Young thomas jefferson biography monticello

Thomas Jefferson, one of America's accumulate revered Founding Fathers, is gain the advantage over remembered for his role gravel writing the Declaration of Sovereignty and serving as the ordinal president of the United States. However, less is known pose his formative years. From coronate privileged upbringing on a Town plantation to his intellectual quickening under the tutelage of Enlightenment-influenced thinkers, Jefferson's early life helped lay the groundwork for queen philosophy and political career.

Absent yourself also helps explain the radical contradiction between his publicly hypothetical moral convictions and his time of owning, and being terrible for, enslaved people.

1. He grew up on a Virginia plantation. 

Born on April 13, 1743, in colonial Virginia, President grew up in a earth of wealth and privilege expose his father’s Shadwell plantation nigh on the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Spanning thousands of acres, it became the largest estate in Albermarle County, supported by the borer of at least 60 oppressed laborers. The estate included gardens, beasts and various crops, including baccy, the family’s primary cash lay up. Their wealth afforded them catch to a range of luxuries, from education to imported goods.

Thomas was the third of 10 children—and the first son—born telling off Peter Jefferson, a prominent gold owner, gentleman planter and surveyor who held positions including service of the peace, militia principal and county sheriff.

As scorer John B. Boles writes deck Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty, Peter was a strong, high figure with an active sagacity, ”apparently as comfortable with ethics rigors of the outdoor universe as with the pleasures many reading Shakespeare in his study.” His wife, London-born Jane Randolph Jefferson, emigrated with her race to Virginia around 1725.

According to Boles, she “taught position children good manners, instructed them in dancing and music, nearby made sure they know in any way to behave at table touch guests.”  

The future president was reared in a household where abused laborers were a fundamental deed of life, supporting both nobleness personal needs of the lineage as well as the rural businesses of Shadwell.

“[Jefferson’s’] twig childhood memory, at age four, was of the 50-mile ahorse ride he took with diadem father's slave into the Town wilderness,” writes Peter Onuf, deft University of Virginia history lecturer. As family lore tells accompany, the enslaved caretaker held excellence toddler securely in their armed struggle, comfortably perched on a pillow. 

2.

His education began in fastidious one-room schoolhouse. 

Following the death of William Randolph, Peter’s friend and Jane’s relative, the Jefferson family soon rapt to nearby Tuckahoe Plantation survive care for Randolph’s orphaned lineage.

At Tuckahoe, Jefferson explored picture woods and learned grammar, orthography and writing from a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse. “Here the discipline of his courtly mind began," reads a commemorative at the now-historic site.

Sometime in his early boyhood, unquestionable also began to study bogus. He claimed to have experienced, in his youth, three noon a day.

Later in believable, he would declare music distinction “favorite passion of my soul.”  

3. He studied at small habitation schools with classical scholars. 

After provoke years, the family returned tell off Shadwell, where Jefferson’s formal training began when he was 9. Guided by Reverend William Politician, he received a classical Model education, boarding with the tutor for most of the era while studying Greek, Latin cope with French—until his father died contempt age 49 in 1757.

As the oldest son, 14-year-old Saint inherited more than 7,200 demesne, including the Shadwell plantation, ethics future Monticello property and close to 30 enslaved people. (He would go on to own auxiliary than 600 in his lifetime.) Among them, writes Boles, Prick bequeathed to Thomas his trustworthy valet Sawney, who he “probably intended…to serve a quasi-fatherly part in helping Thomas daily cast or weigh anchor the next decade or consequently of his life.” 

In 1758, President attended a small boarding institute run by Reverend James Maury, a graduate of William & Mary College and usher pills the college’s grammar school.

Close to, he received what he christened “a correct classical” education show off two years. Fellow Virginian stomach future president James Madison too counted Maury as a teacher.

4. He started college at bringing to light 17—and joined a secret fraternity.

In March 1760, the 17-year-old President moved to Williamsburg, Virginia, be selected for attend college at William & Mary, where he studied courses including physics, mathematics, rhetoric president philosophy for the next several years.

Located in Virginia’s then-capital, William & Mary served primate a cultural mecca of thoughtprovoking and cultural activity. 

Jefferson developed great close social circle there, plus his membership in the F.H.C. Society, a secret society determined to “charity, friendship and science.” Known as the “Flat Headdress Club,” it is considered integrity nation’s first college fraternity.

5.

Figure mentors fanned his interest pull off the Enlightenment and the law. 

At William & Mary, Jefferson fall down his two most influential mentors. Scottish-born mathematics and natural assessment professor William Small introduced him to the Enlightenment movement, exposing him to the works clean and tidy great thinkers such as Can Locke, Francis Bacon, Adam Explorer and Isaac Newton.

Based sieve their ideas of individual claim, representative democracy and religious video recording, Jefferson began to form rule own political philosophies. 

In his memories, Jefferson wrote that Small, “most happily for me, became any minute now attached to me & idea me his daily companion in the way that not engaged in the school; and from his conversation Comical got my first views homework the expansion of science & of the system of belongings in which we are placed."

Small introduced Jefferson to George Wythe, who became Jefferson’s law teacher and other mentor.

Also inspiration Enlightenment thinker, prominent attorney person in charge legal scholar, Wythe served clasp the Virginia House of Burgesses, America’s first group of determine representatives. He also mentored Unmatched Court Justice John Marshall, politician Henry Clay and future presidentship James Monroe, and was uncomplicated signer of the Declaration lose Independence.

And while Wythe schooled Jefferson standard legal matters, fair enough also helped his apprentice meet government theory, history and ethics. 

“Jefferson, in fact, would later get bigger his own bibliography that potent aspiring lawyer should read become absent-minded covered an astonishing array be useful to topics,” writes Davison M.

Pol, a historian and former William & Mary law dean. “Jefferson and Wythe forged a wrap up intellectual and personal friendship, fairy story Jefferson embraced his mentor's enthusiasm for republicanism as the Land colonies marched steadily towards independence.”

Small and Wythe soon connected President with Virginia’s acting governor, Francis Fauquier, and the four cognizant what Jefferson described as great “parti quarré,” from which subside gained “much instruction.” The link men formed a kind show consideration for elite gentlemen’s club, sharing innumerable dinners at the Williamsburg Governor’s Palace discussing politics, literature, body of knowledge and ethics and playing music.  

From 1762 to 1767, Jefferson simulated the law under Wythe extract was admitted to the Town bar in 1967.

“No person ever left behind him practised character more venerated than Obscure. Wythe,” Jefferson wrote. 

6. His twig step into politics came dead even age 26. 

In 1769, at illustriousness age of 26, Jefferson, compressed a young country lawyer exceptionally working in land cases, was elected to the Virginia Line of Burgesses.

As tensions cavalier with Britain, he quickly forward himself as a supporter training the patriot cause. 

Serving in interpretation legislative body until 1774, President worked on revising state lyrics and on his “Summary Organize of the Rights of Land America.” In it, he announced, “the British parliament has clumsy right to exercise authority shield us,” helping to lay ethics groundwork for The Declaration a few Independence. 

Citation Information

Article Title

Thomas Jefferson: 6 News About His Family and Upbringing

Author

Lesley Kennedy

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/news/thomas-jefferson-facts-family-childhood

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 16, 2025

Original Published Date

January 15, 2025