Thomas Jefferson: The 3 Reasons He Is Famous Today

BornApril 13th, 1743
DiedJuly 4, 1826
Famous Quote“Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.”
Known ForWrote Declaration of Independence, third president of United States, doubled size of United States through Louisiana Purchase
Region of WorldUnited States, 18th and 19th centuries
Further ReadingGeorge Washington: The 3 Ways He Changed History Forever and The 3 Ways Cicero Influenced The Development of The U.S

Thomas Jefferson remains one of the most famous Americans to have ever lived. The legacy of Thomas Jefferson remains one of the most hotly contested legacies of all time. However, few can debate on the fact that Thomas Jefferson remains incredibly famous among American historians today.

Today Thomas Jefferson is famous for 3 main reasons. First, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. Second, Thomas Jefferson served as the third president of the United States where he set the groundwork for the nation. Third, Thomas Jefferson doubled the size of the United States by buying France’s remaining colonial land claims in the Louisiana Purchase.

Thomas Jefferson was born in the middle 18th century to a wealthy Virginia family. He would study law and become one of the most well known political philosophers of his time. Today his work still influences the development of government and law worldwide.

Here at The History Ace I strive to publish the best history articles on the internet. If at the end you enjoyed this article then consider subscribing to the free newsletter and sharing around .

Without further ado; here are the 3 reasons that Thomas Jefferson is famous today.

Thomas Jefferson Wrote The Declaration Of Independence

One of the main reasons that Thomas Jefferson is famous today is because he wrote the foundational text of the United States; The Declaration of Independence.

In order to break away from the British Empire the British colonists would have to justify their decision to rebel. However, in order to potentially gain the support of other nations such as France the United States needed to craft a document that would serve two purposes.

First, the Declaration of Independence would have to tell the British that the colonies are now free and should be considered as such. Within the document Thomas Jefferson would have to clearly explain how and why the British Colonists were leaving the Empire.

Second, the Declaration of Independence would have to establish a new nation. This new nation would have to be respected on an international stage. To do this proper wording and international theory would have to be respected.

To accomplish both of these Thomas Jefferson would write a document that used the foundational theories of John Locke and Voltaire. Both of these philosophers were well respected in France and Britain, the two leading empires at the time.

Out of this combination of the major philosophers of the time came Thomas Jefferson’s most lasting legacy; The Declaration of Independence.

As a result, this is one of the main reasons that Thomas Jefferson is so famous today.

Thomas Jefferson Served As The Third President Of The United States

One of the main reasons that Thomas Jefferson is so famous today is because he served as the third president of the United States.

Jefferson served as president during a tumultuous time in American history. Upon becoming president Thomas Jefferson inherited a massive $83 million dollar fiscal debt. Thomas Jefferson was strongly against a strong central government and as such started to eliminate several government offices in the United States.

Because of this elimination of federal offices Thomas Jefferson also started to eliminate excess tax arguing that there was no need as the government was smaller.

Further, Jefferson also shrunk the size of the U.S military arguing that there was no need to have a large standing force during peacetime. The U.S Navy got considerably smaller under Jefferson who wanted the Navy to serve a defensive role.

By the end of Jefferson’s two terms as president he had reduced the national debt by around 32%. This set the United States up for the massive growth it would experience over the course of the 19th century.

As a result of Thomas Jefferson being in favor of a small central government as well as cutting excess tax he is remembered as one of the most famous presidents today.

Thomas Jefferson Doubled The Size Of The United States Through The Louisiana Purchase

One of the main reasons that Thomas Jefferson is so famous today was because of his massive purchase/investment from France.

In 1800 the French Republic regained the lost land of Louisiana after the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. However, France was struggling with revolts in the new world and was worried about an eventual war with the British. Sometime between 1801 and 1802 Bonaparte began to think about selling nearly all French possessions in North America.

Thomas Jefferson had long envisioned controlling French Louisiana. This was because of the vital Mississippi River along with the port city of New Orleans. In 1803 Thomas Jefferson got word that Bonaparte was willing to sell the entirety of French Louisiana to the United States for a good price.

For a price of $15 million dollars Thomas Jefferson would double the size of the United States. The official announcement of the Louisiana Purchase was made on July 4th, 1803. The reaction to this purchase was mixed. Some politicians saw it as a waste of money while others saw the opportunity inherent in the land mass.

Regardless, the reason that the United States is so large today is because of Thomas Jefferson buying French Louisiana from Napoleon Bonaparte.

The Louisiana Purchase allowed for the states of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota to be formed. To this day it remains the largest land acquisition by the United States in history.

The Louisiana Purchase remains one of the main reasons that Thomas Jefferson is famous today. To this day you can find statues of Thomas Jefferson across the Midwest of the United States.

Conclusion

There you have it; an entire article that goes over the 3 reasons that Thomas Jefferson is so famous today.

Thomas Jefferson would go on to promote a limited central government. This was in direct opposition to the popular federalist party of the time but was supported by the citizens of the United States.

Here at The History Ace I strive to publish the best history articles on the internet. If you enjoyed this article then consider subscribing to the free newsletter and sharing around the internet.

Further, you can check out some of the other articles below. 

Until next time,

Nick

How The American Revolution Changed The World

Here is how the American Revolution changed the world. Many people are not aware of just how important this[…]

Why The Roman People Loved Chariot Racing

Why did the Roman people love chariot racing? Well it all comes down to these 3 reasons.

The Design and Color of Roman Chariots

What was the design and color of Roman Chariots? Were they faster or slower then normal chariots? Well here[…]

Written By