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Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and third President of the United States, was the nation's greatest champion of representative democracy and the rights of man. He was a philosopher, educator, naturalist, politician, scientist, archite ....

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.... of the colonies' demand for independence. The declaration recounted the grievances of the colonies against the British crown and declared the colonies to be free and independent states. Since solely Jefferson wrote it, the declaration held the essence of his ideals, and he spent the rest of his life applying its principles to the new American government. Jefferson's chief accomplishment as president was the Louisiana Purchase. This land which once belonged to France, is close to one-third of the amount of land that makes up the United States today. In the early years of the United States, Louisiana was of concern chiefly because it ....