| 1743 | he is born at Shadwell in Virginia |
| 1769 | work begins on constructing Monticello |
| 1771 | he designs and starts to build the extension to the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg (never completed) |
| 1775 | the thirteen North American colonies rebel against Great Britain |
| 1776 | he drafts the Declaration of Independence |
| 1776 | he works on an initial design for the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond |
| 1779 | he is elected Governor of Virginia |
| 1783 | he is elected to Congress |
| 1783 | Great Britain is defeated and recognizes the independence of the thirteen colonies: the United States of America is founded |
| 1784 | he is sent to Paris as ambassador: he will stay there five years and will visit Britain, Holland and Northern Italy |
| 1785 | the Land Ordinance |
| 1785-1786 | he begins constructing the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond to his own design |
| 1789 | the French Revolution breaks out |
| 1789 | he returns to America and one year later is appointed State Secretary to the first president, George Washington |
| 1791-1792 | he collaborates with the architect C.P. L’Enfant on the plan for Washington D.C. |
| 1792 | under a pseudonym, he presents a design for the U.S. President’s House in Washington |
| 1794 | he modifies the design for Monticello: he removes the upper floor and doubles the size of the ground floor |
| 1797 | he is appointed Vice President of the United States |
| 1798 | he begins the construction to his own design of the house at Edgehill for his daughter Martha and husband Thomas Mann Randolph |
| 1801 | he is elected President of the United States |
| 1803 | he designs the house at Farmington for his friend George Divers |
| 1804 | he is elected President of the United States for a second term of office |
| 1804-1807 | he commissions Benjamin Latrobe to design some alterations to the White House |
| 1806 | he begins the construction of Poplar Forest |
| 1809 | he retires from political life to Monticello |
| 1817 | he begins the construction of the University of Virginia |
| 1817 | construction work starts on the house at Bremo, for which Jefferson offers advice and possibly some drawings |
| 1817 | he designs the Barboursville mansion for his friend James Barbour |
| 1817 | progetta la residenza di Barboursville per il suo amico James Barbour |
| 1824 | he constructs Christ Church in Charlottesville (demolished in 1895) |
| 1825 | the construction of the anatomical theatre, not included in the original design, for the University of Virginia |
| 1826 | he dies at the age of 83 |