Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson is remembered in history not only for the
offices he held, but also for his belief in the natural rights of man
as expressed in the Declaration of Independence and his faith in the
people’s ability to govern themselves. He left an impact on his times
equaled by few others in American history. Born on April 13, 1743,
Jefferson was the third child in the family and grew up with six
sisters and one brother. Though he opposed slavery, his family
had owned slaves. From his father and his environment he developed an
interest in botany, geology, cartography, and North American
exploration, and from his childhood teacher developed a love for Greek
and Latin. In 1760, at the age of 16, Jefferson entered the College of
William and Mary and studied under William Small and George Wythe.
Through Small, he got his first views of the expansion of science and
of the system of things in which we are placed. Through Small and
Wythe, Jefferson became acquain...