March 27, 1775 - Thomas Jefferson is elected to the second Continental Congress; quickly established himself in the Continental Congress with the publication of his paper entitled "A Summary View of the Rights of British America." Throughout the next year, Jefferson published several more papers, most notably "Drafts and Notes on the Virginia Constitution."

March 4, 1801 - Thomas Jefferson becomes the first President to be inaugurated in Washington, DC.

June 10, 1801 - The North African state of Tripoli declared war on the United States in a dispute over safe passage of merchant vessels through the Mediterranean.

April 1802 - The first Library of Congress catalog listed 964 volumes and nine maps.

May 3, 1802 - Washington, DC, was incorporated as a city.

June 1, 1802 - Secretary of State appointed Dr. William Thornton to serve as the first clerk at the Department of State; solely responsible for receiving and recording patent applications and issuing patents; office became first U. S. Patent Office.

September 1, 1802 - Richmond Recorder publishes a report that Thomas Jefferson, at the time temporarily retired from politics and living on his plantation, Monticello, kept one of his female slaves as a mistress. The article gave only the woman’s first name, "Sally," but was most likely referring to Sally Hemings, a slave who had once served as a maid and seamstress to Jefferson’s deceased wife, Martha. After Martha’s death, Hemings became an attendant to Jefferson’s daughter, Maria. Hemings left no written records. Jefferson never officially freed her, but did free her children. She left Monticello after Jefferson’s death in 1826.

January 1, 1803 - Jean-Jacques Dessalines proclaims the independence of Saint-Domingue, renaming it Haiti after its original Arawak name. January 1802 - an invasion force ordered by Napoleon landed on Saint-Domingue, and after several months of furious fighting, Toussaint-Louverture, governor-general of the colony, agreed to a cease-fire. He retired to his plantation but in 1803 was arrested and taken to a dungeon in the French Alps, where he was tortured and died in April. Soon after Toussaint's arrest, Napoleon announced his intention to reintroduce slavery on Haiti, and Dessalines led a new revolt against French rule. With the aid of the British, the rebels scored a major victory against the French force there; November 9, 1803 - colonial authorities surrendered. 1804 - General Dessalines assumed dictatorial power, and Haiti became the second independent nation in the Americas. Later that year, Dessalines proclaimed himself Emperor Jacques I. He was killed putting down a revolt two years later.

January 18, 1803 - President Thomas Jefferson sends a special confidential message to Congress asking for money to fund the journey of Meriwether Lewis (his young personal secretary) and old military friend William Clark; took pains to stress that the proposed exploration would be an aid to American commerce (a U.S. expedition might be able to steal the fur trade from the British and find the long hoped-for Northwest passage to the Pacific); Jefferson directed Lewis to draw up an estimate of expenses. Basing his calculations on a party of one officer and 10 enlisted men-the number was deliberately kept small to avoid inspiring both congressional criticisms and Indian fears of invasion-Lewis carefully added up the costs for provisions, weapons, gunpowder, scientific instruments, and a large boat. The final tally came to $2,500. The largest item was $696, earmarked for gifts to Indians. Spring 1804 - Corps of Discovery departed on their epic exploration of the uncharted regions.

February 24, 1803 - The Supreme Court in Marbury v. Madison ruled itself the final interpreter of constitutional issues; voided an Act of Congress, first time a law passed by Congress was deemed unconstitutional. This established the Supreme Court's power to rule on constitutionality questions.

April 11, 1803 - French Foreign Minister Charles Maurice de Talleyrand (foreign minister to French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte) makes an offer to sell all of Louisiana Territory to the United States;  April 20, 1803 - purchase negotiations with France completed; Louisiana Territory comprised most of modern-day United States between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains (with the exceptions of Texas, parts of New Mexico, and other pockets of land already controlled by the United States); doubled the country's size; April 30, 1803 - American emissaries signed a treaty with France for a purchase of the vast territory for $15 million: $11.25 million for the land deal, 3.75 million for France's outstanding debts to America. For the price of 3 cents an acre, the United States bought 828,000-square miles of land, effectively doubled the size of the nation; little more than two weeks later, Great Britain declared war on France. April 30, 1812 - Louisiana became the 18th state.  

October 20, 1803 - The U.S. Senate approves a treaty with France providing for the purchase of the territory of Louisiana, which would double the size of the United States; Napoleon decided to raise money for war with Britain and simultaneously deny Britain, if victorious, plum territory in the U.S., by offering to sell the entire territory to the U.S. for a mere $15 million; James Monroe and French foreign minister, Robert Livingston, readily agreed to terms.

October 31, 1803 - Congress ratified the Louisiana Purchase, added territory which will eventually become 13 states.

December 20, 1803 - The Louisiana Purchase (828,000 square miles that had formerly been French Louisiana at a cost of of $15 million) was completed as the territory was formally transferred from France to the United States during ceremonies in New Orleans.

1804 - 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, providing for the separate election of presidents and vice presidents, was ratified and adopted. 

February 16, 1804 - Lt. Stephen Decatur led a successful raid into Tripoli harbor to burn the U.S. Navy frigate Philadelphia, which had fallen into the hands of pirates; disguised himself and his men as Maltese sailors, force of 74 men, which included nine U.S. Marines, sailed into Tripoli harbor on a small two-mast ship; June 1801 - President Thomas Jefferson ordered U.S. Navy vessels to the Mediterranean Sea in protest of continuing raids against U.S. ships by pirates from the Barbary states--Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, and Tripolitania; June 1803 - sustained action began when a small U.S. expeditionary force attacked Tripoli harbor in present-day Libya; October 1803 - U.S. frigate Philadelphia ran aground near Tripoli and was captured by Tripolitan gunboats.

February 25, 1804 - Jefferson nominated for president at Democratic-Republican caucus.

March 21, 1804 - French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte enacts a new legal framework for France, known as the "Napoleonic Code." The civil code gave post-revolutionary France its first coherent set of laws concerning property, colonial affairs, the family, and individual rights; codified several branches of law, including commercial and criminal law, and divided civil law into categories of property and family. The Napoleonic Code made the authority of men over their families stronger, deprived women of any individual rights, and reduced the rights of illegitimate children. All male citizens were also granted equal rights under the law and the right to religious dissent, but colonial slavery was reintroduced. The laws were applied to all territories under Napoleon's control and were influential in several other European countries and in South America.

March 26, 1804 - The Louisiana Purchase was divided into the Territory of Orleans and the District of Louisiana.

March 26, 1804 - Congress orders removal of Indians east of Mississippi to Louisiana.

May 14, 1804 - The Lewis and Clark expedition to explore the Louisiana Territory left St. Louis.

May 18, 1804 - The French Senate proclaimed Napoleon Bonaparte emperor.

July 11, 1804 - Vice President Aaron Burr mortally wounded former Treasury Secretary and his long-time antagonist, Alexander Hamilton, in a pistol duel in Weehawken, New Jersey. Hamilton died the following day.

November 30, 1804 - Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase went on trial, accused of political bias; acquitted by the Senate.

December 2, 1804 - In Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Pope Pius VII crowned Napoleon Bonaparte (35) Napoleon I, the first Frenchman to hold the title of emperor in a thousand years. placed crown on his own head. February 1800 - became first consul, he reorganized his armies and defeated Austria. 1802 - he established the Napoleonic Code, a new system of French law; 1804 - he established the French empire. 1807 - empire stretched from the River Elbe in the north, down through Italy in the south, and from the Pyrenees to the Dalmatian coast.

January 11, 1805 - The Michigan Territory was created.

April 27, 1805 - After marching 500 miles from Egypt, U.S. agent William Eaton leads a small force of U.S. Marines and Berber mercenaries against the Tripolitan port city of Derna. The Marines and Berbers were on a mission to depose Yusuf Karamanli, the ruling pasha of Tripoli, who had seized power from his brother, Hamet Karamanli, a pasha who was sympathetic to the United States. Supported by the heavy guns of the USS Argus and the USS Hornet, Marines and Arab mercenaries under William Eaton captured Derna and deposed Yusuf Karamanli. Lieutenant Presley O' Bannon, commanding the Marines, performed so heroically in the battle that Hamet Karamanli presented him with an elaborately designed sword that now serves as the pattern for the swords carried by Marine officers. The phrase "to the shores of Tripoli," from the official song of the U.S. Marine Corps, also has its origins in the Derna campaign.

May 26, 1805 - Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned king of Italy.

October 21, 1805 - British fleet commanded by Admiral Horatio Nelson defeated a French-Spanish fleet in the Battle of Trafalgar, fought off the coast of Spain, but Nelson was killed. Nelson divided his 27 ships into two divisions and signaled a famous message from the flagship Victory: "England expects that every man will do his duty." In five hours of fighting, the British devastated the enemy fleet, destroying 19 enemy ships. No British ships were lost, but 1,500 British seamen were killed or wounded in the heavy fighting. The battle raged at its fiercest around the Victory, and a French sniper shot Nelson in the shoulder and chest. The admiral was taken below and died about 30 minutes before the end of the battle. Nelson's last words, after being informed that victory was imminent, were "Now I am satisfied. Thank God I have done my duty." Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar ensured that Napoleon would never invade Britain. Nelson, hailed as the savior of his nation, was given a magnificent funeral in St. Paul's Cathedral in London. A column was erected to his memory in the newly named Trafalgar Square, and numerous streets were renamed in his honor.

1806 - Britain took possession of the Dutch Cape colony of southern Africa during the Napoleonic wars, sparking resistance from the independence-minded Boers, who resented the Anglicization of South Africa and Britain's anti-slavery policies. 1833 - the Boers began an exodus into African tribal territory, where they founded the republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State.

January 17, 1806 - Thomas Jefferson's daughter, Martha, gave birth to James Madison Randolph, the first child born in the White House.

March 23, 1806 - After passing a wet and tedious winter near the Pacific Coast, Lewis and Clark left Fort Clatsop (on the south side of the Columbia River-dubbed Fort Clatsop in honor of the local Indians) and head east for home; November 1805 - Corps of Discovery arrived at the Pacific; September 23, 1806 - Corps of Discovery arrived at the docks of St. Louis, where their long journey had begun nearly two and a half years before.

March 29, 1806 - Congress approved appropriation of $30,000 for surveying to begin for the construction of the Great National Pike, also known as the Cumberland Road, the first highway funded by the national treasury. Task of surveying went to the Army's Corps of Engineers, set an important precedent for the military's involvement in building transportation routes that would be used for non-military purposes. Built between 1806 and 1840, the 130-mile Great National Pike stretched from Cumberland, Maryland, to Vandalia, Illinois. Eventually over $6 million was appropriated for the highway. 1856 - control over the road was turned over to the states through which it ran.

April 18, 1806 - Congress fired back at England by passing the Nicholson Act (Non-Importation Act); effectively shut the door on the importation of numerous British goods to America. The legislation blocked the trade of brass, tin, textiles and other items that could either be produced in the States or imported from other countries; December 1806 - took effect; January 1807 - President Thomas Jefferson lifted the trade blockade in hopes of speeding treaty negotiations with Britain. U.S. Minister James Monroe brokered a deal with Britain, albeit one that did little to spare America's commercial ships. 1808 - government reinstated the Nicholson Act, though it did little to prevent America and England from sailing into another war.

August 6, 1806 - The Holy Roman Empire went out of existence as Emperor Francis I abdicated.

January 22, 1807 - President Thomas Jefferson exposed a plot by Aaron Burr to form a new republic in the Southwest.

February 19, 1807 - Aaron Burr, a former U.S. vice president, is arrested in Alabama on charges of plotting to annex Spanish territory in Louisiana and Mexico to be used toward the establishment of an independent republic, sent to Richmond, Virginia, to be tried in a U.S. circuit court; 1804 - President Jefferson grew apart from his vice president and did not support Burr's re-nomination to a second term; 1805 - Burr, thoroughly discredited, concocted a plot with James Wilkinson, commander-in-chief of the U.S. Army, to seize the Louisiana Territory and establish an independent empire, which Burr, presumably, would lead. He contacted the British government and unsuccessfully pleaded for assistance in the scheme. Later, when border trouble with Spanish Mexico heated up, Burr and Wilkinson conspired to seize territory in Spanish America for the same purpose;  fall of 1806 - Burr led a group of well-armed colonists toward New Orleans, prompting an immediate investigation by U.S. authorities; U.S. General James Wilkinson, who was an agent for the Spanish, in an effort to save himself, turned against Burr and sent dispatches to Washington accusing Burr of treason; September 1, 1807 - acquitted on the grounds that, although he had conspired against the United States, he was not guilty of treason because he had not engaged in an "overt act," a requirement of treason as specified by the U.S. Constitution.

March 2, 1807 - U.S. Congress passes an act to "prohibit the importation of slaves into any port or place within the jurisdiction of the United States...from any foreign kingdom, place, or country"; August 1619 - first shipload of African captives to North America arrived at Jamestown, Virginia; middle of the 18th century - slavery could be found in all 13 colonies and was at the core of the Southern colonies' agricultural economy. By the time of the American Revolution, the English importers alone had brought some three million captive Africans to the Americas; 1865 - some 12 million Africans had been shipped across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas, and more than one million of these individuals had died from mistreatment during the voyage. In addition, an unknown number of Africans died in slave wars and forced marches directly resulting from the Western Hemisphere's demand for African slaves.

March 25, 1807 - British Parliament passed Abolition of the Slave Trade Act - although it did not make slavery illegal, simply prescribing fines for captains of British boats trading in slaves. 1833 - Parliament passed the Slavery Abolition Act and gave freedom to all slaves in the British Empire.

June 13, 1807 - President Thomas Jefferson receives a subpoena to testify in the treason trial of his former vice president, Aaron Burr. Jefferson refused to appear in Burr’s defense and released only a few of the documents Burr had requested, invoking his presidential right to protect the public interest. If Jefferson’s intent was to help get Burr convicted, his refusal to supply documentation backfired. In the end, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall found Burr not guilty by lack of evidence.

December 22, 1807 - Congress passed the Embargo Act, designed to force peace between Britain and France by cutting off all trade with Europe; intended as defensive measure and to demonstrate the United States' growing power as a trade partner; had a far different impact than Jefferson intended: 1) took a severe toll on U.S. agricultural and mercantile interests, 2) proved to be a financial boon to British and French traders

January 1, 1808 - The United States Congress officially prohibited the African slave trade, though the decree was much ignored.

February 16, 1808 - Under the pretext of sending reinforcements to the French army occupying Portugal, French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Spain, the beginning of the Peninsular War, an important phase of the Napoleonic Wars that was fought between France and much of Europe between 1792 and 1815. During the first few weeks after their 1808 invasion of Spain, French forces captured Pamplona and Barcelona; March 19, 1808 - forced King Charles IV of Spain to abdicate. March 23, 1808 - French entered Madrid under Joachim Murat. In early May, Madrid revolted; June 15, 1808 -  Napoleon's brother, Joseph, was proclaimed the new king of Spain, leading to a general anti-French revolt across the Iberian Peninsula.

May 2, 1808 - During the Peninsular War, a popular uprising against the French occupation of Spain begins in Madrid, culminating in a fierce battle fought out in the Puerta del Sol, Madrid's central square. The Spanish rebels were defeated, and during the night the French army under Grand Duke Joachim Murat shot hundreds of citizens along the Prado promenade in reprisal. June 15 - Napoleon's brother, Joseph, was proclaimed the new king of Spain, leading to a general anti-French revolt across the Iberian Peninsula. February 16, 1808 - under the pretext of sending reinforcements to the French army occupying Portugal, French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Spain. Thus began the Peninsular War, an important phase of the Napoleonic Wars fought between France and much of Europe between 1792 to 1815. During the first few weeks after their 1808 invasion of Spain, French forces captured Pamplona and Barcelona; March 19 - forced King Charles IV of Spain to abdicate. March 23 - French entered Madrid under Joachim Murat.

November 10, 1808 - Osage Indians agree to abandon their lands in Missouri and Arkansas in exchange for a reservation in Oklahoma. Osage were the largest tribe of the Southern Sioux Indians occupying what would later become the states of Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska. American negotiators convinced the Osage to abandon their traditional lands and peacefully move to a reservation in southern Kansas in 1810. When American settlers began to covet the Osage reservation in Kansas, the tribe agreed to yet another move, relocating to what is now Osage County, Oklahoma, in 1872. The Osage, though, proved unusually successful in adapting to the demands of living in a world dominated by Anglo-Americans, thanks in part to the fortunate presence of large reserves of oil and gas on their Oklahoma reservation. In concert with their effective management of grazing contracts to Anglos, the Osage amassed enormous wealth during the twentieth century from their oil and gas deposits, eventually becoming the wealthiest tribe in North America.

December 7, 1808 - James Madison was elected President of the United States of America, succeeding Thomas Jefferson.

January 1809 - The Federal government passed the Enforcement Act (effectively sealed U.S. ports), designed to enforce Embargo Act by halting smuggling activities; called for severe penalties against illegal trading (intended as a nonviolent, fiscal response to the British and French attacks, instead served to aid foreign merchants at the expense of American interests; mercantilists in New England and New York suffered, resorted to smuggling and other underhanded tactics); February 1, 1809 - Massachusetts Senator Thomas Pickering convened an assembly in New England that demanded the demise of the Embargo Act; March 1, 1809 - Jefferson signed the Non-Intercourse Act, reopened U.S. ports, save for trading with the British and French.

February 3, 1809 - The territory of Illinois was created.

February 20, 1809 - The Supreme Court ruled that the power of the federal government is greater than that of any individual state.

March 1, 1809 - President Jefferson signed the Non-Intercourse Act (a repeal of the Embargo Act of 1807 and the Enforcement Act of 1809); reopened U.S. ports to trade, except with the British and French.

November 5, 1998 - The journal Nature publishes a genetic study showing compelling evidence that Thomas Jefferson fathered a son, Eston Hemings Jefferson, by his slave Sally Hemings.

Bruce Ackerman (2005). The Failure of the Founding Fathers: Jefferson, Marshall, and the Rise of Presidential Democracy. (Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 362 p.). Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science (Yale). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826; Marshall, John, 1755-1835; United States. Supreme Court--History; Presidents--United States--History; Constitutional history--United States; Federal government--United States--History; Separation of powers--United States--History; United States--Politics and government--1801-1809; United States--Politics and government--1797-1801. 

Henry Adams; notes and selected texts by Earl N. Harbert (1986). History of the United States of America During the Administrations of Thomas Jefferson. (New York, NY: Literary Classics of the United States, 1308 p.). United States--Politics and government--1801-1809; United States--Politics and government--1809-1817.  v. 1. The state of the nation in 1800. The first administration of Thomas Jefferson, 1801-1805. The second administration of Thomas Jefferson, 1805-1809.-- v. 2. The second administration of Thomas Jefferson, 1805-1809 (continued) The first administration of James Madison, 1809-1813. The second administration of James Madison, 1813-1817. The state of the nation in 1817.

Michael Knox Beran (2003). Jefferson's Demons: A Portrait of a Restless Mind. (New York, NY: Free Press, 265 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 --Mental health; Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 --Psychology; Presidents--United States--Biography. 

Fawn M. Brodie (1974). Thomas Jefferson, an Intimate History. (New York, NY: Norton, 591 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826.

Richard Brookhiser (1999). Alexander Hamilton, American. (New York, NY: Free Press, 240 p.). Hamilton, Alexander, 1757-1804; Statesmen--United States--Biography; United States--Politics and government--1783-1809.

Andrew Burstein (1995). The Inner Jefferson: Portrait of a Grieving Optimist. (Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia, 334 p.). Professor of History (University of Tulsa). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826; Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 --Correspondence; Sterne, Laurence, 1713-1768 --Appreciation--United States; Presidents--United States--Biography.

--- (2005). Jefferson’s Secrets: Death and Desire at Monticello. (New York, NY: Basic Books, 351 p.). Full Professor, Co-Holder of the Mary Frances Barnard Chair in U.S. History (University of Tulsa). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 --Psychology; Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 --Language; Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 --Political and social views; Medicine--Terminology; Presidents--United States--Biography. Last decade of Jefferson's life.

Max Byrd (1993). Jefferson: A Novel. (New York, NY: Bantam Books, 424 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 --Fiction; Presidents--Fiction. Biographical fiction.

Charles A. Cerami (2003). Jefferson’s Great Gamble: The Remarkable Story of Jefferson, Napoleon and the Men Behind the Louisiana Purchase. (Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, 309 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826; Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821 --Relations with Americans; Louisiana Purchase; United States--Territorial expansion.

Ron Chernow (2004). Alexander Hamilton. (New York, NY: Penguin Press, 818 p.). Hamilton, Alexander, 1757-1804; Statesmen--United States--Biography; United States--Politics and government--1783-1809.

Alan Pell Crawford (2008). Twilight at Monticello: The Final Years of Thomas Jefferson. (New York, NY: Random House, 352 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 --Homes and haunts--Virginia--Albemarle County; Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826; Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 --Family; Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 --Friends and associates; Monticello (Va.)--History--19th century; Presidents--Retirement--United States--Case studies; Plantation life--Virginia--Albemarle County--History--19th century; Presidents--United States--Biography; Ex-Presidents--United States--Biography; Albemarle County (Va.)--Social life and customs--19th century. Thomas Jefferson as 66-year old private citizen: illness and the indignities wrought by early-19th-century medicine; coping with massive debt and the immense costs associated with running a grand residence; navigating public disputes and mediating family squabbles; receiving dignitaries and corresponding with close friends - supremely human.

Jonathan Daniels (1970). Ordeal of Ambition; Jefferson, Hamilton, Burr. (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 446 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826; Hamilton, Alexander, 1757-1804; Burr, Aaron, 1756-1836; United States--History--Constitutional period, 1789-1809.

Susan Dunn (2004). Jefferson's Second Revolution: The Election of 1800 and the Triumph of Republicanism. (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 372 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826; Adams, John, 1735-1826; Presidents--United States--Election--1800; Republicanism--United States--History--19th century; Political culture--United States--History--19th century; United States--Politics and government--1797-1801.

Joseph J. Ellis (1997). American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson. (New York, NY: Knopf, 365 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 -- Psychology.

John Ferling (2004). Adams vs. Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of 1800. (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 288 p.). Professor of History (State University of West Georgia). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826; Adams, John, 1735-1826; Presidents--United States--Election--1800; United States--Politics and government--1797-1801.  

Thomas J. Fleming (1969). The Man from Monticello; an Intimate Life of Thomas Jefferson. (New York, NY: Morrow, 409 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826. Life of Jefferson, 1743-1826.

--- (1999). Duel : Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and the Future of America. (New York, NY: Basic Books, 446 p.). Hamilton, Alexander, 1757-1804; Burr, Aaron, 1756-1836; Burr-Hamilton Duel, Weehawken, N.J., 1804.

John R. Hailman (2006). Thomas Jefferson on Wine. (Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi. Trial Attorney, Adjunct Professor of Law and Literature (University of Mississippi School of Law), Former International Wine Judge, Nationally Syndicated Wine Columnist. Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 --Knowledge--Wine; Monticello (Va.); Wine and wine making--Virginia--Albemarle County. Author celebrates founding father’s lifelong interest in wine, provides insight into Jefferson’s character from this  perspective.

Parmet and Marie B. Hecht (1967). Aaron Burr; Portrait of an Ambitious Man. (New York, NY: Macmillan, 399 p.). Burr, Aaron, 1756-1836.

Marie B. Hecht (1982). Odd Destiny, The Life of Alexander Hamilton. (New York, NY: Macmillan, 464 p.). Hamilton, Alexander, 1757-1804; Statesmen--United States--Biography; United States--Politics and government--1783-1809.

Christopher Hitchens (2005). Thomas Jefferson: Author of America. (New York, NY: Atlas Books/HarperCollinsPublishers, 188 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826; Presidents--United States--Biography. 

Jon Kukla (2003). A Wilderness So Immense: The Louisiana Purchase and the Destiny of America. (New York, NY: Knopf, 430 p.). Director, Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation. Louisiana Purchase.

Dumas Malone (1948]). Jefferson and His Time: Jefferson the Virginian - Volume I. (Boston, MA: Little, Brown, 484 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826; Presidents--United States--Biography.

--- (1951). Jefferson and His Time: Jefferson and the Rights of Man - Volume II. (Boston, MA: Little, Brown, 523 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826; Presidents--United States--Biography. 

--- (1962). Jefferson and His Time: Jefferson and the Ordeal of Liberty - Volume III. (Boston, MA: Little, Brown, 545 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826; Presidents--United States--Biography.  

--- (1981). Jefferson and His Time: Jefferson the President, First term, 1801-1805, Volume IV . (Boston, MA: Little, Brown, 539 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826; Presidents--United States--Biography.   

--- (1981). Jefferson and His Time: The Sage of Monticello, Vol. VI. (Boston, MA: Little, Brown, 551 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826; University of Virginia--History; Presidents--United States--Biography; United States--History--War of 1812.

Drew R. McCoy (1982). The Elusive Republic: Political Economy in Jeffersonian America. (New York, NY: Norton, 268 p.). United States--Economic conditions--To 1865; United States--Politics and government--1783-1809; United States--Politics and government--1809-1817.

Forrest McDonald (1976). The Presidency of Thomas Jefferson. (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 201 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826; United States--Politics and government--1801-1809. Series: American Presidency series.

--- (1979). Alexander Hamilton: A Biography. (New York, NY: Norton, 464 p.). Hamilton, Alexander, 1757-1804; Statesmen--United States--Biography; United States--Politics and government--1783-1809; United States--Economic conditions--To 1865.

Conor Cruise O'Brien (1996). The Long Affair: Thomas Jefferson and the French Revolution, 1785-1800. (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 367 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 --Views on the French Revolution; France--History--Revolution, 1789-1799--Influence. Irish author perceives a hint of "visionary violence" in Jefferson's near-religious defense of the French Revolution.

Peter S. Onuf (2000). Jefferson’s Empire: The Language of American Nationhood. (Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia, 250 p.). Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Professor of History (University of Virginia). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 --Political and social views; Republicanism--United States--History; Liberalism--United States--History; Slavery--United States; United States--Politics and government--1783-1865; United States--Politics and government--1775-1783; United States--Territorial expansion.

Peter S. Onuf and Leonard J. Sadosky (2002). Jeffersonian America. (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 270 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 --Political and social views; Madison, James, 1751-1836 --Political and social views; Federal government--United States--History--19th century; Republicanism--United States--History--19th century; Political culture--United States--History--19th century; United States--Politics and government--1801-1809; United States--Politics and government--1809-1817; United States--Foreign relations--1783-1815.

Merrill D. Peterson (1978). Adams and Jefferson: A Revolutionary Dialogue. (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 146 p. [orig. pub. 1976]). Adams, John, 1735-1826; Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826; Presidents--United States--Biography; United States--Politics and government--1775-1783; United States--Politics and government--1783-1809; France--History--Revolution, 1789-1799.

--- (1987). Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation: A Biography. (Norwalk, CT: Easton Press, 1072 p. [orig. pub. 1970]). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826.

--- (1998). The Jefferson Image in the American Mind. (Charlottesville, VA: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation : University Press of Virginia, 548 p. [orig. pub. 1960]). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 --Influence.

Willard Sterne Randall (1993). Thomas Jefferson: A Life. (New York, NY: Holt, 708 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826; Presidents--United States--Biography.

James F. Simon (2002). What Kind of Nation: Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, and the Epic Struggle To Create a United States. (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 348 p.). Professor of Law. Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826; Marshall, John, 1755-1835; United States. Supreme Court--History; Constitutional history--United States; Political questions and judicial power--United States--History; Executive power--United States--History; United States--Politics and government--1783-1809.

Gore Vidal (1973). Burr: A Novel. (New York, NY: Random House, 430 p.). Burr, Aaron, 1756-1836 --Fiction; Vice-Presidents--United States--Fiction. Biographical fiction.

Anthony F.C. Wallace (1999). Jefferson and the Indians: The Tragic Fate of the First Americans. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 394 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 --Views on Indians; Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 --Political and social views; Indians of North America--Government relations--1789-1869; Indians, Treatment of--North America; Indians of North America--Social conditions; United States--Politics and government--1789-1815; United States--Race relations.

Joseph Wheelan (2003). Jefferson's War: America's First War on Terror, 1801-1805. (New York, NY: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 414 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826; United States--History--Tripolitan War, 1801-1805. 

---  (2006). Jefferson’s Vendetta: The Pursuit of Aaron Burr and the Judiciary. (New York, NY: Carroll & Graf, 344 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 --Adversaries; Burr, Aaron, 1756-1836 --Trials, litigation, etc.; Marshall, John, 1755-1835; United States; Supreme Court--History--19th century; Burr Conspiracy, 1805-1807; Trials (Treason)--United States. Challenges the blackened legacy of Aaron Burr and shows the beloved President Jefferson mired in the kind of hateful and manipulative politics that tradition has depicted him as rising above.

Garry Wills (1978). Inventing America: Jefferson's Declaration of Independence. (New York, NY: Doubleday, 398 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826; United States. Declaration of Independence. The Declarations of Jefferson and of the Congress.

--- (2003). Negro President: Jefferson and the Slave Power. (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 274 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 --Views on slavery; Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 --Relations with African Americans; Pickering, Timothy, 1745-1829 --Political and social views; Presidents--United States--Biography; Slavery--Political aspects--United States--History; United States--Politics and government--1783-1809.

Richard Zacks (2005). The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, the First Marines, and the Secret Mission of 1805. (New York, NY: Hyperion, 432 p.). Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826; Pirates--Africa, North--History--19th century; United States--History--Tripolitan War, 1801-1805; United States--History--Tripolitan War, 1801-1805--Underground movements; United States--History--Tripolitan War, 1801-1805--Naval operations. 

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LINKS

Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826 (Jefferson Digital Archive) http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/                                                     Search or browse the Thomas Jefferson Digital Archive of over 1,700 letters, manuscripts, and public papers. The site also provides the full text of 1,750 manuscript documents related to the construction of the University of Virginia, a recently revised edition of a biography originally published eight years after Jefferson's death, 2,700 quotations from his writings, as well as links to other Jefferson collections and organizations. Subjects: Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 | Presidents --United States | People.

Thomas Jefferson On Politics & Government Quotations from the Writings of Thomas Jefferson   http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/                                       Over 2,700 excerpts from Jefferson's writings, this site contains much more than just a collection of quotations arranged by topic. It provides a fair statement of the complete political philosophy of Thomas Jefferson. The excerpts were chosen, not for their historical significance, but as an expression of Jefferson's PRINCIPLES of government that have relevance for us today.

The Thomas Jefferson Papers http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/jefferson_papers/index.html  With significant funding from The Reuters Foundation, the American Memory Project at the Library of Congress has made this outstanding collection of original Jefferson documents available on this site. Containing approximately 83,000 images, these document types include correspondence, financial account books, and manuscript volumes. The collection offered here is organized into 10 series, ranging in date from 1606 to 1827. Visitors are welcome to search the entire collection, or by browsing through any of the series. The site also offers some rather insightful essays on a variety of themes. Some of these essays include "American Sphinx: The Contradictions of Thomas Jefferson" by Professor Joseph J. Ellis and "America and the Barbary Pirates: An International Battle Against an Unconventional Foe" by Gerard W. Gawalt, who serves as the manuscript specialist for early American history at the Library of Congress. The site is rounded out by two timelines that offer additional insight into the events surrounding Jefferson's life, along with reaching back into the history of the colony and future state of Virginia.

Thomas Jefferson Papers: An Electronic Archive http://www.thomasjeffersonpapers.org/                                                 This online exhibition includes high resolution scans (some with transcriptions) of Thomas Jefferson's manuscript copy of the Declaration of Independence, Farm Book, Garden Book, 1783 Catalog of Books, 1789 Catalog of Books, and Architectural Drawings. From the Coolidge Collection of Thomas Jefferson Manuscripts at the Massachusetts Historical Society.