John Locke (1632-1704) was an English philosopher and political theorist. His Enlightenment theories greatly influenced Thomas Jefferson and his writing of the Declaration of Independence. Locke’s portrait is in the...
Imported architectural manuals, such as James Gibbs’s Rules for Drawing the Several Parts of Architecture, helped wealthy colonists to build houses in the European style they so admired. For example,...
This photograph shows the Tuckahoe plantation one-room schoolhouse where Jefferson began his formal education. His family lived at Tuckahoe between 1746 and 1751 because his father, Peter, was guardian to...
This drawing by the American architect Robert Mills depicts St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Lower Manhattan. British generals worshipped here when they occupied New York City during the War for...
This image of the Philadelphia State House shows the building when it was the meeting place for the federal government. Between December 1790 and May 1800, the House of Representatives...
This is an 18th-century depiction of the solar system. During the Enlightenment, thinkers believed that governments as well as the natural world behaved according to predictable laws of nature. At...
The Pennsylvania folk artist Lewis Miller painted this scene from inside the Lutheran Church in York, Pennsylvania, in 1800. The church’s sexton, firemaker, and other officials go about their business,...
The Drury Lane Theatre was London’s oldest and best known playhouse in the eighteenth century. After reading about plays performed here, American colonists, in an effort to imitate the sophisticated...
This print depicts the chief buildings in Williamsburg, Virginia’s colonial capital. The top row shows the Governor’s Palace. The second row features the Wren Building at the College of William...
As an introduction to Thomas Jefferson, students will discover the many facets of his life beyond being the author of The Declaration of Independence. Using primary sources, internet research, and...