Thomas Jefferson was more than just a character in the hit Broadway musical, Hamilton. He was a man of many talents, many interests, and many actions - he was a Renaissance man! A Renaissance man is someone who is well educated, and has interests in many different fields. In modern day, most people take one interest or talent and build their careers and social interests around that. But, in earlier history, people explored a variety of interests and worked on many different projects.

Jefferson was by no means perfect. He had many personal flaws, the largest being that he enslaved over 600 people in his lifetime, many who worked on his farm. It was common for Founding Fathers to own slaves at the time, but it does not excuse Jefferson from being on the wrong side of history and on the wrong side of human rights.

In addition to being a politician, diplomat, and main author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson owned a farm called Monticello in Virginia, founded the University of Virginia, and improved the design of the polygraph duplicating machine, and the pedometer (guess who is give invention credit...Leonardo da Vinci!). Jefferson loved to read and amassed a huge quantity of books - they served as the foundation of the Library of Congress and can still be viewed today. Did you know that he introduced mac & cheese, French fries, AND ice cream to America?! It's true! When Jefferson was Minister to France, he sampled these delicious bites and knew that he HAD to introduce Americans to these tasty treats!

You can learn more about Thomas Jefferson by watching a BrainPop on him, the Lewis & Clark Expedition, and the Declaration of Independence. You can go to his Monticello Home, visit his memorial in Washington, DC, and stand in awe at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, MO, where the Lewis & Clark Expedition began.

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