Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826

Biography:

"Jefferson was a draftsman of the Declaration of Independence of the United States and the nation's first secretary of state (1789-94), second vice president (1797-1801), and, as the third president (1801-09), the statesman responsible for the Louisiana Purchase. An early advocate of total separation of church and state, he also was the founder and architect of the University of Virginia and the most eloquent American proponent of individual freedom as the core meaning of the American Revolution. His image within scholarly circles has suffered, however, as the focus on racial equality has prompted a more negative reappraisal of his dependence upon slavery and his conviction that American society remain a white man's domain." -- Encyclopaedia Britannica WWW site.

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