Roles In Thomas Jefferson's Declaration Of Independence

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson, the third president, a revolutionary leader, a remarkable lawyer, the leader of the Louisiana purchase, and the principal writer of the Declaration of Independence, was born in 1743 (Cunningham 592-593). Over the years, Jefferson committed his life to America which included its independence and prosperity as a young nation. Thomas Jefferson’s early adulthood was very interesting. Jefferson attended the College of William and Mary in the 1760s. During his enrollment at the college, Jefferson was known to be a very studious young man who spent “15 hours of the day with his books” (Ellis). He was fascinated with “Englightment philosophy, 17th-century English history, [and] political theory” (Jefferson, Thomas). At the College of William and Mary, Jefferson eventually studied law under his teacher, George Wythe. In 1767, George Wythe granted Jefferson the ability to practice law in Virginia (“Thomas Jefferson”). He represented farmers who were …show more content…
Jefferson served as a burgess to the Virginia House of Burgesses from 1768 to 1775, and a delegate from 1776 to 1779. Jefferson’s term as a burgess was rather static (“Thomas Jefferson”). Upon returning from the Second Continental Congress in 1776, Jefferson tasked himself with “abolishing entail, inheritance of land through a particular line of descent, and primogeniture, inheritance only by the eldest son” (“Jefferson, Thomas”). In his term as a delegate, Jefferson helped reform the Virginia criminal code, and authored the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom (“Thomas Jefferson”). Thomas Jefferson also served as the governor of Virginia from 1779 to 1781, but he “failed to prevent the British from invading the state” and left soon after (“Jefferson, Thomas”). Jefferson’s long legislative career granted him experience that he relied on during his