preview

Thomas Jefferson's Belief In The Declaration Of Independence

Decent Essays
Open Document

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson is very significant in history not only for the offices he held, but also for his belief in the natural rights of man said in the Declaration of Independence and his faith in the people’s will to govern themselves. Born on April 13, 1743, Jefferson had six sisters and one brother. Though he opposed slavery, his family owned slaves. Thomas developed an interest in botany, geology, cartography, and North American exploration, and from his teacher a like for Greek and Latin. When Jefferson was 16 he entered the College of William and Mary and was taught by William Small and George Wythe. After finishing college, Jefferson studied law with Wythe and noticed issues between America and Great Britain. He successfully practiced law …show more content…

At the First Virginia Convention, he was chosen to represent Albemarle County, where delegates were elected to the First Continental Congress. He was sick and unable to attend the meeting, but sent a message arguing the British Parliament had little to no control over the colonies. He also said the Saxons who had settled in England hundreds of years before from Germany and that Parliament had no right to govern the colonies more than the Germans had to govern the English people. Virginians thought this was harsh. His views were published in a pamphlet called A Summary of the Rights of British America. Thomas went to the Second Virginia Convention in 1775 and was chosen as one of the delegates for the Second Continental Congress. Before he left for Philadelphia, he was asked by the Virginia Assembly to respond to Lord North’s message of peace, asking Parliament to not try to tax the settlers if they would tax themselves. Instead of agreeing with Lord North, Jefferson had his mind set that a government had been set up for the Americans and not for the

Get Access