Thomas Jefferson
Biography
Thomas Jefferson was born into a high-profile, wealthy family in Virginia, the Randolph Clan, on April 13, 1743. They were one of Virginians most famous farmers, living in the Shadwell Plantation near Charlottesville. His prominent father was more than a farmer. He was also a cartographer, surveyor, and was also famous for creating the first definite map of Virginia’s Province.
Jefferson was the third born, part of 10 siblings, and he would read, practice violin, study Latin and Greek, and play in forests as a little boy. In 1760, he went to the College of William and Mary, and later studied Law for 5 years with Wythe, a knowledgeable lawyer, and he became a knowledgeable Lawyer himself. He began practicing law in Virginia from 1757, and would continue for another 7 years. During this time, he fell in love with, and married Martha Wayles Skelton. They had 6 children together, though very strong evidence shows that he also had at least 1 child with one of his slaves, Sally Hemmings.
Accomplishments
Thomas Jefferson was one of the biggest influences to the entire country. Thomas Jefferson was a strong supporter for independence ever since the beginning of America’s turn on Britain. In 1768, he joined the Virginia House of Burgesses and got familiar with George Washington and Patrick Henry. He wrote A Summary View of the Rights of British America, and established himself as one of the most articulate fighters of the American cause.
His work two years later, would turn out to be, arguably one of the greatest, most eloquent writing on freedom and equality in the history of history itself. He drafted the entire Declaration of Independence, and it was later reviewed by our other founding fathers. He later returned to Virginia to join the Virginia House of Delegates until 1779. Through all this time, his writing’s main purpose stayed the same:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
– Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson would continue to do great things for the country. He became the U.S’ first secretary of state. He served as the second vice president in 1797 and would later become the third president in 1801, helping the economy and defending against pirates in the Barbary War in his presidency. Not only that, during his term he doubled the U.S’ proportion through the Louisiana purchase. Long after his presidency, he founded the University of Virginia.
Impact
Thomas Jefferson was undoubtedly one of the greatest most influential of the founding fathers, for the U.S and its history, economy, democracy, values, laws, size, protection and more. Without him the economy would not have been as stable. The United States would not be as safe and the Barbary War could’ve caused much more damage to the U.S. The U.S would not have made the Louisiana Purchase, keeping it almost 50% smaller, or it wouldn’t have been handled as well. More importantly, the U.S would not have established its values on freedom, democracy, and equality as well or at all and the Declaration of Independence would perhaps not have been written with as much eloquence and liberty.
James Madison
Biography
Like Jefferson, James Madison lived in Virginia with a father who was a wealthy farmer, dealer in country cases, and possessed land over 3000 acres wide. Madison was born on 1751 and was the eldest child part of his 11 siblings! He joined a boarding school in 1762, and returned to his home in the country that’s the Orange Country, now modernly know as Montpelier in 1767.
He had to stay home due to his sickness, a problem that would reoccur throughout his life. Though this, after two years of resting in his home town being homeschooled, Madison moved to the College of New Jersey, modernly known as Princeton University. He studied Latin, Greek, science, philosophy and more. Though graduating in 1771, Madison decided to continue studying for a little while. He returned to Virginia in 1772, though this time he would find less resting and more fighting.
Accomplishments
Madison returned to find the dangerous tension between America, its rights, and Great Britain. He was willing to help with his skill in writing, similar to Jefferson, and leading forces. In late 1774, he joined the Orange Country Committee of Safety and soon later was elected to be a colonel part of the Virginia militia. He served the American Cause in various ways, fighting, and writing in defense of America’s rights.
During this time, Madison met and became great friends with Thomas Jefferson. Together, with the help of others, they wrote the Constitution, and helped build the values America would hold to this day. At the Constitution Convention in 1787, he was a representative for Virginia as a federalist. He was a great influence to Federalism and having a government divided into three branches, the executive, judicial, and legislative parts of government. He influenced a system to protect from to much power where each branch would check and balance each other.
Madison, along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, helped write the federalist papers and ratify the Constitution. When he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1789, he greatly helped add to the Bill of Rights, suggesting freedom of speech, unreasonable searches and seizures, and a quick public trial. He already honorably held much responsibility, though this would rise even more when he was elected as president in the 1808 election, especially in his second term, as he served during the War of 1812. He had declared the war, and faced challenges when British troops broke into Maryland and some federalists turned on him, though in the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, with the help of Andrew Jackson, America held victory.
Impact
James Madison is often referred to as the Father of the Constitution, which is a praise I totally agree with. He greatly helped the ratification, and writing of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. He was an influence to Federalism, the structure of the Government, and related its structure to democracy. Without him, it could’ve been a greater challenge to ratify the Constitution, and the Constitution would lose some of its important values, importantly, democracy, especially in the Bill of Rights which could cause more injustice and corruption in a powerful government not for the people. Not only that, the government would most likely not have a 3 part system with checks and balances which can lead to a less stable, more powerful government and more disunity in the country and the liberty of its people and democracy.
James Monroe
Biography
Like James Madison, James Monroe lived in Virginia with a father who was a wealthy farmer, and carpenter. Monroe was born in 1758 and was the eldest child of many children. Monroe joined Campbell Academy in 1769 and was admirable in the work he did. In the early years of his life, Monroe was home-schooled by his mother in his country that’s the Westmoreland Country.
Being the eldest child, Monroe was supposed to inherit the estate of his father. Though his life took a shift, like to our other Founding Fathers, due to the death of his father that year, and the quarrel between America and Great Britain. Monroe decided to start studying Law at the Virginia’s College of William and Mary, but after only a few months, he decided to fight for the America’s rights.
Accomplishments
James Monroe joined the Continental Army as an officer in 1776 and fought with George Washington in the Battle of Trenton, though he was a fighter for the rights of the U.S before this too. Before that, he teamed with his brave classmates to invade the arsenal of the British governor, and give the weapons and supplies they had stolen to the Virginia Militia. He then decided to study law with a knowledgeable teacher he would become friends with, though this time it wasn’t Wythe, but Thomas Jefferson! Monroe was elected to serve in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1782 and then served in the Continental Congress a year later.
James Monroe joined Thomas Jefferson and James Madison as a Democratic-Republican group opposing the way the federalists were approaching issues, uniting the three political minds together. Monroe was a big influence to anti-federalism and the Democratic-Republican group. He soon became the leader of his party in the senate though this was small compared to the leadership he would later do. In 1817, he was elected as the fifth president of America.
The media responded to Monroe’s term describing it as an era of good feelings. The nation, its economy, victory and peace during his term all contributed to this statement. He was clever in the choices he made as president and in who he elected, choosing John C. Calhoun as the secretary of war, and as the secretary of state, John Quincy Adams. He helped protect the country with the Monroe Doctrine, which protected from colonization and accepted any attempt at other colonies colonizing America as an aggression.
Impact
James Monroe had a great impact to political ideologies, how they relate to democracy, and to the protection of America and its democracy. Without him, George Washington and his troops would not have had as much help. The anti-federalist and democratic-republican ideologies would not have been as big defined, and related to democracy. America wouldn’t have been as well protected from outer colonies attacking or attempting to colonize the U.S.
Sources
https://www.biography.com/us-president/thomas-jefferson
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