Thomas has taken a beating in recent decades with stories and books being told and debated.
Personally, he has always been my favorite or at least one of them.
With the passage of Jimmy Carter, I thought I would revisit this one unique thing: His Tombstone. [from the Monticello website]
"
Before his death, Thomas Jefferson left explicit instructions regarding the monument to be erected over his grave. In this undated document, Jefferson supplied a sketch of the shape of the marker, and the epitaph with which he wanted it to be inscribed:

"... on the faces of the Obelisk the following inscription, & not a word more:

Here was buried
Thomas Jefferson
Author of the Declaration of American Independence
of the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom
& Father of the University of Virginia

"because by these," he explained, "as testimonials that I have lived, I wish most to be remembered."
"

So what is important about it? He did not have inscribed that he had been president. That was just him doing his duty and nothing more. He truly was a incredible human, and one of our first truly great Americans.

"When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty"
Thomas Jefferson.
Many of the things Jefferson wrote or said hold true today!

quote:

Originally posted by redstone:

.....So what is important about it? He did not have inscribed that he had been president. That was just him doing his duty and nothing more. He truly was an incredible human, and one of our first truly great Americans.

Thanks for posting, one of the greatest Americans for sure.

And the Louisiana Purchase, an amazing and fortunate piece of history.

Brave and brilliant man. Those that sit in the senate and congress combined don’t compare.

When JFK hosted a banquet of Nobel Prize winners he opened the banquet with...

I want to tell you how welcome you are to the White House. I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.

I think Thomas Jefferson is the reason this Republic has managed to survive this long.

quote:

Originally posted by sig2392:
When JFK hosted a banquet of Nobel Prize winners he opened the banquet with...

I want to tell you how welcome you are to the White House. I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.

I think Thomas Jefferson is the reason this Republic has managed to survive this long.

Except Jefferson did not dine alone ---- he often dined with his private secretary Meriwether Lewis (1801-1803).

quote:

Originally posted by pillboxesghost:

quote:

Originally posted by sig2392:
When JFK hosted a banquet of Nobel Prize winners he opened the banquet with...

I want to tell you how welcome you are to the White House. I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.

I think Thomas Jefferson is the reason this Republic has managed to survive this long.

Except Jefferson did not dine alone ---- he often dined with his private secretary Meriwether Lewis (1801-1803).

Talk about missing the point of the quote.

The house tour is impressive as well. He was a smart dude, invented some stuff, and when he saw something he liked when traveling, the designs were improved and implemented at Monticello.

Quote:
While dumbwaiters have fallen out of fashion in the 21st century, they were formerly used to transport food and wine between floors. Jefferson became used to them while in France, where they took the form of a portable serving stand, and he later designed a dumbwaiter system for use in his home in Monticello as a way for servants to transport goods throughout his house.
Jefferson had five dumbwaiters in his dining area, including a model described as a spring-loaded turning shelf between the kitchen and dining room. The device allowed the kitchen staff to put food and beverages into the dumbwaiter, then turn it so it would appear in the dining room. After the meal, the guests would put their empty plates on the dumbwaiter, which would revolve back into the kitchen. Jefferson used a similar model at the White House during his presidency and is said to have designed the system himself.
https://interestingengineering...s-jefferson-invented

I toured Monticello before I went to see Mt. Vernon. Monticello is a marvel of engineering and architecture.

Mt. Vernon? the front door isn't in the center. Washington was more about function than form. both are wonderful to visit. The last time I was at Mt. Vernon, I took my girls up there after National Treasure II came out.

quote:

Originally posted by redstone:
I toured Monticello before I went to see Mt. Vernon. Monticello is a marvel of engineering and architecture.

Mt. Vernon? the front door isn't in the center. Washington was more about function than form. both are wonderful to visit. The last time I was at Mt. Vernon, I took my girls up there after National Treasure II came out.

George Washington didn't design or build Mount Vernon.

Jefferson was a treasure. He is easily my favorite President. I believe his DoI is the greatest modern philosophical document in the world. Plus, I'm an architect so he holds a high place of honor. I haven't been to Monticello but I have been to TVA library and academical village. The hourglass central hall and oval-shaped wings are sublimely unique.

quote:

Originally posted by YellowJacket:

quote:

Originally posted by redstone:
I toured Monticello before I went to see Mt. Vernon. Monticello is a marvel of engineering and architecture.

Mt. Vernon? the front door isn't in the center. Washington was more about function than form. both are wonderful to visit. The last time I was at Mt. Vernon, I took my girls up there after National Treasure II came out.

George Washington didn't design or build Mount Vernon.

Jefferson was a treasure. He is easily my favorite President. I believe his DoI is the greatest modern philosophical document in the world. Plus, I'm an architect so he holds a high place of honor. I haven't been to Monticello but I have been to TVA library and academical village. The hourglass central hall and oval-shaped wings are sublimely unique.

We will have to disagree. Augustine Washington did build the original house, but George designed and 'had' built the expansions that we know and love today. But I was not claiming that Thomas or George actually built their houses. My point is that George would not redesign the interior (move the staircase) just to make the house symmetrical. He was too practical for that.

BTW, YellowJacket I grew up in Marietta. I will be visiting family there this Spring.