www.britannica.com/browse/Politics-Law-Government", "name": "Politics, Law & Government" } } , { "@type" : "ListItem", "position" : 2, "item" : { "@id" : "https://www.britannica.com/browse/World-Leaders", "name": "World Leaders" } } , { "@type" : "ListItem", "position" : 3, "item" : { "@id" : "https://www.britannica.com/browse/Presidents", "name": "Presidents & Heads of States" } } ] } </script> <nav class="breadcrumb mt-20 mb-30"> <span class="breadcrumb-item "> <a href="/" class="link-gray-600">Home</a> </span> <span class="breadcrumb-item "> <a class="link-gray-600" href="/browse/Politics-Law-Government">Politics, Law & Government</a> </span> <span class="breadcrumb-item "> <a class="link-gray-600" href="/browse/World-Leaders">World Leaders</a> </span> <span class="breadcrumb-item "> <a class="link-gray-600" href="/browse/Presidents">Presidents & Heads of States</a> </span> </nav> <h1> Thomas Jefferson: Facts & Related Content</h1> <div class="mt-15 mb-15 qa-action-buttons"> <button class="js-modal qa-cite-modal-button gtm-topic-tool btn btn-xs btn-outline-blue border shadow-sm pr-10" data-modal=".facts-content .md-cite-modal"> <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" data-icon="verified"></em> Cite </button> <div class="md-cite-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif d-flex align-items-center pb-15 border-bottom mb-15"> <em class="material-icons text-blue mr-10">verified</em>Cite </div> <div class="font-serif"> While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. </div> <div class="label mt-20 mb-10">Select Citation Style</div> <select class="js-citation-format-select form-select"> <option selected value="mla">MLA</option> <option value="apa">APA</option> <option value="chicago">Chicago Manual of Style</option> </select> <div class="citation font-serif border rounded p-15 mt-20" data-authors="The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica" data-authors-initial="The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica" data-title="Thomas Jefferson" data-published-date="8 Mar. 2025" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/facts/Thomas-Jefferson" > <div class="citation-text"></div> </div> <button class="js-copy-citation-button mt-20 btn btn-xs btn-outline-blue border shadow-sm pr-10" > <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" data-icon="file_copy"></em> <span class="js-citation-status-text">Copy Citation</span> </button> </div> </div> <button class="js-share-modal-button js-modal gtm-topic-tool btn btn-xs btn-outline-blue border shadow-sm pr-10" data-modal=".md-share-modal"> <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" data-icon="share"></em> Share </button> <div class="md-share-modal size-lg d-none qa-share-modal"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif d-flex align-items-center pb-15 border-bottom"> <em class="material-icons text-blue mr-10" data-icon="share"></em> Share </div> <div class="label my-20">Share to social media</div> <div class="md-social-toolbar-circle d-flex align-items-start inverted" data-value="share" title="Thomas Jefferson" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/facts/Thomas-Jefferson" > <a class="social-icon facebook justify-content-center d-flex align-items-center align-self-center" data-provider="facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/BRITANNICA/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>Facebook</span></a> <a class="social-icon x justify-content-center d-flex align-items-center align-self-center" data-provider="x" href="https://x.com/britannica" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>X</span></a> </div> <div class="label pt-20 mt-20 mb-5 border-top">URL</div> <a class="font-serif text-truncate d-inline-block" href="https://www.britannica.com/facts/Thomas-Jefferson">https://www.britannica.com/facts/Thomas-Jefferson</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-byline font-14 font-serif module-spacing "> <span class="written-by font-12 text-gray-700">Written and fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup font-12 byline-contributor" href="/editor/The-Information-Architects-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/12365882" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black"><p>The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  <em>Encyclopædia Britannica</em>, and create and manage the relationships between them.</p></div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 byline-contributor "> The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="bg-gray-50 p-15 rounded module-spacing recent-news d-flex flex-column float-false"> <div> <h2 class="font-weight-bold font-14 m-0 d-inline"> News <span class="text-gray-600">•</span> </h2> <div class="recent-news-item first-recent-news-item d-inline"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/302264/bb1c5882f43113e297192d69e449de24" rel="nofollow">George has his day, and so does Abe. But states honor US presidents in lots of ways</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 16, 2025, 12:07 AM ET (AP) </span> </div> </div> <div class="rest-of-recent-news-items"> <button class="js-toggle-recent-news d-flex btn btn-unstyled font-14 pr-10 rounded-sm mt-10" aria-label="Toggle additional news items"> Show less <em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_less"></em> </button> </div> </div> <hr class="grey-box-line module-spacing " /> <h3 class="qa-facts">Facts</h3> <table class="quick-facts-table table font-14"> <tbody> <tr> <th scope="row" class="col-30"> Born</th> <td class="BN" > April 13, 1743 • <a href="/place/Virginia-state">Virginia</a></td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row" class="col-30"> Died</th> <td class="DI" > July 4, 1826 (aged 83) • <a href="/topic/Monticello-building-Virginia">Monticello</a> • <a href="/place/Virginia-state">Virginia</a></td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row" class="col-30"> Title / Office</th> <td class="TTL" > <a href="/topic/presidency-of-the-United-States-of-America">presidency of the United States of America (1801-1809)</a>, <a href="/place/United-States">United States</a> • <a href="/topic/vice-president-of-the-United-States-of-America">vice president of the United States of America (1797-1801)</a>, <a href="/place/United-States">United States</a> • <a href="/topic/governor-government-official">governor (1779-1781)</a>, <a href="/place/Virginia-state">Virginia</a></td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row" class="col-30"> Political Affiliation</th> <td class="PO" > <a href="/topic/Democratic-Republican-Party">Democratic-Republican Party</a></td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row" class="col-30"> Awards And Honors</th> <td class="AH" > <a href="/topic/Hall-of-Fame-for-Great-Americans">Hall of Fame (1900)</a></td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row" class="col-30"> Notable Works</th> <td class="NW" > <a href="/topic/Declaration-of-Independence">Declaration of Independence</a> • <a href="/topic/Notes-on-the-State-of-Virginia">“Notes on the State of Virginia”</a></td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row" class="col-30"> Movement / Style</th> <td class="MS" > <a href="/art/Federal-style">Federal style</a> • <a href="/art/Palladianism">Palladianism</a></td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row" class="col-30"> Notable Family Members</th> <td class="NFM" > spouse <a href="/biography/Martha-Jefferson">Martha Jefferson</a></td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row" class="col-30"> Subjects Of Study</th> <td class="SS" > <a href="/topic/church-and-state">church and state</a> • <a href="/topic/political-philosophy">political philosophy</a></td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row" class="col-30"> Role In</th> <td class="RI" > <a href="/event/American-Revolution">American Revolution</a> • <a href="/event/Louisiana-Purchase">Louisiana Purchase</a> • <a href="/event/Northwest-Ordinances">Northwest Ordinances</a> • <a href="/topic/Nullification-Crisis">Nullification Crisis</a></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <hr class="grey-box-line my-20"/> <h3 class="qa-media">Photos and Videos</h3> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 facts-page-slider"> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex "> <div class="rw-track"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/63/230563-004-B9ACD67B/Digitally-restored-vector-painting-of-President-Thomas-Jefferson.jpg" data-href="/media/1/302264/281395" class="media-overlay-link pl-20" > <div class="image-container position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center justify-content-center"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/63/230563-004-B9ACD67B/Digitally-restored-vector-painting-of-President-Thomas-Jefferson.jpg?h=150&q=80" alt="Thomas Jefferson" /> <em class="material-icons zoom-icon position-absolute text-white d-flex" data-icon="zoom_in"></em> </div> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/181989-004-CC62269D/Jefferson-Memorial-Washington-DC.jpg" 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href="https://cdn.britannica.com/21/143621-159-3EDE9040/Declaration-of-Independence-canvas-rotunda-John-Trumbull-July-4-1776.jpg" data-href="/media/1/302264/229145" class="media-overlay-link " > <div class="image-container position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center justify-content-center"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/21/143621-159-3EDE9040/Declaration-of-Independence-canvas-rotunda-John-Trumbull-July-4-1776.jpg?h=150&q=80" alt="John Trumbull: Declaration of Independence" /> <em class="material-icons zoom-icon position-absolute text-white d-flex" data-icon="zoom_in"></em> </div> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/63/164563-004-B2DEFC3E/Benjamin-Franklin-draft-John-Adams-Thomas-Jefferson-1776.jpg" data-href="/media/1/302264/225269" class="media-overlay-link " > <div class="image-container position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center justify-content-center"> <img loading="lazy" 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