Thomas Jefferson Essay

Submitted By amore15
Words: 393
Pages: 2

Jasmine Mitchell
3rd period
Civics

The childhood of Thomas Jefferson

Born on 13 April 1743 in Virginia, Thomas Jefferson was the third of eight children of Peter Jefferson and Jane Randolph. His father, who was of Welsh descent, was a ship’s captain and worked as a planter for some time. In 1745, his family moved to Tuckahoe and lived there for seven years before they returned to their home in Albemarle after his father was appointed to the colonelcy of the county. Jefferson’s education began in 1752 from a school run by William Douglas, who was a Scottish minister. From the time he was nine, Jefferson became an avid learner of Greek, French and Latin. Thomas Jefferson’s father died in 1757, making his son an heir to his huge land assets and a number of slaves. During 1758 to 1760 Jefferson taught at the school of the erudite minister James Maury, whereupon he received a classical education and studied science and history. He enrolled at The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg in 1760, where he studied mathematics, metaphysics, and philosophy graduating with supreme honors in 1762. As a keen student, Jefferson took interest in learning different languages and throughout his students life he studied for fifteen hours a day. A gourmet and an avid lover of wine, Thomas learned to play violin and took a keen interest in arts. After graduating, he studied law with George Wythe and began practicing law in Virginia Bar in 1767. Between the year 1768 and 1773,