Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States

Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, in Shadwell, Virginia, to Peter Jefferson and Jane Randolph. His father was a successful planter and surveyor who had built a substantial estate in Virginia, and his mother was a member of a prominent Virginia family. Thomas Jefferson was the third of ten children, with six sisters and three brothers. Jefferson was a Founding Father of the United States and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. He served as the third President of the United States from 1801 to 1809 and played a significant role in shaping the young nation's political landscape. Jefferson was a Renaissance man of his time, with a broad range of interests and accomplishments. He was an architect, inventor, writer, lawyer, and naturalist. He was a staunch supporter of individual liberty, religious freedom, and the separation of church and state. Throughout his life, Jefferson's legacy was marred by his ownership of slaves and his views on race.