Thomas Jefferson is one of those almost mythical figures of early American history who stands tall as one of the great heroes of the Revolution and an early definition of what this country would become. Sometimes it's easy to look at a figure that stands so high in history and think that maybe some of it is myth. But if you look at the history of the time, he was as great as our adoration suggests he was.
Thomas Jefferson's service to the new American Union spanned more than fifty years. Not only did he contribute to the basic philosophical foundations on which I founded our democracy, he served in various offices and made some phenomenal contributions to the developing country, including…
* 1775 - Served in the Continental Congress
* 1776 – wrote the Declaration of Independence
* 1779-1781 - Governor of Virginia
* 1783 – Elected to Congress
* 1784-1789 – commissioner and minister of France
* 1790-1793 – the first US Secretary of State under George Washington
* 1797-1801 - Served as Vice President of the United States
* 1801-1809 – third President of the United States of America
* 1803 - Approved and helped launch the Lewis and Clark Expedition
* 1803 - Purchased the Louisiana Territory for the United States
* 1815 – The Library of Congress began operations
* 1825 – University of Virginia founded
This phenomenal success rate is practically unparalleled in any public service of comparable civil servants. But Jefferson's contribution was more than just serving offices, he was one or two or three key philosophical thinkers of his time who laid the ideological foundations of America.
It is impossible to overemphasize the achievement of writing the Declaration of Independence. This document has taken such a central place in American history that it is regarded with a reverence usually reserved for religious documents. It so eloquently communicates the beliefs and values of the American system of government that Jefferson can be considered a true minister and prophet of these ideals.
Thomas Jefferson also strongly believed in Manifest Destiny and the expansion of the land westward to the Pacific Ocean. He provided the inspiration, funds, and political power to launch the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition, which was responsible for discovering vast new lands and treasures in the heart of the Americas and provided the inspiration for the country to "go west" and achieve the dream of becoming a nation that he stretched "from sea to shining sea."
Jefferson had a thirst for knowledge that was virtually unquenchable. He imparted this passion for learning in the University of Virginia building. But his contribution to education, which made such a huge mark on American society, was the building of the American library system, thanks to which citizens of any community can have free access to a large amount of information. It was a wonderful experiment in public education. However, few of us today can imagine a world where we cannot simply "go to the library" at any time. Libraries have become central to the American way of life.
Thomas Jefferson seems to have influenced every aspect of society, from the growing country's educational systems to government, and even made his views on religious freedom an important part of how America approached this vital topic. Jefferson championed the whole concept of "separation of church and state."
It should be noted that his writings made it clear that the separation of church and state works because it is there to restrain the government from unlawfully restricting the religious rights of citizens. Sometimes we misinterpret Jefferson's concept that this government restriction is there to limit religious freedom, when in fact it is there to promote all the religious freedom that the citizens of America need to honor and worship with complete openness and never fear, that the government will prevent who, what, when, where or how they express their religious ideas.
It is important to look back on the genius of this man, Thomas Jefferson, and be grateful that he was the man of the hour at such an important time in the development of the great nation of the United States of America.
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