Words of the Week 43/2016

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson (April 13 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Father and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776). He was elected the second Vice President of the United States (1797–1801), serving under John Adams and was elected the third President (1801–09) in 1800. Jefferson was a proponent of democracy, republicanism, and individual rights, which motivated American colonists to break from Great Britain and form a new nation. He produced formative documents and decisions at both the state and national level.