Thomas Jefferson: Difference between revisions
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{{quote|''"Jefferson lives!"''|'''[[John Adams]]'''' last words (Ironically incorrect, as Jefferson had just died as well)}}
Thomas Jefferson <ref>{4/13/1743 - 7/4/1826}</ref> is best known for being the guy who wrote the Declaration of Independence. Later, he became the third president (1801 - 1809) of the United States of America and bought Louisiana from Napoleon. He then sent Lewis and Clark out to explore the newly purchased countryside. Jefferson was also known for designing (he was also an architect) the famous estate of Monticello, which served as his home. In fact, he's probably the closest the U.S. presidency has ever had to an [[Omnidisciplinary Scientist]], having also studied mathematics, philosophy, botany, music, archaeology, and several languages (notably French, Greek, Latin, Anglo-Saxon, and Gaelic). Not to mention he also founded the University of Virginia [[Cracked.com|as he couldn't find a university that could handle his terrifying intellect]], and his 6,500-odd book collection formed the seed of the current Library of Congress (after the original contents of the Library were burned in the War of 1812). To top it all off, the guy invented [http://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/macaroni#Jefferson.27s_Notes_on_Macaroni_and_the_Macaroni_Machine macaroni and cheese] and the swivel chair - quite probably the sort of chair your butt graces right now!
Jefferson was a champion of small government and agrarianism, something that often put him at odds with some of the other Founding Fathers, most notably Alexander Hamilton, who envisioned America becoming an industrial power. However, in the election of 1800 (which in its inflammatory rhetoric makes modern negative campaign advertising sound polite and genteel), the two were able to put aside their differences long enough to prevent the power-hungry Aaron Burr from entering the White House. Today, Jefferson has become a celebrated figure in libertarian communities for his belief in limited government.
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