Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States, serving from 1801 to 1809. He was a Founding Father and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson was a proponent of democracy, republicanism, and individual rights, motivating American colonists to break from the Kingdom of Great Britain and form a new nation. He was elected Vice President in 1796 and assumed the Presidency in 1801. During his two terms in office, Jefferson pursued the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the United States. He also founded the University of Virginia.