Born: April 13, 1743
Died: July 4, 1826
Term in Office: 1801-1809
This guy... As far as U.S. Presidents go, I feel that after Lincoln and Washington, Jefferson holds a pretty high post in folks' appreciation of people in that office. And it's mostly deserved, if one only considers his words... "all men are created equal" yada, yada, yada.
The Declaration is a superbly crafted document, penned by a guy who also wrote some striking comments criticizing the trade in slaves... but...
He had no problem enriching himself in the practice of buying and selling human lives... some 200 of them... often to the point of separating families as punishment for behavior he felt was not in line with someone who should be complacent in their lot in life.
We know that Abraham Lincoln was not a Jefferson fan (albeit long after Jefferson was dead), which makes one think about the placement of those likenesses on Mt. Rushmore... Notice how Abe is set apart from the rest, out of order from left to right and letting Teddy sit next to Thomas.
A little known historical tidbit is that John Wayles, Martha Jefferson's (T.J.'s wife) father, had an affair with Sally Heming's mother, which could mean that Jefferson's wife and his mistress may have been half-sisters.
On the plus side, if you're a Manifest Destiny nationalist, the $15 million Louisiana Purchase negotiated with the French doubled the size of the country in 1803.
Peace to all, and watch out for those hypocrites.
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