Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743 in Albermarle County, Virginia, inheriting from his father, some 5,000 acres of land, and from his mother, a Randolph, high social standing. He attended the College of William and Mary where he studied law. In 1772 he married Martha Wayles Skelton, and t...

Thomas Jefferson (born 1743, died 1826) was the third President of the United States. Jefferson expressed the convictions in the minds and hearts of the American people (Bernstein 205). He said that the main objects of all science are the freedom and happiness of man ("Jefferson Digital Archive...

Thomas Jefferson on Slavery“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—“(Jefferson). These words are arguably the m...

In this article, Jefferson discusses the problems that the institution of slavery created in Virginia and how it affected the slaves. The notes were written while Jefferson was the Governor of Virginia and were based on an inquiry made by the French legation in Philadelphia and discussed s...

The American Revolution was a time when America would transform from an extension of Britain into a new and independent nation. Although the Revolution gave way to new freedom and government, the rights of many groups were ignored during this period of time. The Declaration of Independence claimed...

American History 4th of July 1877 Today we are gathered to celebrate not only America's birthday but also the birthday of this community of Cambellsville, Iowa. This community is just three years old, a baby when compared America. This community has been a beacon of...

Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence is a representative piece of Enlightenment writing that demonstrates the great influence that the work of John Locke must have had on him. Jefferson adapted Locke's concept of an inherent "contract" between the rulers and the ruled,...

In the 1800's slavery was the most treacherous degrading and spiteful act ever forced on any human being in the United States. Stripping an individual of equality, education, and freedom because of their skin color is something that America was accustomed to during this time. The idea of educ...

Who were the founders of America? When one thinks of the words "founding fathers", the first thing that should come to mind are national figures like George Washington, James Madison, George Mason and Thomas Jefferson. Although these men are founders of America, they were also founders of...

Born a slave, Frederick Douglas "lifted himself up from bondage by his own efforts, developed, later, a great talent as an abolitionist lecturer, a newspaper editor, a recruiter for Union troops in the Civil War, became a noted figure in American life, and gained World-wide recognition as the f...

When I was about six years old I had only one thing that I wanted more then anything: I wanted to go to Disney Land. I knew, however, that my parents were against this wholeheartedly. I had a mission from then on. I had to persuade them to take me to Disney Land. I pleaded and pleaded and trie...

With the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, Americans went from colonial subordination to well-earned independence from England, but with that came the responsibility to foster a country based upon an ideology that had never before been done. The years following the Revolutionary War would be t...

The Civil War was arguably the darkest moment in the history of America. For the first time brother fought brother and The Union had to fight to stay whole. Southern states believed in their right to own slaves and though Lincoln formally addressed that he would not interfere with that right, the s...

Early Years Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743 and grew up on the family plantation at Shadwell in Albermarle County, Virginia. His father, Peter Jefferson owned thirty slaves and a tobacco and wheat farm. Thomas was the third of ten children. He learned to speak French, Greek and Latin....

In the speech, "The Virginia Convention," Patrick Henry set out to convince the Virginia delegates that the war with England was inevitable and the longer they waited the harder the war would be to win. Patrick Henry uses the art of persuasion to win over his audience. In the essay, "The Cri...

Independence as nations Although Haiti, America, and France begin their independence around the same time era, their ways of receiving their independence was very much identical. Social classes have a huge impact on the status of a country. The way that these social classes influenced these c...

"It is indeed true that our Revolution was strikingly unlike that of France, and that most of those who originated it had no other than political programme." The American and French Revolutions were both bourgeois revolutions fought under the banner of the "rights of man"-individual liberty, equal...

Dred Scott was the name of an African-American slave. He was taken by his master, anofficer in the U.S. Army, from the slave state of Missouri to the free state of Illinois andthen to the free territory of Wisconsin. He lived on free soil for a long period of time.When the Army ordered his master to...

John Locke, the philosopher, stated that all individuals have the right to "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Property." Thomas Jefferson, former President, suggested that Happiness should replace Property in Locke's statement. Most of Americans depend on property to achieve happiness. For instan...

The Declaration Then and Now The year was sixteen hundred and eighty-nine and a man by the name of John Locke wrote Second Treatise on Government (Zinn 73). In it, Locke wrote that in a natural state everyone, all people, are born free and equal, and possess certain rights. He said that these R...

Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America is an extraordinary piece of literature that has earned much acclaim in general non-fiction. The author of the book is Garry Wills. Garry Wills is an adjunct professor of history at Northwestern University. He has a dignified career as an autho...

The Declaration Then and Now The year was sixteen hundred and eighty-nine and a man by the name of John Locke wrote Second Treatise on Government (Zinn 73). In it, Locke wrote that in a natural state everyone, all people, are born free and equal, and possess certain rights. He said that these R...

The Declaration Then and Now The year was sixteen hundred and eighty-nine and a man by the name of John Locke wrote Second Treatise on Government (Zinn 73). In it, Locke wrote that in a natural state everyone, all people, are born free and equal, and possess certain rights. He said that these &quo...

Humans Disguised as SlavesThe Ways in Which Masters Dehumanize SlavesHave you ever wondered what it would be like to not have a last name? What would be so unique about being just another Kim, John, or Jessica? In many ways the simple absence of a last name would lead to a lack of individual ident...

Jefferson's World"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." This was the start to Lincoln's famed Gettysburg address. The reference that the United States was crea...