Monticello
Background Information
Earlier
this semester I took a trip with my family to Monticello. Monticello is located
in Charlottesville, Virginia. Monticello was one of the homes owned by Thomas
Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independence
and the Statue of Virginia for Religious Freedom. He was the third president of
the United States. And he founded the University of Virginia.
Jefferson came from a very affluent family;
his father was a successful planter and surveyor and his mother was a member of
highly recognized families in Virginia. Jefferson inherited the land and began
building Monticello at the young age of 26. He married Martha Wayles at the age
of 29 and had 6 children and after 10 years of marriage she passed away. Only 2
of his children lived to adulthood.
With many other things, Jefferson
also inherited slaves from his father. Typically, Jefferson had about 200
slaves at a given time. It is said about 80 of his slaves lived at Monticello
taking care of the land and other duties.
Jefferson attended College of
William and Mary. Very early in his career he served in local government and
was a member of the House of Burgesses. In 1776, he was asked to draft the
Declaration of Independence. Later, he became president and served for two
years. His first term was significant because of the Louisiana Territory
purchase.
The last 17 years of his life were
spent at Monticello. At the age of 76 he founded the University of Virginia.
Jefferson died on July 4, 1826 and was buried at Monticello.
During the trip to Monticello we
were able to take a tour inside the house where Thomas Jefferson lived. If you
look at the back of a Nickle the Monticello house is the building on the back. The
house had many cool features which I had never seen before. One of the coolest
things that I saw was the Great Clock which is placed inside and outside of the
front door. The Great Clock clearly tells time but it also told the day of the
week with descending cannon-balls that go through the floor and come out the
other side. The house was decorated like no other – it had a lot of animals on the
walls as you first come in. The second room was covered in
photos of important political leaders at the time such as George Washington,
Walter and Raleigh Benjamin Franklin. Another one of my favorite thing in the house was
where he put his beds. The beds were always put into the walls because
Jefferson didn’t like wasted space. He designed the “alcove style bed” which is
placed in between two rooms to save space. If you go outside, the land is absolutely
beautiful and is famous for its flower gardens.
Monticello is a very neat place to
visit and is a very important historical site. Thomas Jefferson spent most of
his life living in that house and he played a vital role in forming the country
that we live in today.
Statue of Thomas Jefferson
Backside of the Monticello House (What you see on the nickel)
My mom & brother with Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson's Grave
