MONTICELLO
Posted By drsao on April 24, 2009
I cannot believe that I have lived in Virginia for four years and today was my first visit to Monticello – the home of Thomas Jefferson. It was a memorable visit and I am still reeling with excitement from the experience. It is my FAVORITE historical site that I have visited thus far!
This man made such an impact on history that it is unbelievable. He wrote his own epitaph and it was INTERESTING to see what he was PROUD OF. He drafted the Declaration of Independence, he wrote the proclamation for religious freedom (separation of church and state) and he founded the University of Virginia…..NO MENTION OF BEING THE 3rd PRESIDENT OF THE United States! He was a connoisseur of new inventions and an educated person – he believed that education empowered the individual. He could read in 7 or 8 languages and he once said that he could not live without his books. His life is inspirational to me. To learn more about UV go to www.virginia.edu
I cannot believe all that this ONE PERSON accomplished…..he was an architect, a gardener, a family man, a politician, a president….unbelievable! He must have been a charming person because people flocked to Monticello regularly to visit with him.
I love this quote….
Determine never to be idle.
No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any.
It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.
Thomas Jefferson
He also said something VERY INTERESTING ABOUT BEING PRESIDENT OF THE US! I am paraphrasing –
The presidency is a SPENDID MISERY and a job where “I LOSE FRIENDS DAILY.”
Even though he hated slavery, he owned slaves – and he may have even fathered one child or more with his slave, Sally Hemmings. What an interesting situation. It made me realize – even more than ever before – what the life of the slave was like in Virginia. I never realized that children worked from sun up until sun down after they reached the age of 10 – boys making nails and girls weaving. They got two outfits of clothing a year. I wonder how they kept warm in their log cabins when Jefferson noted that at least on one occasion the ink in his pen froze!
The tours today were OUTSTANDING – the weather was PERFECT – and the TULIPS WERE BEAUTIFUL. When you look at the pictures note the tree stump of one of the ORIGINAL trees at Monticello. It rotted from the inside out.
IT WAS A VERY GOOD EXPERIENCE …. and I took lots of pictures. 🙂
Comments
Leave a Reply