Topic: Education
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Jefferson to Roger Weightman
In this letter, Jefferson declined an invitation to Washington, D.C.’s celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of American independence. From his deathbed, he reiterated his lifelong belief in human freedom. Though...Media › audio
Jefferson to Roger Weightman (Audio)
In this audio clip, Monticello’s Chad Wollerton introduces a dramatic reading of a letter Jefferson wrote to Roger Weightman, the mayor of Washington, DC. In the letter, Jefferson declined an...
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Jefferson to William Charles Jarvis
In this letter, Jefferson explained his opposition to giving final constitutional authority to any single institution or person—in this case, courts and judges. Having an educated citizenry, he argued, was...
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Jefferson to William Roscoe
This letter shows Jefferson’s commitment to rational inquiry, which was the core of his vision for the University of Virginia. Based on the ideals of the Enlightenment, Jefferson’s belief in...
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John Adams to the Comte de Sarsfield
In this letter, John Adams, the American minister to France, writes to a French nobleman about his vision for America’s future. Despite the difficulties the U.S. was experiencing immediately after...
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John Jay to Dr. Benjamin Rush
John Jay of New York wrote this letter to the Pennsylvanian Benjamin Rush in 1786. Both were revolutionary leaders, committed Christians, and vocal critics of slavery. Jay also shared Rush’s...
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Liberty Displaying the Arts and Sciences
This 1792 painting by Samuel Jennings was the first by an American artist to address the issue of slavery. Broken chains lay at the feet of Liberty, represented here by...
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Map of Virginia, University of Virginia (Detail)
This early image of the grounds of the University of Virginia decorated the upper left corner of Herman Boye’s 1826 map of the commonwealth. Jefferson designed the university’s “academical village.”...
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Massachusetts Constitution
The 1780 Massachusetts constitution allowed religious toleration, but it also mandated tax-funded religious instruction by teachers who were Protestant. Unlike Jefferson and his colleagues in Virginia, Massachusetts leaders assumed that...
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