The third president of the United States was Thomas Jefferson. He had been the author of the Declaration of Independence and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. In an age of great men Jefferson was remarkable for his wide-ranging curiosity on many subjects. He helped the United States get started, and his plans for the future helped it grow. Many of the good things Americans enjoy today have come from Jefferson's devotion to human rights.
Jefferson and Aaron Burr both ran for president against John Adams, once his old friend but now his political opponent. Jefferson's new Republican (or Democratic-Republican) party, as the Liberals were then called, won the election; but under the original system of electoral votes both the party's candidates were considered to be running for president. The one who won the most votes became president; the other candidate became vice-president. There was a tie between Jefferson and Burr for the presidency. The tie was resolved in Jefferson's favor by vote in the House of Representatives after more than 30 ballots. Jefferson's election to a second term in 1804 was virtually without opposition.
No one with a knowledge of only a few aspects of Jefferson's life can grasp the depth and complexity of his character. Jefferson was at the same time one of the simplest and one of the most complicated men in United States history. It is completely characteristic that a man who had held the highest offices in his state and nation should ask that his tombstone be inscribed with these simple words:
Here was Buried
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Author of the
Declaration
of
American Independence
of the
Statute of Virginia
for
Religious Freedom
and Father of the
University of Virginia
John Cook Wyllie