Today in History: Thomas Jefferson
Today in History–April 13–the Library of Congress features Thomas Jefferson, born on this day in 1743. (Actually, he was born on April 2 under the Julian calendar but when Great Britain and its colonies switched to the Gregorian calendar in 1752 his birthday, along with everyone else’s, was shifted 11 days forward.) Find out more about this multitalented man by visiting the Today in History section, then follow the links below to access teaching resources, primary sources and secondary sources about the 3rd president of the United States.
Teaching Resources
- Learning from the Source: Jefferson’s Rough Draft of the Declaration
- Learning from the Source: Monumental Men
- Collection Connections: Thomas Jefferson Papers
- Guided Primary Source Analysis: Jefferson’s Pasta Machine
- Teaching with the Library of Congress blog posts
- Reading Portraits: Analyzing Art as a Primary Source March 15, 2016
- Reminding Students that Events in History Do Not Happen in Isolation through a Letter Written by Thomas Jefferson in 1815 July 28, 2016
- Teaching with Thomas Jefferson’s Vegetable Market Chart June 9, 2015
- Thomas Jefferson’s Measurement Problem January 14, 2016
- Thomas Jefferson’s Proposed System of Weights and Measures January 7, 2016
Primary Source Sets
- Thomas Jefferson 1800 election primary source collection
- Thomas Jefferson 1801 inauguration primary source set
- Thomas Jefferson 1805 inauguration primary source set
- The Thomas Jefferson Papers at the Library of Congress
- Thomas Jefferson books & articles
- Thomas Jefferson historical newspaper coverage through 1826
- President Jefferson historical newspaper articles 1801-1809
- Thomas Jefferson webcasts
- Thomas Jefferson images
- Maps related to Thomas Jefferson
Individual Primary Sources (various)
- Notes on the state of Virginia by Thomas Jefferson
- Declaration of Independence drafts
- First issue of the Declaration of Independence
- Jefferson’s First Annual Message to Congress
- Jefferson’s Letter to Meriwether Lewis
- Jefferson’s secret message to Congress regarding the Lewis & Clark expedition
- Plan of Government for the Western Territory
- Jefferson’s Library
- Jefferson’s Pasta Machine
- Jefferson’s Recipe for Vanilla Ice Cream
- Jefferson’s Only Published Map
- Jefferson Praises Benjamin Banneker’s Mathematical Abilities
- Jefferson Responds to Benjamin Banneker
Online Exhibitions
Background information
- A Birthday Fit for a President Library of Congress Blog April 12, 2013
- Counting the Miles: Thomas Jefferson’s Quest for an Odometer Inside Adams August 27, 2015
- Jefferson’s Cipher In Custodia Legis August 17, 2018
- A Lesson from a Founding Father Inside Adams April 5, 2013
- The Many Faces of Thomas Jefferson Library of Congress Information Bulletin April, 2000
- The President and the Parsnip: Thomas Jefferson’s Vegetable Market Chart Inside Adams April 15, 2015
- Virginia Dynasty: Thomas Jefferson In Custodia Legis blog post January 26, 2016
- Thomas Jefferson: POTUS
Related PSN curated Today in History primary source sets