3 important facts about thomas jefferson
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You probably know Thomas Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independence. You might know he was the author of the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom that formed the basis of freedom of religion in the First Amendment, that he founded the University of Virginia, or served as the third president. You might be surprised to know these additional facts about Jefferson.
1. He was a paleontologist before that science had a formal name.
Jefferson collected fossils and was fascinated by the animals that once roamed North America, especially the mammoth. He even had the bones of a mastodon (now displayed in the Monticello Entrance Hall) sent to him during his residence in the President's House in Washington, DC.
2. He was an architect.
Aside from designing his main home, Monticello, and "vacation" home, Poplar Forest, Jefferson designed the University of Virginia and the Virginia State Capitol in R
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Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was born in Shadwell in the colony of Virginia on April 13, Jefferson's father, Peter Jefferson, was self-taught and decided his children would receive a formal education. Peter Jefferson provided private tutors for his son beginning at the age of 5. Though his father died when Jefferson was only fourteen, Jefferson continued his pursuit of education enrolling at the College of William and Mary at age sixteen. At William and Mary, Jefferson studied mathematics, metaphysics, and philosophy. Through these studies, Jefferson was introduced to the philosophers, John Locke and Francis Bacon, whose writings deeply impacted Jefferson's writing on natural rights and governance.
Jefferson began his role as a political activist and revolutionary at a relatively young age. In addition to practicing law, Jefferson was a representative in the Virginia House of Burgesses. During this first role in governance, Je
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