Topic: Sciences & Technology
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Dolland Telescope
Jefferson owned three telescopes, including this one. Science was a common hobby for educated men of Jefferson’s era and astronomy was especially popular. Key discoveries by astronomers launched the seventeenth-century...
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Hand Telescope
This hand telescope, which was made in England, probably belonged to Thomas Jefferson. A family story holds that Governor Jefferson—who had escaped from Richmond to Monticello—used this telescope to watch...
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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...
Lesson Plan
Jefferson’s Cipher to Lewis & Clark, Was It Necessary?
In this lesson, students will study the journals of Lewis and Clark and analyze the journals, specifically looking at information in the journal entries that describe hardships faced by Lewis...
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John Morgan
This portrait is a pre-revolutionary image of John Morgan, a physician from Philadelphia. Like many physicians of his day, Morgan received his medical training in Scotland. In 1765, he helped...
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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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Money Scales with Case
This money scale was used to weigh precious metals to determine their value. Gold and silver coins were weighed to ensure that they had not been cut or shaved. Although...
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Synopsis of the Universe
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...
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