Thomas Jefferson Accomplishments

Eugene R. Sheridan is a member of the Princeton University Department of History and Senior Associate Editor of the Papers of Thomas Jefferson. He has written books and articles on a number of subjects in early American History. To begin with, the author cites specific achievements that Thomas Jefferson made, starting with the contributions he did when he was part of the Continental Congress. “As a member of the Continental Congress, he proclaimed in the imperishable prose of the Declaration of Independence the values of liberty, equality, and natural rights that always have been at the heart of the American experiment in self-government” (Sheridan 64). He specifically speaks about his participation as the main author of the Declaration of Independence.

A success of the Articles of Confederation is it aided with the settling and governing of the western territories in our nation. Following the Revolutionary War, there was an immense increase in the movement into the west. The Articles of Confederation established for the settlement of these western lands. The Northwest Ordinance which was passed in 1787, created a means by which the Northwest Territory was to be divided into states. It established that there would be no slavery in these territories. Also it advised how the population would be determined. These land ordinances proved to be very effective as a means of a stable and

Thomas Jefferson had revolutionary thoughts about education, government, farming, and land. Jefferson truly morphed United States citizens way of life and beliefs. He was often countered in his ideas of having a small government with a weak Executive branch. It 's actually kind of ironic that as the president Thomas took immense strides towards taking the power away from the president. Its truly amazing that he did this because most men are power hungry, but Jefferson even when he had the power gave it away for his beliefs. Due to Jefferson 's beliefs we aquired some of the most fertile land for farming in the world. That farmland is called Louisiana. It 's a huge mass of land that fit perfectly with his beliefs of having a more rural focused population. Jefferson actually always wanted and had plans of exploring the Louisiana area. His two representatives, James Monroe and Robert

People of the 21st century might question what the most pivotal events were during the American Revolution. The Declaration of Independence, which was one of these events was mainly written by Thomas Jefferson but edited by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. The Declaration of Independence was a celebration of the patriot’s breakaway from the British. Another event happened on Christmas day 1776, when George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River with the hopes of capturing the Hessians who were a group that King George III paid to fight or them. With luck on the troop’s side, they captured between 900 and 1,000 prisoners and took over Trenton, New Jersey. And finally, in Valley Forge, PA Washington’s troops went through harsh weather and long hours of training. By June 19th, 1778 the day they left, Washington’s troops were stronger than they were before with the help of General Baron Von Steuben. The most pivotal events in determining the outcome of the American Revolution were Declaration of Independence (June 1776), Washington’s Crossing (December1776), and Valley Forge (1777-1778).

On the other hand, the hostility was furthered when the interaction between the English and the Americans became atrocious. The colonists then decided to organize themselves into equal groups to fight, but only the men who wanted to do so by volunteering. Yet, the English broke up into an order that was constantly maintained, which included divisions. In 1759, a Massachusetts soldier admitted that the English troops “are but little better that slave to their officers.” This effect resulted with the increase of the colonists’ resistance to the political interference of Britain, but also their resentment towards them as well.

The Battle of Yorktown was the last important battle of the American Revolution, which was fought from 28 September 1781 to 19 October 1781, in Yorktown Virginia, near the York River. The Continental Army, led by George Washington, won the battle against the British, led by General Lord Charles Cornwallis. General Cornwallis was force to surrender after Washington’s army, assisted by the French who were led by Marquis de Lafayette and the Comte de Rochambeau (Davis, P., 2001), surrounded them. General Washington use of misinformation and counterintelligence was very effective in turning the battle in their favor. If the British had validated the information by conducting such operations of their own they could have identified the misinformation in a timely manner. The British’s bias made them to believe that their collect efforts were very effective and did not question how easily the falsified documents were captured and deciphered. This bias cause the British to continue reinforcing defensive positions in the north as General Washington and the French moved south, which proved to be fatal.

Some decisions were made on the field of the battle that shaped the outcome of the American revolutionary war. The 1776 decision of George Washington to cross the Delaware River was one of the significant decisions in the revolution. George Washington and his army had successfully crossed the Delaware River and transported their equipment even though the river was frozen. The decision helped the Americans in reaching New Jersey and defeat the Hessian troops in a smart and strategic way. Because of the outstanding leadership skills that George Washington had, this decision led to a victory on the field. Also, during the 1777 battle of Saratoga, the American made a decision to use the guerrilla warfare against the Britain. On the other hand,

The American Revolution was fought primarily by the common soldier. These common solders were either from the lower or middle class. There are a few reasons as to why such a man would want to join the continental army. One could say he only had his own interests in mind and did it for what monetary gain he could achieve. However what if that was not the main reason many of these soldiers joined the continentals? Instead the major reason they joined and stayed with the continentals was because they believed they were fighting to change their condition and the condition of their very class. Because of the success of the revolution, American culture, social structure and our ideals would radically change leading to the formation of the modern United States.

The years prior to the Revolutionary War proved to be a trying time for the early American colonists. The French and Indian War, or Seven Years War, represented the decisive turning point in British-colonial relations. The Treaty of Paris in 1763 ratified Britain’s undisputed control of the seas and shipping trade, as well as its sovereignty over much of the North American continent east of the Mississippi River (Tax Analysts, 2015). During this time, the British parliament posed many taxes on the colonists in an effort to decrease the large debt incurred by many years of fighting. Acts such as the Sugar Act, Currency Act, Stamp Act, Quartering Act, Townshend Act, and the Tea Act, forced the colonists to pay hefty taxes on a number of goods.

Jefferson not only shaped the nation, but also our society today. “The Declaration of Independence is a famous document for many reasons. It declared the colonies independence from Great Britain. It stated basic rights and liberties for Americans. The French used the ideals behind the Declaration as a model for their own revolution in 1789,”(Thomas Jefferson Foundation). Jefferson’s ways not only changed America, but also affected other countries. Jefferson had also took hand in designing the capitol in Virginia, Richmond; he also helped with the designs of new government buildings. As well as,contributing to the country in many ways, one was when he took hand in creating our money system, now he is on the nickel. Jefferson had also created

Imagine one day after a long day off work in the fields, you go to your local pub or watering hole and you ask for your favorite brand of whiskey on the rocks. Then bam, there’s a tax on it. Not much, but not only do you have not just pay the 2 cents for your whiskey but you’re paying an extra penny for your favorite drink to the government. You thought your Government was getting rid of taxes forever but no, you have to pay for the cost of your freedom, because freedom is never free.

Have you ever wondered if the beginning of the United Sates was based off of a just war? Saint Augustine, a renowned Christian theologian and philosopher, addressed the idea of a just war during the time of the Roman Empire. Augustine is well-known for his book City of God in which he first introduces his standards of a just war. These standards must be met for a war to be classified as just. This new concept that war could be approved by God and used for good revolutionized the way Christians viewed war. Although written hundreds of years ago, these standards have truly stood the test of time because they are still referred to today. Based on Augustine’s standards, The Revolutionary War can be argued as a just war because there was a just

In 1776, Thomas Jefferson began writing, " We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men were created equal..." in the Declaration of Independence. He was explaining the reason people were opposing Britain, who was oppressing the colonies with taxes and trade limitations. He felt that the colonists weren 't justly represented in Parliament, and hoped this article could amend the damage. Looking back at history, everyone knows that the Revolutionary War happened. Looking in the present, Americans are still being oppressed by the government in other ways besides taxes. State workers are now dealing with an oppressive government that is limiting their rights to negotiate. Current governor Scott Walker legislation, particularly 2011’s

The most fascinating subject to learn about in History is spies. With the ideas of secret ink and leaving important documents at Dead Drops would be someone’s dream to live. That does not mean that every story of a spy ended up that way. Several spies during the Revolutionary war were hanged if caught. Though, one major traitor in the United States did not get hanged. He escaped to England. The life of spies is quite different then what people imagine. Even the founding fathers of the United States of America played such a drastic role in spying. Like John Jay considered the ‘Father of Counter Intelligence”. George Washington is known for creating the most successful operatives. Overall, the interesting parts in regard to spy is that of Sir Walsingham, the founding fathers, and that of Benedict Arnold, a traitor.

History has a way of repeating itself, especially when it comes to battles in a large scale war. One example of this was when Napoleon and France invaded Russia in 1812 and when Hitler invaded Russia in 1941. Another example would be the War of 1812 and the Revolutionary War because in both wars, each country had a point to prove and in both Britain lost and the U.S. won. These two examples prove that history has a way of coming back to prove a point.