Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, musician, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the country's third president from 1801 to 1809. Between 1797 and 1801, he served as the second vice president of the United States under John Adams, and between 1790 and 1793, he served as the first secretary of state of the United States under George Washington. Jefferson, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, was a proponent of democracy, republicanism, and individual rights for certain groups of people, inspiring American colonists to secede from the United Kingdom and form a new nation; he produced formative documents and decisions at both the state and national levels. ... Read more