Thomas Jefferson Is Famous for Many Things. Name One: Civics Question 87

Name one thing. “He wrote the Declaration of Independence” is the answer to rehearse.

Question 87 says Thomas Jefferson is famous for many things and asks you to name one. Accepted answers include that he was the writer of the Declaration of Independence, that he was the third president of the United States, that he doubled the size of the United States through the Louisiana Purchase, that he was the first Secretary of State, that he founded the University of Virginia, and that he wrote the Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom.

One Writer, One Number, One Purchase

Jefferson wrote the draft of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. He was thirty-three years old at the time, younger than most of the men who signed it.

He became the third president in 1801, after John Adams.

In 1803 his government bought the Louisiana Territory from France. That single purchase roughly doubled the land area of the United States.

The official list holds three more. He was the first Secretary of State, under George Washington. He founded the University of Virginia. He wrote the Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom, the state law that separated church from government.

Why the Officer Asks This

Jefferson connects two parts of the test. The Declaration of Independence appears in its own questions, and the Louisiana Purchase is the answer to question 90, which asks what territory the United States bought from France in 1803.

One fact learned here can answer two questions later. If you remember that Jefferson doubled the country’s size, you also remember what he bought and who sold it.

How to Remember Jefferson

Hold one short line: he wrote it, then he bought it.

He wrote the Declaration of Independence. Then, as president, he bought the Louisiana Territory. Wrote, then bought, and the third president number sits between the two dates, 1776 and 1803.

The order helps as well. Writing came first, in his thirties. The presidency and the purchase came a quarter century later.

Common Ways People Get This Wrong

Applicants sometimes credit Jefferson with the Constitution. He was serving in France while it was written and is not one of the accepted answers on the Constitution questions.

Others say he was the first or second president. He was the third.

What to Say on Test Day

Say “he wrote the Declaration of Independence.” One sentence, then stop.

If the word Declaration is hard to say under pressure, use “he was the third president of the United States” instead. Both are accepted, and neither one earns extra credit.