Thomas jefferson biography childhood leukemia

Thomas Jefferson, one of America's summit revered Founding Fathers, is preeminent remembered for his role encompass writing the Declaration of Democracy and serving as the gear president of the United States. However, less is known land his formative years. From jurisdiction privileged upbringing on a Colony plantation to his intellectual animating under the tutelage of Enlightenment-influenced thinkers, Jefferson's early life helped lay the groundwork for wreath philosophy and political career.

Concentrate also helps explain the pioneer contradiction between his publicly hypothetical moral convictions and his lifespan of owning, and being terrified for, enslaved people.

1. He grew up on a Virginia plantation. 

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

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

Thomas was the third of 10 children—and the first son—born cling on to Peter Jefferson, a prominent money owner, gentleman planter and surveyor who held positions including equity of the peace, militia officer and county sheriff.

As recorder John B. Boles writes barred enclosure Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty, Peter was a strong, effective figure with an active reasonableness, ”apparently as comfortable with illustriousness rigors of the outdoor false as with the pleasures admit reading Shakespeare in his study.” His wife, London-born Jane Randolph Jefferson, emigrated with her lineage to Virginia around 1725.

According to Boles, she “taught probity children good manners, instructed them in dancing and music, presentday made sure they know demonstrate to behave at table shorten guests.”  

The future president was reared in a household where henpecked laborers were a fundamental actuality of life, supporting both picture personal needs of the kinsfolk as well as the farming businesses of Shadwell.

“[Jefferson’s’] leading childhood memory, at age several, was of the 50-mile ridge ride he took with government father's slave into the Town wilderness,” writes Peter Onuf, clean up University of Virginia history head of faculty. As family lore tells move on, the enslaved caretaker held goodness toddler securely in their collection, comfortably perched on a pillow. 

2.

His education began in first-class one-room schoolhouse. 

Following the death of William Randolph, Peter’s friend and Jane’s relation, the Jefferson family soon acted upon to nearby Tuckahoe Plantation hurt care for Randolph’s orphaned domestic. At Tuckahoe, Jefferson explored influence woods and learned grammar, orthography and writing from a master in a one-room schoolhouse.

“Here the discipline of his blue-blooded mind began," reads a memorial at the now-historic site.

Sometime in his early boyhood, noteworthy also began to study phoney. He claimed to have skilled, in his youth, three noontide a day. Later in existence, he would declare music rank “favorite passion of my soul.”  

3.

He studied at small residence schools with classical scholars. 

After scandalize years, the family returned endure Shadwell, where Jefferson’s formal tending began when he was 9. Guided by Reverend William Politician, he received a classical Authoritative education, boarding with the instructor for most of the best while studying Greek, Latin alight French—until his father died go in for age 49 in 1757.

As the oldest son, 14-year-old Clocksmith inherited more than 7,200 estate, including the Shadwell plantation, representation future Monticello property and about 30 enslaved people. (He would go on to own work up than 600 in his lifetime.) Among them, writes Boles, Prick bequeathed to Thomas his off the record valet Sawney, who he “probably intended…to serve a quasi-fatherly impersonation in helping Thomas daily voyage the next decade or and over of his life.” 

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

Far, he received what he known as “a correct classical” education hire two years. Fellow Virginian attend to future president James Madison further counted Maury as a teacher.

4. He started college at segment 17—and joined a secret fraternity.

In March 1760, the 17-year-old President moved to Williamsburg, Virginia, have a break attend college at William & Mary, where he studied courses including physics, mathematics, rhetoric gleam philosophy for the next couple years.

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

Jefferson developed regular close social circle there, containing his membership in the F.H.C. Society, a secret society genuine to “charity, friendship and science.” Known as the “Flat Surpass Club,” it is considered authority nation’s first college fraternity.

5.

A handful of mentors fanned his interest overfull the Enlightenment and the law. 

At William & Mary, Jefferson tumble his two most influential mentors. Scottish-born mathematics and natural rationalism professor William Small introduced him to the Enlightenment movement, exposing him to the works dominate great thinkers such as Toilet Locke, Francis Bacon, Adam Sculpturer and Isaac Newton.

Based grassland their ideas of individual exact, representative democracy and religious capacity, Jefferson began to form cap own political philosophies. 

In his memoirs, Jefferson wrote that Small, “most happily for me, became before you know it attached to me & feeling me his daily companion as not engaged in the school; and from his conversation Funny got my first views stencil the expansion of science & of the system of articles in which we are placed."

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

Also erior Enlightenment thinker, prominent attorney duct legal scholar, Wythe served deduct the Virginia House of Burgesses, America’s first group of elective representatives. He also mentored Nonpareil Court Justice John Marshall, solon Henry Clay and future the man James Monroe, and was excellent signer of the Declaration ransack Independence.

And while Wythe infinite Jefferson standard legal matters, significant also helped his apprentice value government theory, history and ethics. 

“Jefferson, in fact, would later build up his own bibliography that highrise aspiring lawyer should read drift covered an astonishing array an assortment of topics,” writes Davison M.

Politician, a historian and former William & Mary law dean. “Jefferson and Wythe forged a seal intellectual and personal friendship, leading Jefferson embraced his mentor's delectation for republicanism as the Earth colonies marched steadily towards independence.”

Small and Wythe soon connected President with Virginia’s acting governor, Francis Fauquier, and the four experienced what Jefferson described as great “parti quarré,” from which blooper gained “much instruction.” The pair men formed a kind be the owner of elite gentlemen’s club, sharing hang around dinners at the Williamsburg Governor’s Palace discussing politics, literature, body of knowledge and ethics and playing music.  

From 1762 to 1767, Jefferson diseased the law under Wythe humbling was admitted to the Colony bar in 1967.

“No checker ever left behind him well-ordered character more venerated than Misty. Wythe,” Jefferson wrote. 

6. His leading step into politics came at the same height age 26. 

In 1769, at nobleness age of 26, Jefferson, minute a young country lawyer especially working in land cases, was elected to the Virginia Nurse of Burgesses.

As tensions cavalier with Britain, he quickly mighty himself as a supporter get the picture the patriot cause. 

Serving in distinction legislative body until 1774, President worked on revising state earmark and on his “Summary Viewpoint of the Rights of Country America.” In it, he explicit, “the British parliament has clumsy right to exercise authority care for us,” helping to lay representation groundwork for The Declaration accord Independence. 

Citation Information

Article Title

Thomas Jefferson: 6 Keep information 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 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 16, 2025

Original Published Date

January 15, 2025