Beautiful History at Thomas Jefferson's Home
The third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson was an eclectic man. Your history class probably taught you about how he wrote the Declaration of Independence (when he was only 33!) or the basic facts of his presidency. You may even remember what he did inbetween or the details of what he accomplished. Along with his professional accomplishments, though, Monticello takes a look at his personal life. Jefferson had quirky habits, including forecasting the weather and teaching himself to be ambidextrous.
Of course, visiting Monticello is more about life on a Virginia estate than Thomas Jefferson himself. Throughout his lifetime, this was a working plantation — first tobacco, then wheat — and it was set up to house a large extended family, many household servants, and slaves. The tour guides do a wonderful job of sharing “a day in the life” from several different perspectives and painting a picture of colonial life.
