Thomas Jefferson

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was
thirty when he began his political career. He was elected to the Virginia
House of Burgess in 1769, where his first action was an unsuccessful bill
allowing owners to free their slaves.

The impending crisis in British-Colonial relations overshadowed routine
affairs of legislature. In 1774, the first of the Intolerable Acts closed
the port of Boston until Massachusetts paid for the Boston Tea Party of the
preceding year. Jefferson and other younger members of the Virginia
Assembly ordained a day of fasting and prayer to demonstrate their sympathy
with Massachusetts. Thereupon, Virginia's Royal Governor Dunmore once again
dissolved the assembly (Koch and Peden 20). The members met and planned to
call together an inter-colonial congress. Jefferson began writing
resolutions which were radical and better written than those from other
counties and colonies. Although his resolutions were considered too
revolutionary and not adopted, they were printed and widely circulated ...

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toleration into the laws of Virginia by separating Church and
State by writing the "Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom."

In June of 1779, Jefferson was elected Governor of Virginia. He commenced
his career as a public executive, confident of his abilities, assured of
the respect and almost the affection of his commonwealth. However, he took
up his duties at a time when the British were raiding Virginia. General
George Washington did not have resources available to send to Virginia.
Jefferson, during one of the raids, narrowly escaped capture at the hands
of the British troops; and the legislators were forced to flee from their
new capital city of Richmond. Jefferson, as ...

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