Thomas Jefferson

On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress passed the Lee Resolution, asserting the colonies were free and independent states.

On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia.

On July 8, 1776, at noon, the Declaration was read publicly at three designated locations: Trenton, Easton, and Philadelphia.

The Second Continental Congress appointed a five-member committee on June 11, 1776, to draft a declaration of independence.

In November 1777 Adams learned he was named commissioner to France, joining Franklin and Arthur Lee in Paris.

In the meantime, Adams thwarted an attempt by neutral European powers to mediate the war without consulting the United States.

Adams pursued loans and recognition in the Dutch Republic, presenting credentials at The Hague in April 1781 and returning in January 1782.

Adams collaborated with Franklin, Jay, Jefferson, and Laurens in negotiations; the treaty was signed September 3, 1783, recognizing independence.

Congress modified Jefferson's proposal for dividing western territory into new states and passed it as the Land Ordinance of 1784, titled 'Ordinance of Governance' in the legacy record.

George Washington and James Monroe criticized the ordinance, and other politicians questioned its plan for organizing new state governments.

John Adams was appointed as the first American ambassador to Great Britain in 1785, following earlier diplomatic collaborations.

Thomas Jefferson's service as Minister to France began in 1785 and continued to 1789, following his 1784 appointment as Minister Plenipotentiary.

The U.S. Congress first met in 1789, replacing the Congress of the Confederation. The specific 1790 Philadelphia session is not supported by the supplied passages.

President George Washington appointed Jefferson the nation's first secretary of state, an office created in 1789 with Jefferson as its first holder.

Soon after returning from France, Jefferson accepted President Washington's invitation to serve as Secretary of State.

Jefferson left Paris for America in September 1789, ending his tenure as Minister to France.

The Senate approved the Residence Act on July 1, 1790, by a vote of 14 to 12, following earlier failed reconciliations.

The House of Representatives approved the act on July 9, 1790, by a vote of 31 to 29, correcting legacy errors.

President Washington signed the Residence Act into law on July 16, 1790, establishing a permanent seat along the Potomac River and designating Philadelphia as the temporary capital.

The Assumption Bill cleared the House on July 26, 1790, allowing the federal government to assume state debts.

The cornerstone of the Executive Mansion was laid at noon on October 13, 1792, marking the start of construction.

William Branch Giles introduced three sets of resolutions in 1793 attempting to censure Hamilton's financial administration and force repayment of debts to France.

In June 1796, Democratic-Republican leaders met and agreed to support Thomas Jefferson for president and Aaron Burr for vice president.

Federalist John Adams defeated Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson 71–68 in the electoral college in the 1796 presidential election.

With Washington refusing a third term, the 1796 election became the first contested U.S. presidential election and the first in which parties competed for the presidency.

Congress counted the electoral results on February 8, 1797, with Adams reading the votes; he was sworn in as the second president on March 4, 1797.

Adams had occupied the High Street mansion in Philadelphia from March 1797 to May 1800 before moving to the new capital.

On Saturday, November 1, 1800, John Adams became the first president to take residence in the White House, arriving from Philadelphia.

Adams lived in the house only briefly before Thomas Jefferson moved into the 'pleasant country residence' in 1801.

Electors met in their respective states on December 3, 1800, casting ballots that produced a tie between Jefferson and Burr.

In February 1801 the House balloted as states to choose between Jefferson and Burr for president.

Electoral ballots were opened and counted on February 11, 1801, with Georgia's certificate differing from the others.

John Adams signed an act on April 24, 1800, appropriating $5,000 to purchase books and fit up a suitable apartment.

Books ordered from London formed a collection of 740 books and three maps, housed in the Capitol when Congress arrived in November 1800.

On January 26, 1802, Jefferson signed a bill creating the librarian of Congress appointment and a Joint Committee on the Library.

Adams occupied the High Street mansion in Philadelphia from March 1797 to May 1800, vacating it as the capital moved.

Adams made his first official visit to the nation's new seat of government in early June 1800, while the President's Mansion was still under construction.

On Saturday, November 1, 1800, Adams became the first president to occupy the White House, which was not yet completed.

Unlike 1796, both parties formally nominated tickets for the 1800 election.

Aaron Burr employed unorthodox public campaigning methods, credited by some historians with inventing modern electioneering.

Six of the sixteen participating states used some form of popular vote to choose electors.

After thirty-six ballots, the House elected Jefferson as President and Burr as Vice President on February 17, 1801.

Thomas Jefferson was sworn in as the third President of the United States on March 4, 1801, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Yusuf Karamanli declared war on the United States on 10 May 1801 by cutting down the flagstaff at the U.S. Consulate.

Congress accelerated Ohio's path to statehood via the Enabling Act of 1802, despite the population being below the threshold required by the Northwest Ordinance.

The Ohio Constitutional Convention took place in Chillicothe in 1802, with Edward Tiffin serving as its president.

At a special session in Chillicothe, the state legislature approved a new petition for statehood, delivered to Washington, D.C., on horseback.

President Thomas Jefferson signed an act of Congress approving Ohio's boundaries and constitution on February 19, 1803.

Legislation was introduced to retroactively admit Ohio effective March 1, 1803, the date the Ohio General Assembly first convened.

Congress authorized the school via the Military Peace Establishment Act, signed by Jefferson on 16 March 1802.

The academy officially commenced operations on 4 July 1802, becoming the oldest American service academy.

Joseph Gardner Swift graduated as the first official graduate in October 1802.

On February 24, 1803, the Supreme Court issued a unanimous 4-0 decision against Marbury, establishing judicial review.

Jefferson defeated Pinckney in the election held between November 1 and December 4, 1804, under the new electoral rules.

The Corps of Discovery departed Camp Dubois on May 14, 1804, under Clark's command, beginning the ascent of the Missouri River.

The impeachment trial commenced in the Senate on February 9, 1805, with Vice President Aaron Burr presiding.

The Senate acquitted Samuel Chase on March 1, 1805, failing to secure the two-thirds majority for conviction.

Congress authorized the construction of the first federal highway, the Cumberland Road, on March 29, 1806, with President Jefferson signing the act.

Lieutenant Zebulon Pike led his expedition from Fort Bellefontaine near St. Louis on July 15, 1806, to explore the American West.

Pike's team sighted and attempted to climb a distant mountain peak in Colorado in early November 1806.

The incident led to the Embargo Act of 1807, as President Jefferson turned to economic pressure instead of war.

HMS Leopard attacked and boarded USS Chesapeake off Norfolk, Virginia, on 22 June 1807, seeking Royal Navy deserters who had joined the American crew.

Jenkin Ratford, the sole British citizen among the deserters, was sentenced to death and hanged in August 1807.

The Embargo Act of 1807 halted overseas trade, preventing the Survey from beginning its work immediately after its creation.

Congress created the Survey of the Coast on February 10, 1807, as the first U.S. scientific agency to chart waters for navigation.

President Madison sent Hassler to Europe in 1811 to purchase survey instruments, but the War of 1812 delayed his return.

Actual surveying work began in 1816 near New York City, marking the first operational phase of the agency.

Legislation moved through Congress under Varnum's leadership, passing both houses on March 2, 1807, prohibiting slave importation.

President Thomas Jefferson signed the bill into law on March 2, 1807, after promoting it in his 1806 address.

The 10th Congress passed the Embargo Act on December 22, 1807, following President Jefferson's request to restrict trade with foreign nations.

Peter Williams, Jr. celebrated the effective date with an oration in New York City.

The Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves took effect on January 1, 1808, the earliest date permitted by the United States Constitution.

John Jacob Astor incorporated the American Fur Company in New York City on April 6, 1808, with permission from President Thomas Jefferson.

Bradley convened the 1808 caucus, where Madison secured the Democratic-Republican nomination over Monroe and Clinton, despite internal opposition to the caucus system.

The Federalist caucus met in September 1808 to re-nominate Charles Cotesworth Pinckney and Rufus King, hoping to capitalize on economic dissatisfaction.

Presidential elections were held from November 4 to December 7, 1808, with Madison defeating Pinckney decisively outside Federalist strongholds.

Historians have debated whether Lewis's death was suicide, homicide, or the result of illness and pain.

Meriwether Lewis died from gunshot wounds at Grinder's Stand on October 11, 1809, in a manner disputed as suicide or homicide.

President Thomas Jefferson signed the repeal of the Embargo Act shortly before leaving office in March 1809, ending the general trade embargo.

Congress passed the Non-Intercourse Act on March 1, 1809, replacing the Embargo Act with restrictions limited to British and French ports.

James Madison was sworn in as the fourth President on March 4, 1809, in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

American forces were defeated on August 24, 1814, allowing British troops to march on Washington, D.C.

British soldiers and sailors set fire to the Capitol, White House, and Navy Yard on the evening of August 24, 1814.

William Thornton successfully preserved the Patent Office Building from destruction during the burning of Washington.

Washington property owners funded the Old Brick Capitol in February 1815 to ensure the federal government remained in the area; Congress began meeting there in December 1815.

Jefferson, Monroe, Madison, and Marshall met at Rockfish Gap in 1817 to discuss the university's location and charter.

The Virginia General Assembly chartered the University of Virginia in Charlottesville on January 25, 1819.

Thomas Jefferson died at Monticello on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

John Adams died at Peacefield in Quincy, Massachusetts, on July 4, 1826, unaware that Jefferson had already died.

The University of Missouri was established in 1839 as the first public university west of the Mississippi River.