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Timeline
April 13, 1743
· Born at Shadwell, Albermarle County, Virginia, eldest
son to Peter and Jane Randolph Jefferson
1745
· Jefferson family moves fifty miles from Shadwell to
take up residence at Tuckahoe
1752
· Jefferson family returns to Shadwell; Jefferson takes
up classical languages under care of Scottish Reverend William
Douglas
1754
· Peter Jefferson accedes to the Virginia House of Burgesses
as a representative of Albermarle County
August 17, 1757
· Peter Jefferson dies at age forty-nine, leaving young
Jefferson as family patriarch
March 1760
· Enters College of William and Mary at Williamsburg,
Virginia; befriends Patrick Henry
March 1762
· Graduates from the College of William and Mary
April 25, 1762
· Begins study of law in Williamsburg under George Wythe
1763
· Begins dining in the company of Williamsburg's leading intellectuals
1764
· Begins to keep a regular reading journal
October 1, 1765
· Eldest sister Jane dies at age twenty-five
May 1766
· Travels to New York, stopping at Annapolis and Philadelphia
en route
February 12, 1767
· Receives first legal fee after handling case in
General Court of Virginia
May 18, 1768
· Begins to clear land for construction of Monticello
April 3, 1769
· Accedes to House of Burgesses as representative of
Albermarle County, like his father before him
May 17, 1769
· The Baron de Botetourt dissolves the House of Burgesses
after growing dissent against royal policies
Summer 1769
· Begins to focus reading more exclusively on theories
of government
February 1, 1770
· Shadwell estate burns, destroying most of Jefferson's
documents and possessions
November 26, 1771
· Moves into temporary quarters at Monticello while
new estate is completed
January 1, 1772
· Marries Martha Wayles Skelton
September 27, 1772
· Eldest daughter Martha Washington Jefferson born at Monticello
March 12, 1773
· Earl of Dunmore dissolves the House of Burgesses after
Jefferson calls for more autonomous rule
May 16, 1773
· Dabney Carr dies, leaving six children to the Jefferson
family
May 30, 1773
· John Wayles dies, leaving Jefferson considerable debts,
lands, and slaves
October 1773
· Jefferson appointed surveyor of Albermarle County
April 3, 1774
· Second daughter Jane Randolph Jefferson born at Monticello
May 26, 1774
· Earl of Dunmore dissolves House of Burgesses again
after further rumblings of protest against colonial rule
June 1, 1774
· Day of fasting proclaimed throughout Virginia in protest
over the terms of the Boston Port Act
July 26, 1774
· Jefferson drafts Albermarle Resolutions, specifying
format for First Virginia Convention
August 1774
· Jefferson publishes A Summary View of the
Rights of British America
March 23, 1775
· Patrick Henry delivers "Give Me Liberty or Give
Me Death" speech at Second Virginia Convention
March 29 1775
· Named alternate to Second Continental Congress
April 19, 1775
· Revolutionary War begins with Battles of Lexington
and Concord
June 8, 1775
· Earl of Dunmore flees Virginia, throwing British rule
there into question
June 11, 1775
· Jefferson leaves Willamsburg for Philadelphia to attend
Second Continental Congress
June 21, 1775
· Attends first session of Second Continental Congress
June 26, 1775
· Contributes to adopted resolution "An Address on the
Causes of Taking Up Arms"
August 1775
· Congress adjourns; Jefferson returns to Virginia
to attend convention there
August 23, 1775
· King George III declares colonies to be in open rebellion
against Great Britain
September 1775
· Second daughter Jane Randolph Jefferson dies at age
three
September 26, 1775
· Appointed commander of Albermarle militia
September 30, 1775
· Returns to Philadelphia for re-adjournment of Second Continental
Congress
Autumn 1775
· Loyalist raids on Virginia organized by Earl of Dunmore
begin
March 31, 1776
· Mother Jane Randolph Jefferson dies at age fifty-seven
May 14, 1776
· Returns to Philadelphia after five-month absence
May 15, 1776
· Congress resolves to form its own government
May 27, 1776
· Jefferson begins drafting a constitution for the state
of Virginia
June 7, 1776
· Richard Henry Lee introduces resolution to declare independence
and form a confederation with foreign alliances
June 11, 1776
· Jefferson appointed to committee to prepare Declaration
of Independence
June 20, 1776
· Jefferson appointed to another year's term in Congress
June 28, 1776
· Declaration of Independence presented to Congress
June 29, 1776
· Virginia Convention accepts constitution and forms
first state government
July 2, 1776
· Congress approves resolution to declare independence
July 4, 1776
· Congress accepts Declaration of Independence
September 2, 1776
· Jefferson resigns from Congress due to wife's illness
September 30, 1776
· Appointed to negotiate diplomatic treaties with France
but declines due to wife's illness
November 5, 1776
· Appointed to revise Virginia's existing laws in committee
May 20, 1776
· Leaves Virginia Assembly due to wife's illness
May 28, 1776
· Eldest son born unnamed and dies two weeks later
October 30, 1776
· Returns to Virginia Assembly
August 1, 1778
· Third daughter Maria Jefferson born
February 1779
· Together with James Madison, Edmund Pendleton and
George Wythe, Jefferson finishes revisions of Virginia laws
June 1, 1779
· Jefferson elected governor of Virginia
June 1780
· Befriends young James Monroe
November 3, 1780
· Fourth daughter Lucy Elizabeth Jefferson born
December 1780
· Virginia Assembly votes to cede northwestern holdings
to United States
January 5, 1781
· Capture of Benedict Arnold at Richmond
April 15, 1781
· Lucy Elizabeth Jefferson dies in infancy
June 2, 1781
· Second term as governor ends, Jefferson steps down
from office
June 4, 1781
· Narrowly escapes capture when British cavalry arrives
at Monticello moments after his departure
June 1781
· Lord Cornwallis occupies and lays waste to one of
Jefferson's plantations
June 30, 1781
· Jefferson falls from a horse and is incapacitated
for six weeks
October 19, 1781
· Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown brings end to
fighting in Revolutionary War
December 19, 1781
· Investigative committee in Virginia Assembly brings
charges against Jefferson's record as governor; all accusations
defeated and Jefferson cleared; Jefferson announces intention
to retire from public life
May 8, 1782
· Fifth daughter, also named Lucy Elizabeth Jefferson,
born
September 6, 1782
· Jefferson's wife Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson dies
at age thirty-three
November 12, 1782
· Appointed peace commissioner to help negotiate Treaty
of Paris
December 19, 1782
· Leaves Monticello for Philadelphia in preparation
to travel for England; trip later aborted after delayed and then
deemed unnecessary
June 6, 1783
· Jefferson elected to Congress
September 3, 1783
· Treaty of Paris signed between America and England,
officially ending Revolutionary War
March 12, 1784
· Elected chairman of Congress and effective head of
United States Government
April 1784
· Writes Notes on the Establishment of a Money
Unit and Coinage for the United States
May 7, 1784
· Appointed to serve as foreign minister based in Paris
May-June 1784
· Tours New England with daughter Martha
June-August 1784
· Sails for Paris with daughter Martha
August 6, 1784
· Arrives in Paris
November 17, 1784
· Youngest daughter, the second Lucy Elizabeth, dies
March 10, 1785
· Jefferson appointed chief minister to France
January 16, 1786
· Virginia Assembly adopts Jefferson's Statute
of Virginia for Religious Freedom
March 1, 1786
· Jefferson and John Adams make unsuccessful attempt
to negotiate trade treaties with England
February-June 1787
· Makes tour of southern France and northern Italy
July 29, 1787
· Other remaining daughter, Maria, joins Jefferson and
daughter Martha in Paris
October 12, 1787
· Re-elected minister to France for a three-year term
July 2, 1788
· The Constitution of the United States is declared
ratified
April 30, 1789
· George Washington and John Adams inaugurated President
and Vice President, respectively, in New York
July 14, 1789
· Bastille Day; French Revolution begins
September 26, 1789
· Appointed Secretary of State
October 22, 1789
· Jefferson departs from Paris for a leave of absence
in the United States
November 23, 1789
· Docks at Norfolk, Virginia and learns of his appointment
as Secretary of State
February 23, 1790
· Daughter Martha married to Thomas Mann Randolph in ceremony
at Monticello
March 22, 1790
· Sworn in as Secretary of State in New York
July 16, 1790
· With Jefferson's encouragement per the Assumption
Plan, President Washington arranges for shift of national capital
from New York via Philadelphia to present-day Washington, D.C.
February 1791
· Debates constitutionality of National Bank with Alexander Hamilton
May 1791
· Makes tour of Connecticut, New York, and Vermont to
drum up political support
December 15, 1791
· Bill of Rights adopted
August 26, 1792
· Washington writes Jefferson and Hamilton in an attempt
to reconcile their differences
September 9, 1792
· Jefferson announces plan to retire at the end of Washington's first
term
October 1, 1792
· Jefferson visits Washington at Mount Vernon
October 20, 1792
· Washington places control of U.S. mint under Jefferson
January 21, 1793
· King Louis XVI executed by guillotine
March 4, 1793
· Washington and Adams re-inaugurated
April 19, 1793
· Jefferson urges that United States maintain alliance
with France in the course of various European wars
December 31, 1793
· Jefferson formally resigns his position as Secretary
of State
January 5, 1794
· Returns from Philadelphia to Monticello
January 31, 1795
· Hamilton resigns as Secretary of Treasury
February 1796
· Jefferson's campaign for President launched by Democratic-Republican
supporters including James Madison
September 19, 1796
· Washington's Farewell Address reprinted
February 9, 1797
· Loses presidential election narrowly to Adams; named
Vice President
March 4, 1797
· Adams and Jefferson inaugurated at Philadelphia
March 10, 1797
· Named president of American Philosophical Society
October 13, 1797
· Youngest daughter Maria married to John Wayles Eppes
in ceremony at Monticello
December 12, 1797
· Returns to Philadelphia after five month absence to
preside over Senate
January 8, 1798
· Eleventh Amendment ratified
April 1798
· XYZ Affair erupts
April 1798
· Jefferson correctly suspects Federalists of tampering
with his mail
June 25, 1798
· Congress passes Alien Act, giving President Adams
power to deport any threatening alien
June-December 1798
· Jefferson returns to Monticello for summer and autumn
July 7, 1798
· Congress repeals 1778 alliance with France
July 14, 1798
· Congress passes Sedition Act, calling for imprisonment
of all dissidents
August 1798
· Protests held across country against Alien and Sedition
Acts
September 1798
· Jefferson secretly drafts Kentucky Resolutions in
protest of Alien and Sedition Acts
November 16, 1798
· Kentucky legislature passes Jefferson's resolutions
December 21, 1798
· Madison's more moderate Virginia Resolutions, also
in protest of the Alien and Sedition Acts, passed by Virginia Assembly
March-December 1799
· Jefferson spends nine months at Monticello though
continuing in role as Vice President
December 14, 1799
· Washington dies at Mount Vernon
May 11, 1800
· Democratic-Republican caucus establishes first national platform
and nominates Jefferson and Aaron Burr for President and Vice President,
respectively
May-November 1800
· Returns to Monticello
June 30, 1800
· Rumors of Jefferson's death spread after false report
by Baltimore newspaper
September 30, 1800
· Convention of 1800 signed in Paris diffuses military
tension with France
November 27, 1800
· Arrives in new capital at Washington, D.C. for first
time
December 28, 1800
· Electoral returns reveal a tie between Burr and Jefferson
January 31, 1801
· John Marshall named Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
February 11, 1801
· House of Representatives convenes to break tie between
Burr and Jefferson
February 17, 1801
· Jefferson named President on thirty-sixth ballot
March 4, 1801
· Jefferson and Burr inaugurated at Washington
May 14, 1801
· Tripoli declares war on the United States
December 8, 1801
· Submits first annual message to Congress
February 6, 1802
· Congress declares war on Tripoli
April 6, 1802
· All internal taxes abolished
May 2, 1802
· U.S. Patent Office organized
July 4, 1802
· U.S. Military Academy opens in West Point, New York
August 1802
· Morocco declares war on the United States
November 3, 1802
· Jefferson meets with Chief Handsome Lake to discuss
native policy
April 30, 1803
· Robert Livingston and James Monroe secure the purchase
of the Louisiana Territory for the United States from France
December 12, 1803
· Twelfth Amendment proposed to the several states
December 20, 1803
· The United States takes formal possession of the Louisiana Territory
February 25, 1804
· Jefferson re-nominated for President
April 17, 1804
· Maria Jefferson dies at Monticello
July 11, 1804
· Vice President Burr fatally wounds Alexander Hamilton
in a duel
November 1804
· Jefferson re-elected by the several states with George
Clinton as new vice presidential candidate
March 4, 1805
· Re-inaugurated at Washington with Clinton
June 4, 1805
· Peace treaty with Tripoli signed; treaty with Morocco
shortly thereafter ends Barbary Wars
January 17, 1806
· Jefferson's grandson, James Madison Randolph, born
at the White House
March 29, 1806
· Congress authorizes construction of Cumberland Road
to Ohio
April 15, 1806
· Non-Importation Act prohibits traffic with British
manufactures effective November 1806
September 23, 1806
· Lewis and Clark return to St. Louis after reaching
the Pacific coast
November 25, 1806
· In response to a coup plot by Burr, Jefferson declares
martial law in New Orleans
December 6, 1806
· Non-Importation Act against Britain delayed; enacted
six months later
February 1807
· Burr captured while traveling in disguise in Alabama
July 2, 1807
· Jefferson bans British ships from American waters
after a series of impressments and seizures
October 20, 1807
· Burr flees to Europe after being acquitted of treason
and misdemeanor charges by Chief Justice John Marshall
December 22, 1807
· Jefferson signs Embargo Act, declaring American
neutrality and non- engagement in foreign trade
January 1, 1808
· The importation of slaves to the United States prohibited
by law
January 23, 1808
· Madison nominated to run for President; Clinton re-nominated for
Vice President
March 3, 1809
· In last executive action, Jefferson repeals Embargo
and Non-Importation Acts
March 4, 1809
· Embargo Act repealed; Madison and Clinton inaugurated
at Washington
March 11, 1809
· Jefferson leaves Washington for the final time
June 18, 1812
· Congress declares war on Great Britain
August 1812
· Jefferson declines suggestions that he run for President
again or become Madison's Secretary of State
November 1812
· Madison re-elected President with Elbridge Gerry as
Vice President
August 25, 1814
· States views on slavery in letter to Edward Coles
September 21, 1814
· Jefferson sells thousands of volumes from his personal
library to the Library of Congress
December 24, 1814
· Treaty of Ghent ends War of 1812
November 1816
· James Monroe elected President with Daniel Tompkins
as Vice President
January 1819
· Virginia Assembly passes bill providing for establishment
of University of Virginia
March 29, 1819
· Jefferson appointed rector, chief executive of the
University of Virginia
November 1820
· Monroe and Tompkins re-elected
October 24, 1823
· Jefferson writes to Monroe with ideas that are eventually incorporated
in the Monroe Doctrine
November 1824
· John Quincy Adams elected President with John C. Calhoun
as Vice President
April 1, 1825
· University of Virginia officially opens
January 20, 1826
· Jefferson requests special dispensation from Virginia
Assembly to sell his property by lottery in order to pay off significant
debts
March 16, 1826
· Jefferson writes his will, providing for manumission
of five slaves, including Eston and Madison Hemings
July 4, 1826
· Dies at Monticello at the age of eighty-three, on
the same day as John Adams
January 27, 1827
· Jefferson's belongings sold by auction at Monticello
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