The Paradoxical Legacy of Thomas Jefferson: Founding Father and Controversial Slaveholder

Name Course Date Thomas Jefferson Introduction Thomas Jefferson is an iconic figure in United States History. Jefferson was born on April 13th, 1743, and spent most of his life impacting America as a nation and its populace in one way or the other until his death on July 4th, 1826, at 83. Thomas Jefferson was born to Peter Jefferson, a planter/surveyor, and Randolph Jefferson. Though a self-educated surveyor, Peter Jefferson owned a tidy estate with 60 enslaved people offering Thomas a chance to enjoy slave services throughout his life. One can argue that Thomas's childhood experiences shaped his white supremacist nature, leading him to become one of America's most problematic and paradoxical heroes. Like his father, Thomas believed in white supremacy and thus expressed overreliance on slavery throughout his political life. However, Thomas remains significant to American history because he serves as this great nation's founding father, draftsman of the Declaration of Independence, and the First Secretary of the States between 1789 and 1794. Thomas also served as America's 2nd vice-president between 1797 and 1801, 3rd president between 1801 and 1809, the Statesman responsible for the Louisiana Purchase, the Early advocate of total separation of church and State (1803), and the founder and architect of the University of Virginia. All these involvements led Jefferson to accomplish a lot for America as a nation defining his influence in shaping the Americas’ history. One can argue Thomas Jefferson's parents as people who had their place within American society. The father amassed a tidy estate and over fifty enslaved people, while the mother descended from among the most prominent families in Virginia. However, Thomas did not enjoy the presence of both parents for a long time, as Peter Jefferson died in 1757 when Thomas was 14 years. However, being a single parented child did not stop Thomas from accomplishing his dreams. Thomas spent most of his time on books with William Small (a Scottish-born teacher in mathematics and science) and George Wythe (a leading legal scholar in