National Thomas Jefferson Day
National Thomas Jefferson Day on April 13 marks the birthday of America's third president — founding father, author of the Declaration of Independence, architect, inventor, farmer, and slaveholder. A man of extraordinary contradictions and towering achievements, Jefferson remains one of the most consequential figures in American history. Born 1743; still argued about 283 years later.
Why it matters
LIBERTY & CONTRADICTION!
It’s National Thomas Jefferson Day. On April 13, America remembers the third president — the pen behind the Declaration, the architect of Monticello, the president who doubled the country, and a man whose contradictions still define the American project.
THE STORY
Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, in Shadwell, Virginia. Son of a planter; grew up among enslaved people whose labor made his education possible. Entered William & Mary at 16. Fluent in Latin, Greek, French, Italian, Spanish. Trained as a lawyer.
At 33, in summer 1776, he drafted the Declaration of Independence — 17 days of writing in a Philadelphia rooming house. The document borrowed from John Locke, from George Mason’s Virginia Declaration of Rights, and from the English political tradition. But the synthesis — ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal’ — was Jefferson’s. It remains the most influential American sentence ever written.
After the Revolution, Jefferson served as governor of Virginia, ambassador to France, Washington’s Secretary of State, Adams’ Vice President, and finally the third President (1801-1809). The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 doubled the country’s size; the Lewis & Clark expedition mapped it. He founded the University of Virginia — designed the buildings himself — and pushed public education long before it was a mainstream American cause.
Jefferson was also, throughout all of this, a slaveholder. He enslaved 607 people across his lifetime at Monticello. He had a decades-long relationship with Sally Hemings — a woman he enslaved — that produced six children. He wrote about the evils of slavery while living by its profits. For two centuries this was minimized; over the last thirty years, scholars and institutions (including Monticello itself) have reckoned with it fully. The result is a more honest, and more American, picture. Jefferson is the country’s great paradox. He remains essential reading.
I cannot live without books.
THE MANY JEFFERSONS
Four careers Jefferson held, any one of which would have made a normal man famous:
The Writer
Author of the Declaration of Independence, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and Notes on the State of Virginia. All three shaped founding American political thought.
The Architect
Designed Monticello, Poplar Forest, and the University of Virginia. Self-taught; brought Palladian classicism to America. UVA’s Lawn is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Scientist
Tracked daily weather for 50 years. Invented the swivel chair, a folding letter copier, and a plow. Member of the American Philosophical Society (president for 17 years).
The Farmer
Monticello was a working plantation, vineyard, and experimental farm. Jefferson introduced upland rice to America, bred new apple varieties, and pioneered crop rotation in Virginia.
JEFFERSON PLACES IN AMERICA
Six pilgrimage sites for the Jefferson-curious:
DID YOU KNOW?!
Jefferson died on July 4, 1826.
The 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. John Adams died the same day, a few hours later. Adams’s last words were reportedly ‘Thomas Jefferson survives.’ (He did not.)
Jefferson wrote his own epitaph.
It lists three achievements: author of the Declaration of Independence, author of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and founder of the University of Virginia. Does not mention being president.
Jefferson had 11 grandchildren.
Only one — Thomas Jefferson Randolph — attended his funeral, since the others were either too young or too distant. The family was devastated by Jefferson’s debt (~$3M in today’s dollars) which took a decade to resolve.
Jefferson spoke 5 languages.
Latin, Greek, French, Italian, and Spanish. He learned Spanish on the boat to France in 1784, reading Don Quixote with a Spanish dictionary. He called himself ‘a fanatic for languages.’
READ & REFLECT
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
Jon Meacham · 2012
The best modern single-volume biography. Pulitzer Prize winner. Deep but readable. Meacham is both admiring and unflinching about Jefferson’s contradictions.
The Hemingses of Monticello
Annette Gordon-Reed · 2008
Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award. The definitive history of Sally Hemings, her children, and the broader Hemings family at Monticello. Essential reading alongside any Jefferson biography.
The Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson · 1776
1,320 words. Free online. Worth reading once a year. The most influential political document in American history — and still only partially realized.
PAIR IT WITH
The Declaration itself. 7 minutes; life-changing.
Hamilton (musical) — Jefferson’s role played brilliantly by Daveed Diggs; Cabinet Battle #1 and #2 are pure history.
Monticello if possible. UVA if you’re in Virginia. The Jefferson Memorial in DC otherwise.
A Virginia Viognier. Jefferson tried and failed to grow Old World grapes; 200 years later, Virginia is finally making great wine.
Read, Reflect, Share!
Tag us @celebrationnation with #JeffersonDay. We’re collecting favorite Jefferson quotes and Monticello photos.
How to celebrate
Honor a complicated man — and a foundational text:
- 📜 Re-read the Declaration of Independence. It's short. 1,320 words. Takes 7 minutes. Few political documents improve more on a re-reading.
- 🏛️ Visit Monticello. Jefferson's home in Charlottesville, VA is one of the great American historical sites. The Sally Hemings tour is essential.
- 📖 Read a real biography. Jon Meacham's 'Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power' is the best modern one. Annette Gordon-Reed's 'The Hemingses of Monticello' is the essential counterpoint.
- 🏛️ Visit a public library. Jefferson founded the University of Virginia, championed public education, sold his personal library to Congress (became the Library of Congress). Libraries are Jefferson's most living legacy.
- 🍷 Try a Virginia wine. Jefferson tried for 30 years to grow European grapes at Monticello. Failed every time. Modern Virginia viticulture finally cracked it — a Monticello-area wine honors the obsession.
Celebration ideas by audience
For families
Read the Declaration together. Discuss what it promised and what still isn't delivered. 4th grade and up can handle the conversation.
For kids
'Who Was Thomas Jefferson?' (Scholastic biography) is a great 3rd-grade introduction. Pair with Monticello's kid-friendly website.
For couples
Monticello weekend trip — Charlottesville is one of the most beautiful small cities in America. Wine country, great food, the Lawn at UVA.
At the office
Jefferson quotes make for surprisingly non-cheesy office morale. 'The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.' — relevant every day.
At school
Essential American history. Teach Jefferson's brilliance AND his slaveholding honestly. Modern pedagogy requires both.
In your community
Local historical society talks around Jefferson Day. Most have something programmed.
On your own
The Declaration, a coffee, 10 quiet minutes. It's a more radical document than most Americans remember.
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