When Thomas Jefferson was born 280 years ago, no one would have guessed that he would become a household name. No one could have ever guessed that his signature would be recognizable by millions of people. There is so much more to learn about this founding father that became the third President of the United States of America. He was a politician, an ambassador, a scientist and inventor. 

Thomas was born on April 13, 1743 near Charlottesville, Virginia. He had six sisters and one brother. He liked to go exploring in the woods and he played the violin, but most of all he loved to learn. The United States did not exist yet and there were very few schools. His parents wanted him to learn as much as possible so when he was eight years old he was sent away to live with a tutor. His dad died when he was 11 and he inherited the estate. He went to William and Mary College in Williamsburg, Virginia. He was only 18 when he graduated and went back home to manage his dad’s property and he became a lawyer.

Reading and writing were fun for Thomas but what he really liked to do was tinker with things and experiment to see if he could make them work better. He invented a few things that were unlike anything ever seen before. When Thomas was 26 he began building his own home in Virginia named Monticello. One of his inventions, called the great clock, is in that house. Thomas was fascinated by time and did not want to forget the day, hour or minute something happened. His great clock did all of those things. As the clock ticks cannon balls are lowered passing marks on the wall showing what day it is. The clock still works and every Sunday someone at Monticello winds it to keep it ticking.

In 1775, Thomas Jefferson, who did not agree with British rule over The Colonies, was elected to represent Virginia at The Second Continental Congress. He and four other delegates were given the job of writing The Declaration of Independence. His good friend John Adams convinced the committee that Thomas should write the document. It was adopted on the 4th day of July, 1776 and published on the 5th making Thomas Jefferson one of the founding fathers of the United States of America. 

Fun fact: the only United States Presidents to sign the Declaration of Independence were Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. George Washington was in New York. He was sent a letter that contained the declaration. He read it to the soldiers of the Continental Army in Manhattan on July 9, 1776.

Thomas Jefferson ran for president three times. He lost the first election to his friend John Adams in 1796. In 1800 Thomas Jefferson ran again against Aaron Burr. The election ended in the only tied vote for president and congress had to break the tie. The tie breaking vote made Thomas Jefferson the third president of The United States of America. He was reelected in 1804.