Thomas Jefferson

Hello, I’m Thomas Jefferson. I was born to a wealthy family in Virginia on April 13, 1743.  I have six sisters and a younger brother. My father died when I was fourteen leaving me the head of our household. My own education began under the direction of a private tutor when I was five. At fourteen, I left to attend boarding school with my tutor. I continued studying there until I left for the College of William and Mary at age sixteen.

Democracy has always been an important ideal to me. I wrote the Declaration of Independence to uphold these ideals in America. I believe education should be the foundation of democracy. I once said and still believe that, “An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people.” I wrote the Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge which would establish schools across the state of Virginia. The bill would have provided three years of elementary school for both boys and girls, even more education for a few boys, and a scholarship to the College of William and Mary for a one boy every two years. I presented the bill to the House of Delegates twice, once in 1778 and again in 1780, but the bill was defeated both times. Fellow Virginian James Madison also tried to pass the bill but he was also unsuccessful. Eventually, a very revised version, The Act to Establish Public Schools was passed in 1796, but the bill was all but ignored by most counties in the state.

In 1802, I served as President of the United States. After this time, I established the University of Virginia which was the first non-sectarian university in America. While other universities only offered courses in medicine, law, or theology, the University of Virginia allowed students to study medicine, law, mathematics, chemistry, ancient languages, modern languages, natural philosophy, and moral philosophy. I also encouraged elective courses among other policies. I had hoped UVA would offer opportunities for more access to higher education.

Today, I am speechless about how much schools have progressed. Schools are more diverse, and the class populations are larger. It is interesting that fewer universities are founded on one specific religion, or none at all, similar to Virginia. However, I still think America is not doing enough for children in a lower socioeconomic class to further their education.