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. His mother, 
Jane Randolph, belonged         to one of the leading 
Virginia families.              Jefferson was educated 
privately during                his youth. He studied 
Latin and Greek before          going to the College 
of William and Mary             in Williamsburg at 
the age of 17. He               learned French early 
and later acquired              a knowledge of Italian 
and Spanish. At college         he developed an interest 
in science and mathematics,     and in the colonial 
capital of Williamsburg,        he got to see government 
in operation. He                would later be a 
part of that government.        In appearance, Jefferson 
was tall and lean,              sandy-haired, and 
inclined to freckle.            Although somewhat 
awkward, he was physically      strong and a fine 
horseman. A friendly            man, although he 
could be stiff at               first meeting, he 
made and kept many              friends. Jefferson 
studied law and at              24 was admitted to 
the bar. Legal fees             provided only part 
of his earnings,                however, and he was 
supported mainly                by the income from 
his lands. These                were doubled by the 
inheritance of his              wife, Martha Wayles 
Skelton, whom he                married in 1772. 
But his wife's estate           was burdened with 
a heavy debt from               which he never escaped. 
Jefferson owned about           10,000 acres of land, 
much of it forested,            and from 100 to 200 
slaves. He was always           opposed to slavery, 
but his proposals               to abolish it in 
Virginia failed.                He himself was an 
especially kind master.         On a small hilltop 
he built a house,               later extensively 
remodeled, which                he named Monticello--meaning 
"little mountain"               in Italian. He was 
his own architect               and builder. Because 
of his position as              a leading planter, 
Jefferson was expected          to take part in the 
colonial government.            In 1769, at the age 
of 25, he was elected           to the House of Burgesses, 
the Virginia legislature,       where he would serve 
until the outbreak              of the American Revolution. 
He disliked speaking            in public, partly 
because his voice               was not strong, but 
he excelled on committees       and soon showed his 
skill as a writer.              From the beginning 
he belonged to the              group that most strongly 
upheld the rights               of the American colonies 
against the British             government, which 
then ruled them.                Jefferson said many 
times that he never             liked public life, 
and he might have               remained quietly 
at home in Virginia             if the conflict between 
the American colonies           and Britain had not