专八人文知识需知的美国名人--托马斯·杰斐逊

专八人文知识需知的美国名人--托马斯·杰斐逊

　　英语专八人文知识涵盖的知识面较广，考生们需要平时多积累小常识，这样在专八考试中才能游刃有余，新东方在线整理了专八人文知识需知的美国名人系列知识点供考生们参考。

　　托马斯·杰斐逊(1743-1826)，作为一个包括约翰·亚当斯和本杰明·富兰克林在内的起草委员会的成员，起草了美国《独立宣言》的第一稿。大陆议会对杰斐逊的草稿作了重大改动，特别是在乔治亚州和南卡罗来纳州代表们的坚持下，删去了他对英王乔治三世允许在殖民地存在奴隶制和奴隶买卖的有力谴责。(被删去的内容中一部分是这样写的：“他向人性本身发动了残酷的战争，侵犯了一个从未冒犯过他的远方民族的最神圣的生存权和自由权，他诱骗他们，并把他们运往另一半球充当奴隶，或使他们惨死在运送途中。”) 1776年7月4日，大陆会议通过了这份宣言。

　　托马斯.杰斐逊生于维吉尼亚一个富裕的家庭。他曾就读于威廉玛丽学院，并于1767年在维吉尼亚获得律师资格。1769年，他当选为维吉尼亚下院议员，并积极参加独立运动，而且代表维吉尼亚出席大陆议会。他两次当选为维吉尼亚州长，还担任过美国驻法大使。1800年他竞选总统时，与阿伦·伯尔所得选举人票数相等，后由众议院选择杰斐逊当总统。 他是一位种植员和检查员，从他父亲那里继承了大约5，000英亩土地。母亲拥有很高的社会地位。他在威廉玛莉学院学习，然后读法律。在1772年，他与玛莎结婚。

　　1767年取得律师资格。1767年进入殖民地议会。1775年参加第H次大陆会议。次年，参加《独立宣言》五人起草委员会，成为宣言的主要起草人。1776年重返弗吉尼亚议会，制定宗教信仰自由法案。1779一1781年任弗吉尼亚州长。1784年出任驻法公使。1789年任国务卿。1800年当选总统。

　　托马斯与《独立宣言》

　　托马斯·杰斐逊是美国独立革命运动的一位积极领导者和组织者，著名的美国《独立宣言》的起草人。他前后从事政治活动近六十年之久，在美国人民的心目中是一位伟大的英雄。杰斐逊是资产阶级民主主义思想家，主张平等、言论、宗教和人身自由。他起草的《废止限嗣继承法规》，沉重打击了从英国带到美洲的封建主义残余。他起草了《弗吉尼亚宗教自由法规》，并使这一法规在州议会获得通过，实现了政教分离。杰斐逊任总统期间，美国从法国人手中“购买”了路易斯安那地区，使美国领土扩大近一倍。他还派遣远征队西行，使美国的西部边界伸向太平洋海岸。他执政期间进行过一些民主改革，领导了反对亲英保守势力、争取保持资产阶级民主的斗争，起了积极和进步作用，为美国资本主义的迅速发展创造了条件。

　　Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826)[2] was the third President of the United States(1801–1809), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and—for hispromotion of the ideals of republicanism in the United States—one of the most influential FoundingFathers. Jefferson envisioned America as the force behind a great "Empire of Liberty"[3] that wouldpromote republicanism and counter the imperialism of the British Empire.

　　Major events during his presidency include the Louisiana Purchase (1803) and the Lewis and ClarkExpedition (1804–1806), as well as escalating tensions with both Britain and France that led to warwith Britain in 1812, after he left office.

　　As a political philosopher, Jefferson was a man of the Enlightenment and knew many intellectualleaders in Britain and France. He idealized the independent yeoman farmer as exemplar ofrepublican virtues, distrusted cities and financiers, and favored states' rights and a strictly limitedfederal government. Jefferson supported the separation of church and state[4] and was theauthor of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1779, 1786). He was the eponym ofJeffersonian democracy and the cofounder and leader of the Democratic-Republican Party, whichdominated American politics for 25 years. Jefferson served as the wartime Governor of Virginia(1779–1781), first United States Secretary of State (1789–1793), and second Vice President ofthe United States (1797–1801).

　　A polymath, Jefferson achieved distinction as, among other things, a horticulturist, political leader,architect, archaeologist, paleontologist, inventor, and founder of the University of Virginia. WhenPresident John F. Kennedy welcomed 49 Nobel Prize winners to the White House in 1962 he said, "I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent and of human knowledge that has everbeen gathered together at the White House – with the possible exception of when ThomasJefferson dined alone." To date, Jefferson is the only president to serve two full terms in officewithout vetoing a single bill of Congress. Jefferson has been consistently ranked by scholars as oneof the greatest of U.S. presidents.

　　Political career from 1774 to 1800

　　Jefferson showed his draft to the committee, which made some final revisions, and then presentedit to Congress on June 28, 1776. After voting in favor of the resolution of independence on July 2,Congress turned its attention to the declaration. Over several days of debate, Congress made afew changes in wording and deleted nearly a fourth of the text, most notably a passage critical ofthe slave trade, changes that Jefferson resented. On July 4, 1776, the wording of the Declarationof Independence was approved. The Declaration would eventually become Jefferson's major claimto fame, and his eloquent preamble became an enduring statement of human rights.

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