9 Of Thomas Jefferson's Accomplishments For His 273th Birthday

A list of 9 great things Thomas Jefferson has done

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As Thomas Jefferson’s birthday approaches, it’s important to look back and admire his accomplishments. In both times of British rule, and during the formation of the United States, Jefferson played key roles in building our identity and government. Even though Jefferson is not without flaw, his achievements during early America can not go with praise.

1. The Declaration Of Independence

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John Adams appointed Jefferson to a committee of five men that were in charge of drafting the declaration. After several meetings, the committee assigned Jefferson the task of drafting it. He worked for weeks in a hotel room, from dawn till dusk. He articulately displayed the rage that Americans felt for their over taxation, and lack of representation under the British rule . Although he did not create ideas of freedom and of equal rights. He expressed them with a perfect mixture of a passion without being overly aggressive. This is the start of the United States, and this document told not only the British that they are serious, but the world.

2. Louisiana purchase

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Thomas Jefferson doubled the original United States by buying what is today known as the entire midwest. Seeing a troubled France that was doing shady land deals with Spain in order to fund its war with Great Britain, Thomas Jefferson sent a delegate to enter negotiations. His original intentions were just to purchase the port of New Orleans as it held an extreme advantage for trade. But after entering negotiations, France offered to include the rest of the midwest. This is historically the most lucrative land purchase in history.

3. Separation of church and state

Although Thomas Jefferson was not the first to have the idea that the church should be separate from the government. He was a leading figure in the push for a government independent from the church. He is first quoted on this in a letter to the Danbury Baptists. Where he mentions that to secure religious freedom by preventing a system that favors any religion, a “wall” between the church and the state should be built. As the third president, it was his job to continue the pushing the United States away from the church dominated british monarchy . This idea paved way for the religious melting pot that the United States became. These correspondences were also later used in the forming of the Bill Of Rights.

4. Ended slave importation

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Thomas Jefferson and slavery is a complicated subject. It's impossible to talk about it and not acknowledge that Thomas Jefferson had owned about 200 slaves at any given time in his adult life. His solutions for slavery differed radically from those of men like Lincoln. But what is clear, is that during his presidency he passed the law that ended the importation of slaves (1807). Jefferson believed slave trade to be rightfully horrendous. Although the bill did not take effect till 1808, this was the start of ending the uprooting and enslavement of what historians estimate to be almost 12.5 million people.

5. The Library of Congress (LOC)

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During his presidency Jefferson made attempts to expand America’s education system. And although some of his bills failed, his work with the LOC created one of the world’s largest libraries. The Library itself has been around since 1800 but was burned when the British attacked in 1814. After this the library depended on Jefferson's personal collection which was purchased for approximately twenty four thousand dollars. The Library Of Congress now serves as the de facto place for all of the research in washington.

6. The virginia statute for religious freedom

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Prior to his presidency and work on separation of church and state. Thomas Jefferson sent the virginia statute for religious freedom to the Virginia convention in 1774. This document (written by Jefferson) was just three paragraphs in length, but it is the base of the entire first amendment. It prohibits religious discrimination, as well as tariffs by any church. People had become aggravated with the church’s corruption in Britain and America was a place to start anew.

7. Currency

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After the American revolution, the colonies maintained a mix of Spanish, British, and Portuguese currencies. On top of that each colony had a different exchange rate, which made trade incredibly hard for the average American who lacked a formal education. Thomas Jefferson, being a worldly man who had observed the systems of many countries, wrote several assessments on currency and the metals it was based off for congress. In one, he recommended the decimal system, based off cents (1/100), it would revolutionise currency in America and is still in use today. Uniting the new country in currency was the start of the American economy. The newly established U.S mint was placed under Jefferson's care, allowing him to implement his system.

8. The Embargo act of 1807

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A man is both his successes, and his failures. During his presidency this act was employed during Napoleonic Wars. Both Britain and France had set trade restrictions on the neutral U.S. The act was meant to avoid war, and to stop the impressment of American sailors. Britain had imposed its right to search ships, and to take into custody any possible British deserters. But out of the almost ten thousand sailors taken, only a thousand were actually British. This forced Thomas Jefferson and his congress to put the radical Embargo act in place. Banning all foreign trade, the act was later repealed and replaced due to its effects on the suffering economy. But it did lay groundwork for America’s future as a neutral trade power in wars. This failure allowed the U.S to go into future conflicts like World War 1, with an insight to remain neutral while trading.

9. America’s First Foodie

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Long vacations to France introduced Jefferson to delicacies not known to the U.S . More important than any bill or land expansion, Jefferson brought back and popularized foods that we know and loved today. Including Mac and Cheese, which he served to guests at the white house on many occasions. As Well as ice cream, and french fries. If the previous 8 reasons have already slipped your mind, please remember Thomas Jefferson for his food contributions that we would not be alive today without.

Regardless of your opinion of our 3rd president, he helped shaped a lot of what we know as America today. He was not only in the right place, at the right time. But he was the right man for the job. This list only includes a small portion of his life's work. He has also influenced modern agriculture and even started a university. So with that, please wish Mr. Jefferson a happy 273th birthday.