Thomas Jefferson
Drafted the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia in 1776 and as president bought Louisiana from France.
| Lived | 1743 – 1826 |
| Known as | Third president of the United States |
| Birthplace or main place | Shadwell, Virginia |
| Places on the map | Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Paris |
Shadwell, VirginiaSee the world of Thomas Jefferson in the interactive map
Who ruled these places in his lifetime
| Place | At birth (map of 1700) | At death (map of 1815) |
|---|---|---|
| Shadwell, Virginia | Unclaimed / no data | United States |
| Philadelphia | Virginia | United States |
| Washington, D.C. | Virginia | United States |
| Paris | France | same |
From the border maps nearest to each date; borders are approximate.
Events in his lifetime
| Year | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1776 | The Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence | Philadelphia |
| 1787 | The Constitutional Convention drafts the US Constitution | Philadelphia |
| 1789 | The Bastille is stormed on 14 July; the French Revolution begins | Paris |
| 1790 | Becomes the temporary US capital | Philadelphia |
| 1790 | Congress chooses a site on the Potomac for the capital | Washington, D.C. |
| 1800 | The federal government moves in | Washington, D.C. |
| 1804 | Napoleon crowns himself Emperor in Notre-Dame | Paris |
| 1814 | British troops burn the White House and the Capitol | Washington, D.C. |
Battles and sites of the time
- Battle of Plains of Abraham · 1759
- Battle of Lexington and Concord · 1775
- Battle of Yorktown · 1781
Further reading
Contemporaries
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| 1749 – 1832 | Johann Wolfgang von Goethe | Writer |
| 1724 – 1804 | Immanuel Kant | Philosopher |
| c. 1758 – 1819 | Kamehameha I | King of Hawaiʻi |
| 1769 – 1849 | Muhammad Ali Pasha | Ruler of Egypt |
| 1711 – 1799 | Qianlong Emperor | Qing emperor |
| 1732 – 1799 | George Washington | First president of the United States |
| 1770 – 1827 | Ludwig van Beethoven | Composer |
| 1729 – 1796 | Catherine the Great | Empress of Russia |
| 1769 – 1821 | Napoleon Bonaparte | Emperor of the French |
| 1778 – 1850 | José de San Martín | Leader of South American independence |
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.