A Reading of the Inaugural Address of President Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 - July 4, 1826) was an American  Founding Father  who served as the third  president of the United States  from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the  Declaration of Independence . Following the  American Revolutionary War  and prior to becoming president in 1801, Jefferson was the nation's first  U.S. secretary of state  under  George Washington  and then the nation's second  vice president  under  John Adams . Jefferson was a leading proponent of democracy,  republicanism , and  natural rights , and he produced formative documents and decisions at the state, national, and international levels.