Thomas Jefferson                is best known as 
the author of the               Declaration of Independence 
and as third President          of the United States. 
But he was also a               diplomat, an architect, 
a musician, a scientist         and inventor, a strong 
supporter of religious          freedom, and an early 
advocate of public              education. He was 
the founder of the              University of Virginia 
and the greatest                patron of learning 
and the arts in his             generation. Although 
he lived 83 years,              he never ceased to 
be young in spirit.             He was always learning 
something new, always           trying to contribute 
to human progress.              Although renowned 
as a champion of                democracy and friend 
of the common people,           Jefferson was a member 
of a favored class              by birth and training. 
He was born on April            13, 1743, at Shadwell, 
his father's home               in Albemarle County,Virginia, 
then on the edge                of western settlement. 
His father, Peter               Jefferson, was a 
successful landholder           as well as a noted 
explorer. He provided           his son with excellent 
opportunities for               education and left 
him a considerable              estate.