So, as we all learned in school, it took the death of Thomas Jefferson to finally win the American Revolution in 1781. Surprised by British raiders at his estate in Virginia on a hot June day, what happened next has been endlessly debated since then. Was his death accidental? A deliberate execution? Whatever the case, the martyrdom of the author of the Declaration of Independence was the impetus for Washington to finally move south.
Putting aside what would have happened otherwise - because as we all know, the Continental Army would still be huddled outside New York today - what would have a post-war Governor Jefferson done with his life? I really don't think much. Some folks have their one moment in history and the Revolution was his. But aside from wading back into the morass that was Virginia politics, the endless tussles with the legislature, maybe he would have made something of himself as an early naturalist?