In memory of
Thomas Jefferson
Author of the Declaration of Independence
- Born
- Died
- Lived
- 83 years
- Resting place
- Monticello graveyard, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence at thirty-three, served as third president, and doubled the country's territory with the Louisiana Purchase. He also enslaved more than six hundred people over his lifetime, a contradiction he never resolved.
He died at Monticello on the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration, hours before John Adams. His obelisk names three achievements and not the presidency: the Declaration, the Virginia statute for religious freedom, and the University of Virginia.
This page was written by the site, from public historical records.