Jefferson Memorial

	Jefferson Memorial
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	U.S. National Memorial
	Jefferson Memorial across the Tidal Basin in 2018
	Location of Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. Location within United States
Location	900 Ohio Drive, S.W., National Mall, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Coordinates	38°52′53″N 77°02′11.5″W / 38.88139°N 77.036528°W
Area	79,758 square feet (7,409.8 m2)
Built	1939–1943
Architect	John Russell Pope; Eggers & Higgins
Architectural style	Classical Revival
Visitation	2,312,726 (2005)
Website	Thomas Jefferson Memorial
NRHP reference No.	66000029
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	October 15, 1966
Designated NMEM	April 13, 1943

The Jefferson Memorial is a national memorial in Washington, D.C., built in honor of Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence, a central intellectual force behind the American Revolution, a founder of the Democratic-Republican Party, and the nation's third president.

Built between 1939 and 1943, the memorial features multiple quotes from Jefferson intended to capture his ideology and philosophy, known as Jeffersonian democracy, which was staunchly supportive of American republicanism, individual rights, religious freedom, states' rights, virtue, and prioritized and valued what he saw as the undervalued independent yeoman. Jefferson was simultaneously deeply skeptical of cities and financiers and hostile to aristocracy, elitism, and corruption. He is widely considered among the most influential political minds of his era and one of the most consequential intellectual forces behind both the American Revolution and the American Enlightenment.

The Jefferson Memorial is built in neoclassical style and is situated in West Potomac Park on the shore of the Potomac River. It was designed by John Russell Pope, a New York City architect, and built by Philadelphia contractor John McShain. Construction on the memorial began in 1939 and was completed in 1943, though the bronze statue of Jefferson was not completed and added until four years after its dedication and opening, in 1947.^[3] Pope made references to the Roman Pantheon, whose designer was Apollodorus of Damascus,^[4] and to Jefferson's own design for the rotunda at the University of Virginia as inspirations for the memorial's aesthetics.

The Jefferson Memorial and the White House form anchor points to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The Washington Monument, initially intended to be built at the intersection of the White House and the Jefferson Memorial's site, was ultimately built farther east because the ground at that location was deemed too soft and swampy.^[5]

The Jefferson Memorial is a designated national memorial and is managed by the National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior's National Mall and Memorial Parks division. In 1966, the Jefferson Memorial was named to the National Register of Historic Places.^[1]^[6]

In 2007, it ranked fourth on the "list of America's favorite architecture", published by the American Institute of Architects.^[7]

History

Early considerations

The site ultimately selected for the Jefferson Memorial's construction was appealing at least partly because it was located directly south of, and in view of, the White House. By 1901, the Senate Park Commission, in the McMillan Plan, proposed building a Pantheon-like structure on the site that would host "the statues of the illustrious men of the nation, or whether the memory of some individual shall be honored by a monument of the first rank may be left to the future," but no action was taken by Congress on the commission's recommendation.^[3]

The completion of the Tidal Basin Inlet Bridge in 1908 helped facilitate and expand recreational usage of East and West Potomac Parks. In 1918, large liquid chlorine dispensers were installed under the bridge to treat the water, which made the Tidal Basin, also known as Twining Lake, suitable for swimming. The Tidal Basin Beach, on the site of the future Jefferson Memorial, opened in May 1918, operating as a "Whites Only" facility until 1925, when it was permanently closed to avoid addressing the question of whether it should be racially integrated.^[8] The same year, a design competition was held for a memorial to Theodore Roosevelt. The winning design, submitted by John Russell Pope, consisted of a half-circle memorial situated next to a circular basin. Like the McMillan Plan in 1901, the plan was never funded by Congress or acted upon.^[3]

Funding and authorization

Another opportunity for the Jefferson Memorial's development emerged in 1934, when then President Franklin Roosevelt, who came to admire Jefferson after reading a book on Jefferson by his friend Claude G. Bowers, inquired with the Commission of Fine Arts about erecting a memorial to Jefferson. Roosevelt included plans for the Jefferson Memorial in the Federal Triangle project, which was then under construction. Later the same year, Congressman John J. Boyland followed Roosevelt's lead, urging Congress to create the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Commission to explore the memorial's development. Boylan was appointed the Commission's first chairman, and Congress eventually appropriated $3 million for the Jefferson Memorial.^[3]

The following year, in 1935, the Commission chose John Russell Pope as architect for the Jefferson Memorial. Pope had served previously as architect for the National Archives Building and the original West Building of the National Gallery of Art. He prepared four different plans for the project, each on a different site. One was on the Anacostia River at the end of East Capitol Street; one at Lincoln Park; one on the south side of the National Mall across from the National Archives administration building; and one was situated on the Tidal Basin, directly south of the White House. The Commission preferred the site on the Tidal Basin mainly because it was the most prominent site of those proposed and completed the four-point plan called for by the McMillan Commission, which encompassed the region including the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol and from the White House to the Tidal Basin site. Pope designed a large pantheon-like structure designed to be situated on a square platform, flanked by two smaller, rectangular, colonnaded buildings.^[3]

Construction

The monument's marble steps, portico, circular colonnade of Ionic order columns, and shallow dome

Construction on the Jefferson Memorial began December 15, 1938. The cornerstone was laid roughly eleven months later, on November 15, 1939, by Roosevelt himself. By this point, Pope had died in 1937 and his surviving partners, Daniel P. Higgins and Otto R. Eggers, assumed leadership for the Jefferson Memorial's construction. At the request of the Commission of Fine Arts, a slightly more conservative design for the memorial was agreed upon. The memorial's cost was approximately $3 million.^[9]

Construction commenced amid some opposition. The Commission of Fine Arts never actually approved any design for the memorial and even published a pamphlet in 1939 opposing both the proposed design and site for the memorial. Additionally, some Washingtonians opposed the proposed location for it because it did not align with L'Enfant's original plan for the city, and many established elm and cherry trees, including rare stock donated by Japan in 1912,^[10] would be removed under the memorial's original plan. Construction continued amid the opposition,^[3] which included women protestors chaining themselves to cherry trees around the construction site. Opposition to the memorial proved dismaying to Roosevelt, but the opposition diminished notably once revised plans identified a means for maintaining the surrounding cherry trees amidst the memorial's construction.^[10]

In 1939, the Memorial Commission hosted a competition to select a sculptor for the planned Jefferson statue to be placed in the center of the memorial. They received 101 entries and chose six finalists. Of the six, Rudulph Evans was chosen as the main sculptor, and Adolph A. Weinman was chosen to sculpt the pediment relief situated above the memorial's entrance.^[3]

Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. designed the memorial landscape, which featured a simple design within a circular driveway including primarily Evergreen trees with limited flowering trees or shrubs. The design was perceived as too thin, so white pines and some other plantings were later added before the memorial's dedication in 1943. In the 1970s, nearly three decades after the memorial's opening, additional changes to Olmsted's landscaping were implemented. But in 1993 and 2000, attempts to restore the integrity of Olmsted's initial design were made.^[11] Roosevelt ordered trees be cut so that the Jefferson Memorial was clearly visible from the White House; additional tree pruning was also completed to create an unobstructed view between the Jefferson Memorial and Lincoln Memorial.^[11]

On April 13, 1943, the 200th anniversary of Jefferson's birthday, the Jefferson Memorial was officially dedicated and opened by Roosevelt. At the time, Evans' statue had not yet been finished due to material shortages that emerged during World War II. Instead, the memorial opened with a temporary plaster cast statue similar to the bronze statue that Evans ultimately completed four years later, in 1947. The statue's cast was developed by Roman Bronze Works in New York City.^[3]

Following history

On October 15, 1966, in recognition of the Jefferson Memorial's historical and artistic significance, the Jefferson Memorial was named to the National Register of Historic Places.^[1]^[6]

On September 2, 2020, there was a task force known as the District of Columbia Facilities and Commemorative Expressions (DCFACES), created in a response to the George Floyd protests by Washington D.C Mayor Muriel Bowser, who published a report which recommended "renaming, relocating or adding context to dozens of monuments, schools, parks and buildings in [Washington, D.C.] because of their namesakes participation in slavery or racial oppression". In the report, “DCFACES” had advised Mayor Bowser to request and convince the U.S. federal government to "remove, relocate, or contextualize" the Jefferson Memorial due to Thomas Jefferson's ownership of slaves.^[12]

Description and features

Exterior

The Jefferson Memorial is composed of circular marble steps, a portico, a circular colonnade of Ionic order columns, and a shallow dome. The building is open to the elements. It has a diameter of approximately 165 feet (50 m).^[9]

The memorial is constructed with white Imperial Danby marble taken from Vermont, which rests on a series of granite and marble-stepped terraces. A flight of granite and marble stairs and platforms, flanked by granite buttresses, leads up to the memorial from the Tidal Basin to a portico with a triangular pediment.^{[citation needed]}

The pediment features a sculpture by Adolph Alexander Weinman depicting the Committee of Five, the five members of the committee charged with drafting the U.S. Declaration of Independence. In addition to Jefferson, who was the primary author, committee members included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman. A cornice with an egg and dart molding surrounds this pediment, and below that is a plain frieze.^[11]

Interior

The memorial's interior has a 19 feet (5.8 m) tall, 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) bronze statue^[14] of Jefferson developed by sculptor Rudulph Evans.^[14] The statue was added four years after the dedication. Among many Jefferson quotes inside the memorial, one of the most prominently situated are those inscribed in the frieze below the dome: "I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."^[15] This sentence is taken from a letter written by Jefferson on September 23, 1800,^[16] to Benjamin Rush in which Jefferson defends the constitutional refusal to recognize a state religion.

On the panel of the southwest interior wall are excerpts from the United States Declaration of Independence:^[17]

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, that to secure these rights governments are instituted among men. We...solemnly publish and declare, that these colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent states...And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.

The inscription uses the word "inalienable", as appears in Jefferson's draft rather than "unalienable" as ultimately appeared in the final Declaration.^[18]

On the panel of the northwest interior wall is a quote from the 1777 Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, which excludes the quote's final sentence and is taken from an August 28, 1789, letter Jefferson wrote to James Madison:^[17]^[19]

Almighty God hath created the mind free...All attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens...are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion...No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship or ministry or shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but all men shall be free to profess and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion. I know but one code of morality for men whether acting singly or collectively.

The Jefferson quotes from the panel on the northeast interior wall come from multiple sources. The first, which begins "God who gave us life gave us liberty" is from A Summary View of the Rights of British America.^[20] The second, third, and fourth sentences are from Notes on the State of Virginia.^[21] The fifth quote, which begins "Nothing is more certainly written in the book of fate than that these people are to be free" is from Jefferson's autobiography.^[22] The sixth sentence, beginning "Establish the law...", is from a letter of August 13, 1786, to George Wythe.^[23] The final sentence is from a letter of January 4, 1786, to George Washington:^[17]^[24]

God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever. Commerce between master and slave is despotism. Nothing is more certainly written in the book of fate than these people are to be free. Establish the law for educating the common people. This it is the business of the state to effect and on a general plan.

The inscription on the panel of the southeast interior wall is excerpted from Jefferson's July 12, 1816, letter to Samuel Kercheval:^[17]^[25]

I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions. But laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.

A lower level of the structure contains a gift shop and a museum focusing on Jefferson's life and political career.

Location

Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial — Washington Monument (left) and Jefferson Memorial (right) with the Tidal Basin in the foreground

The monument is located in West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., on the shore of the Potomac River's Tidal Basin. The park is enhanced with the massed planting of Japanese cherry blossom trees, which pre-dated the memorial's construction and were a 1912 gift from the people of Japan.^[26]

Although the Jefferson Memorial is geographically removed from other buildings and monuments in Washington, D.C., the National Mall, and Washington Metro, the memorial plays host to many events and ceremonies each year, including memorial exercises, the Easter Sunrise Service, and the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival, and ranks highly among destinations for visitors to the city each year.^[26]

Gallery

Main entry
Portico ceiling
Bronze statue and dome ceiling
Dome ceiling and frieze
Exterior columns
"We Hold These Truths"
"God Who Gave Us Life"
"I Am Not an Advocate for Frequent Changes..."
"Almighty God Hath Created the Mind Free..."
Thousands of people visit the Memorial each year
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Jefferson Memorial sunset
Jefferson Memorial with the Washington Monument in background
Tidal Basin view in March 2016
Jefferson Memorial looking Northeast
Jefferson Memorial at night
Jefferson Memorial looking North

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
^ Shalett, Sidney. "President Roosevelt Dedicates a National Memorial to Thomas Jefferson." New York Times. 14 April 1943,1. Retrieved on October 7, 2008
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Documentation of the Jefferson Memorial. Office of the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER), of the National Park Service. September 1994. Library of Congress. Retrieved October 13, 2008
^ The Pantheon: From Antiquity to the Present. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-80932-0.
^ Torres, Louis (1984), "To the immortal name and memory of George Washington": The United States Army Corps of Engineers and the Construction of the Washington Monument (PDF), Washington, D.C.: US Government Printing Office, archived from the original (PDF) on June 24, 2016, retrieved April 11, 2018
^ ^a ^b Donald C. Pfanz (January 12, 1981). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Thomas Jefferson Memorial". National Park Service.
^ America's Favorite Architecture. American Institute of Architecture. Archived May 8, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 14, 2008
^ . February 23, 2015. p. 34 https://web.archive.org/web/20150223072356/http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/ncr/tidal_basin_hsr.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 23, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2023. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^ ^a ^b "Thomas Jefferson Memorial--Presidents: A Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary". www.nps.gov. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
^ ^a ^b Hendrix, Steve (March 30, 2019). "'Stop the massacre!': When women chained themselves to Washington's cherry trees". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Thomas Jefferson Memorial Features". National Park Service. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
^ "Bowser task force targets Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, dozens more". www.nbcnews.com. Associated Press. September 2, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
^ Ellis, Joseph (2007). American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic. New York: Knopf. pp. 55–56. ISBN 978-0-307-26369-8.
^ ^a ^b No Author. "Model of building for Jefferson Memorial." New York Times. March 7, 1943, 13-13. Retrieved October 7, 2008
^ interview Archived June 28, 2014, at the Wayback Machine October 16, 2012, with Stephen Colbert, Playboy.com
^ "From Revolution to Reconstruction: Presidents: Thomas Jefferson: Letters: I HAVE SWORN UPON THE ALTAR OF GOD". Archived from the original on December 10, 2006. Retrieved August 2, 2004.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Quotations on the Jefferson Memorial". Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. monticello.org. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
^ "Unalienable / Inalienable". ushistory.org. Archived from the original on October 2, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
^ Jefferson, Thomas (1904–1905). "TO JAMES MADISON 1, Aug. 28, 1789". In Paul Leicester Ford (ed.). The Works of Thomas Jefferson. Vol. 5 (Federal ed.). New York and London: G.P. Putnam's Sons. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
^ Jefferson, Thomas (1905). Andrew A. Lipscomb and Albert Ellery Bergh (ed.). The Writings of Thomas Jefferson. Vol. 1. p. 211.
^ Paul Leicester Ford, ed. (1904–1905). The Works of Thomas Jefferson. Vol. 4, Notes On Virginia, QUERY XVIII, The particular customs and manners that may happen to be received in that State?. New York and London: G.P. Putnam's Sons. pp. 82–84. Archived from the original on May 16, 2010. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
^ Jefferson, Thomas (1904–1905). "AUTOBIOGRAPHY 1743–1790". In Paul Leicester Ford (ed.). The Works of Thomas Jefferson. Vol. 1 (Federal ed.). New York and London: G.P. Putnam's Sons. p. 77. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
^ Jefferson, Thomas. "Letter Wythe "A CRUSADE AGAINST IGNORANCE" To George Wythe Paris, August 13, 1786 1786081". Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on December 15, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
^ Jefferson, Thomas. "Thomas Jefferson letter to George Washington, 4 January 1786". FamilyTales. Archived from the original on April 10, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
^ Jefferson, Thomas Teaching American History Archived May 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Teaching American History
^ ^a ^b "Cherry Blossom History". National Park Service. Retrieved January 13, 2009.

This article incorporates public domain material from Thomas Jefferson Memorial Features. National Park Service.

Bibliography

Bedford, Steven McLeod, John Russell Pope: Architect of Empire, Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., New York, NY 1998
Goode, James M. The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington D.C., Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C. 1974
The National Parks: Index 2001–2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.

External links

Trust for the National Mall: Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Official NPS website: Thomas Jefferson Memorial
"Nothing is more certainly written in the book of fate..." Archived April 22, 2021, at the Wayback Machine in its original context
Three-dimensional rendering of Jefferson Memorial Archived January 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine (without plugin; in English, Spanish, German)
Jefferson Memorial History and Fun Facts

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.

[2] Shalett, Sidney. "President Roosevelt Dedicates a National Memorial to Thomas Jefferson." New York Times. 14 April 1943,1. Retrieved on October 7, 2008

[LOC-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Documentation of the Jefferson Memorial. Office of the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER), of the National Park Service. September 1994. Library of Congress. Retrieved October 13, 2008

[4] The Pantheon: From Antiquity to the Present. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-80932-0.

[5] Torres, Louis (1984), "To the immortal name and memory of George Washington": The United States Army Corps of Engineers and the Construction of the Washington Monument (PDF), Washington, D.C.: US Government Printing Office, archived from the original (PDF) on June 24, 2016, retrieved April 11, 2018

[nrhpinv2-6] Donald C. Pfanz (January 12, 1981). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Thomas Jefferson Memorial". National Park Service.

[7] America's Favorite Architecture. American Institute of Architecture. Archived May 8, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 14, 2008

[8] . February 23, 2015. p. 34 https://web.archive.org/web/20150223072356/http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/ncr/tidal_basin_hsr.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 23, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2023. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

[:0-9] "Thomas Jefferson Memorial--Presidents: A Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary". www.nps.gov. Retrieved November 1, 2019.

[Hendrix30Mar-10] Hendrix, Steve (March 30, 2019). "'Stop the massacre!': When women chained themselves to Washington's cherry trees". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 19, 2019.

[NPS-11] "Thomas Jefferson Memorial Features". National Park Service. Retrieved November 11, 2016.

[12] "Bowser task force targets Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, dozens more". www.nbcnews.com. Associated Press. September 2, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2024.

[American_Creation-13] Ellis, Joseph (2007). American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic. New York: Knopf. pp. 55–56. ISBN 978-0-307-26369-8.

[sculptor-14] No Author. "Model of building for Jefferson Memorial." New York Times. March 7, 1943, 13-13. Retrieved October 7, 2008

[15] interview Archived June 28, 2014, at the Wayback Machine October 16, 2012, with Stephen Colbert, Playboy.com

[16] "From Revolution to Reconstruction: Presidents: Thomas Jefferson: Letters: I HAVE SWORN UPON THE ALTAR OF GOD". Archived from the original on December 10, 2006. Retrieved August 2, 2004.

[JMMonticello-17] "Quotations on the Jefferson Memorial". Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. monticello.org. Retrieved August 11, 2012.

[18] "Unalienable / Inalienable". ushistory.org. Archived from the original on October 2, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2012.

[19] Jefferson, Thomas (1904–1905). "TO JAMES MADISON 1, Aug. 28, 1789". In Paul Leicester Ford (ed.). The Works of Thomas Jefferson. Vol. 5 (Federal ed.). New York and London: G.P. Putnam's Sons. Retrieved August 11, 2012.

[20] Jefferson, Thomas (1905). Andrew A. Lipscomb and Albert Ellery Bergh (ed.). The Writings of Thomas Jefferson. Vol. 1. p. 211.

[21] Paul Leicester Ford, ed. (1904–1905). The Works of Thomas Jefferson. Vol. 4, Notes On Virginia, QUERY XVIII, The particular customs and manners that may happen to be received in that State?. New York and London: G.P. Putnam's Sons. pp. 82–84. Archived from the original on May 16, 2010. Retrieved August 11, 2012.

[22] Jefferson, Thomas (1904–1905). "AUTOBIOGRAPHY 1743–1790". In Paul Leicester Ford (ed.). The Works of Thomas Jefferson. Vol. 1 (Federal ed.). New York and London: G.P. Putnam's Sons. p. 77. Retrieved August 11, 2012.

[23] Jefferson, Thomas. "Letter Wythe "A CRUSADE AGAINST IGNORANCE" To George Wythe Paris, August 13, 1786 1786081". Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on December 15, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2012.

[24] Jefferson, Thomas. "Thomas Jefferson letter to George Washington, 4 January 1786". FamilyTales. Archived from the original on April 10, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2012.

[25] Jefferson, Thomas Teaching American History Archived May 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Teaching American History

[CherryBlossoms-26] "Cherry Blossom History". National Park Service. Retrieved January 13, 2009.

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v t e Thomas Jefferson
3rd President of the United States (1801–1809) 2nd Vice President of the United States (1797–1801) 1st United States Secretary of State (1790–1793) U.S. Minister to France (1785–1789) Delegate to the Congress of the Confederation (1783–1784) 2nd Governor of Virginia (1779–1781) Delegate to the Second Continental Congress (1775–1776) Delegate, Fifth Virginia Convention (1776)
Founding documents of the United States	A Summary View of the Rights of British America (1774) Olive Branch Petition (1775) Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms (1775) Declaration of Independence (1776) Committee of Five physical history "All men are created equal" "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" "Consent of the governed" Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1786) Land Ordinance of 1784 Land Ordinance of 1785
French Revolution	Co-author, Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789)
Presidency	Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves Louisiana Purchase Lewis and Clark Expedition Empire of Liberty Dunbar and Hunter Expedition Red River Expedition Pike Expedition Cumberland Road Embargo Act of 1807 Chesapeake–Leopard affair Non-Intercourse Act First Barbary War Native American policy Burr conspiracy Marbury v. Madison West Point Military Academy State of the Union Addresses 1801 1802 1805 Cabinet Federal judicial appointments
Other noted accomplishments	Early life and career Franco-American alliance Founder, University of Virginia history Ratification Day Anti-Administration party Democratic-Republican Party Jeffersonian democracy Coinage, Weights, and Measures report (1790) Residence Act Compromise of 1790 Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions A Manual of Parliamentary Practice (1801) Jefferson disk Swivel chair Megalonyx
Jeffersonian architecture	Barboursville Farmington Monticello gardens Poplar Forest University of Virginia The Rotunda The Lawn Jefferson Hall Virginia State Capitol White House Colonnades
Other writings	The Papers of Thomas Jefferson Notes on the State of Virginia (1785) Pyratical states of Barbary proposals (1786) European journey memorandums (1787) Indian removal letters The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth (c. 1819) Jefferson manuscript collection Founders Online
Related	American Enlightenment American Philosophical Society Founding Fathers of the United States Historical reputation Jefferson and education Religious views Jefferson and slavery Jefferson and the Library of Congress Jefferson Pier Pet mockingbird National Gazette Sally Hemings Jefferson–Hemings controversy Betty Hemings Separation of church and state Tufton Farm Governor's Palace (Williamsburg, Virginia) Virginia dynasty Ward republic
Elections	Presidential elections 1796 1800 1804
Legacy and memorials	Bibliography Jefferson Memorial Mount Rushmore Birthday Thomas Jefferson Building Jefferson River Jefferson Territory Jefferson Lecture Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Thomas Jefferson Star for Foreign Service Statues Karl Bitter Louisville University of Virginia David d'Angers Jefferson Literary and Debating Society Thomas Jefferson Foundation Jefferson Lab Monticello Association Jefferson City, Missouri Jefferson College Thomas Jefferson University Washington and Jefferson National Forests Peaks and mountains Jefferson Rock Other placenames Jefferson–Jackson Day Currency depictions Jefferson nickel Two-dollar bill Louisiana Purchase Exposition gold dollar 250th Anniversary silver dollar U.S. postage stamps
Cultural depictions	The Patriots (1946 play) 1776 1969 musical 1972 film Jefferson in Paris (1995 film) Thomas Jefferson (1997 film) John Adams (2008 miniseries) Jefferson's Garden (2015 play) Hamilton (2015 musical) Wine bottles controversy Cultural depictions of Sally Hemings
Family	Martha Jefferson (wife) Martha Jefferson Randolph (daughter) Mary Jefferson Eppes (daughter) Harriet Hemings (daughter) Madison Hemings (son) Eston Hemings (son) Thomas J. Randolph (grandson) George W. Randolph (grandson) Ellen Randolph Coolidge (granddaughter) Cornelia Jefferson Randolph (granddaughter) Francis Eppes (grandson) John Wayles Jefferson (grandson) Sarah N. Randolph (great-granddaughter) T. Jefferson Coolidge (great-grandson) Frederick Madison Roberts (great-grandson) Peter Jefferson (father) Jane Randolph Jefferson (mother) Lucy Jefferson Lewis (sister) Randolph Jefferson (brother) Peter Carr (nephew) Samuel Carr (nephew) Dabney Carr (nephew) Dabney S. Carr (grand-nephew) Isham Randolph (grandfather) William Randolph (great-grandfather) Henry Soane (2nd great-grandfather)
← John Adams James Madison → ← John Adams Aaron Burr → Category

v t e Landmarks of Washington, D.C.
Memorials	Adams African American Civil War American Veterans Disabled for Life John Barry Belmont–Paul Women's Equality National Monument Mary McLeod Bethune Boy Scout James Buchanan John Carroll D.C. War Albert Einstein Emancipation Dwight D. Eisenhower John Ericsson David Farragut First Division Thomas Gallaudet James A. Garfield Kahlil Gibran Samuel Gompers Ulysses S. Grant Holocaust Museum Holodomor Genocide Andrew Jackson Japanese American Patriotism During World War II Jefferson Memorial Lyndon Baines Johnson Grove John Paul Jones Marquis de Lafayette Law Enforcement Officers Lincoln Memorial statue Martin Luther King, Jr. Korean War Veterans George Mason George B. McClellan George Meade Peter Muhlenberg National Statuary Hall Collection Navy – Merchant Marine Nuns of the Battlefield Peace Monument John J. Pershing Second Division Signers of the Declaration of Independence The Extra Mile Three Soldiers Jean de Rochambeau Franklin Delano Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Island Taras Shevchenko Statues of the Liberators Oscar Straus Robert A. Taft Titanic United States Navy Victims of Communism Vietnam Veterans Vietnam Women's Washington Monument Daniel Webster World War I World War II Rainbow Pool
Other	Basilica of the Immaculate Conception Blair House Capitol Reflecting Pool Congressional Cemetery DAR Constitution Hall Exorcist steps First Air Mail Marker Ford's Theatre Petersen House Frederick Douglass National Historic Site Healy Hall Hillwood Estate and Museum Islamic Center Jefferson Pier John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Library of Congress Jefferson Adams Madison National Arboretum National Capitol Columns National Building Museum National Gallery of Art Lincoln's Cottage at Soldiers' Home Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool National Archives National Cathedral National Mall Octagon House Old Post Office Old Stone House Smithsonian Institution St. John's Episcopal Church The Arts of War and The Arts of Peace Tidal Basin Treasury Building Freedman's Bank Building Tudor Place Union Station United States Capitol Capitol Hill Dome Rotunda United States Supreme Court Building Watergate complex White House Willard Hotel
Parks and plazas	Constitution Gardens Dupont Circle East Potomac Park Farragut Square Freedom Plaza Lafayette Square L'Enfant Plaza Meridian Hill Park National Arboretum Pershing Park President's Park Rock Creek Park The Ellipse Union Square United States Botanic Garden West Potomac Park
Boundaries	Anacostia River Arlington Memorial Bridge Boundary markers of the original District of Columbia Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Constitution Avenue Francis Scott Key Bridge Pennsylvania Avenue Potomac River Zero Milestone
Nearby landmarks	Arlington National Cemetery Tomb of the Unknown Soldier John F. Kennedy gravesite Arlington House Marine Corps War Memorial Mount Vernon Netherlands Carillon Pentagon Pentagon Memorial United States Air Force Memorial Women in Military Service for America Memorial
Planned	Adams Memorial National Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial National Liberty Memorial Peace Corps Commemorative
Canceled	George Washington Memorial Building Gold Star Mothers National Monument Mammy memorial National Slave Memorial
Related	National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission National Mall and Memorial Parks List of National Historic Landmarks in Washington, D.C. National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C.
Public art in Washington, D.C. (American Revolution Statuary, Civil War Monuments, Commemorating African-Americans, Outdoor sculpture)

v t e John Adams
2nd President of the United States (1797–1801) 1st Vice President of the United States (1789–1797) U.S. Minister to the United Kingdom (1785–1788) U.S. Minister to the Netherlands (1782–1788) Delegate to the Second Continental Congress (1775–1778) Delegate to the First Continental Congress (1774)
Founding of the United States	Braintree Instructions (1765) Boston Massacre defense Continental Association Petition to the King United Colonies Thoughts on Government (1776) Lee Resolution (seconded) Declaration of Independence May 15 preamble Committee of Five Model Treaty Treaty of Amity and Commerce Treaty of Alliance Board of War Chairman of the Marine Committee, 1775-1779 Continental Navy Staten Island Peace Conference Conference House Constitution of Massachusetts (1780) Treaty of Paris, 1783 Diplomacy
Elections	United States presidential election 1788–1789 1792 1796 1800
Presidency	Inauguration Quasi War with France XYZ Affair United States Department of the Navy Commerce Protection Act United States Marine Corps Convention of 1800 Mississippi Organic Act Alien and Sedition Acts Naturalization Act of 1798 Sick and Disabled Seamen Relief Act Marine Hospital Service Bankruptcy Act of 1800 Indiana Organic Act Slave Trade Act of 1800 District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801 Navy Department Library Treaty of Tellico Treaty of Tripoli Midnight Judges Act Marbury v. Madison State of the Union Address (1797 1798 1799 1800) Presidential transition of Thomas Jefferson Cabinet Federal judiciary appointments
Other writings	Massachusetts Historical Society holdings Adams Papers Editorial Project A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Letters of Mrs. Adams, the Wife of John Adams Founders Online Gray v. Pitts
Life and homes	Early life and education Adams National Historical Park John Adams Birthplace Family home and John Quincy Adams birthplace Peacefield Stone Library Massachusetts Hall, Harvard University Presidents House, Philadelphia Co-founder and second president, American Academy of Arts and Sciences United First Parish Church and gravesite
Legacy	Bibliography List of memorials Adams Memorial (proposed) John Adams Building John Adams Courthouse Jefferson Memorial pediment U.S. Postage stamps Treaty of Paris (1783 painting) USS Adams (1799) USS John Adams (1799) USS Adams (1874) USS President Adams (1941) USS John Adams (1963) Adams House at Harvard University Mount Adams (New Hampshire, Washington) Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence
Popular culture	Profiles in Courage (1964 series) American Primitive (1969 play) 1776 (1969 musical 1972 film) The Adams Chronicles (1976 miniseries) Liberty! (1997 documentary series) Liberty's Kids (2002 animated series) John Adams (2001 book 2008 miniseries) John and Abigail Adams (2006 documentary film) Sons of Liberty (2015 miniseries) Franklin (2024 miniseries)
Related	"Adams and Liberty" campaign song Adams' personal library American Enlightenment Congress Hall Federalist Party Federalist Era First Party System republicanism American Philosophical Society Gazette of the United States The American Museum American Revolution patriots Founding Fathers
Adams political family	Abigail Adams wife Quincy political family Abigail Adams Smith (daughter) John Quincy Adams son presidency Charles Adams (son) Thomas Boylston Adams (son) George Washington Adams (grandson) Charles Francis Adams Sr. (grandson) John Adams II (grandson) John Quincy Adams II (great-grandson) Henry Adams (great-grandson) Brooks Adams (great-grandson) John Adams Sr. (father) Susanna Boylston (mother) Samuel Adams (second cousin) Louisa Adams (daughter-in-law, first lady)
← George Washington Thomas Jefferson → Thomas Jefferson → Category

v t e Benjamin Franklin
President of Pennsylvania (1785–1788) Ambassador to France (1779–1785) Second Continental Congress (1775–1776)
Founding of the United States	Join, or Die. (1754 political cartoon) Albany Plan of Union Albany Congress Hutchinson letters affair Committee of Secret Correspondence Committee of Five "...to be self-evident" Declaration of Independence Model Treaty Franco-American alliance Treaty of Amity and Commerce Treaty of Alliance Staten Island Peace Conference 1776 Pennsylvania Constitution Libertas Americana Treaty of Paris, 1783 Delegate, 1787 Constitutional Convention Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly Postmaster General Founding Fathers
Inventions, other events	Franklin's electrostatic machine Bifocals Franklin stove Glass armonica Gulf Stream exploration, naming, and chart Lightning rod Kite experiment Pay it forward Associators 111th Infantry Regiment Junto club American Philosophical Society Library Company of Philadelphia Pennsylvania Hospital Academy and College of Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia Contributionship Union Fire Company Early American currency Continental Currency dollar coin Fugio cent United States Postal Service Street lighting President, Pennsylvania Abolition Society Master, Les Neuf Sœurs Gravesite
Writings	The Papers of Benjamin Franklin Founders Online Silence Dogood letters (1722) A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain (1725) The Busy-Body columns (1729) The Pennsylvania Gazette (1729–1790) Early American publishers and printers Poor Richard's Almanack (1732–1758) The Drinker's Dictionary (1737) "Advice to a Friend on Choosing a Mistress" (1745) "The Speech of Polly Baker" (1747) Observations Concerning the Increase of Mankind, Peopling of Countries, etc. (1751) Experiments and Observations on Electricity (1751) Birch letters (1755) The Way to Wealth (1758) Pennsylvania Chronicle (1767) Rules by Which a Great Empire May Be Reduced to a Small One (1773) Proposed alliance with the Iroquois (1775) A Letter to a Royal Academy (1781) Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America (1784) "The Morals of Chess" (1786) An Address to the Public (1789) A Plan for Improving the Condition of the Free Blacks (1789) The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (1771–1790, pub. 1791) Bagatelles and Satires (pub. 1845) Franklin as a journalist Franklin's phonetic alphabet
Legacy	Bibliography Franklin Court Benjamin Franklin House Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology Benjamin Franklin Parkway Benjamin Franklin National Memorial Franklin Institute awards medal Benjamin Franklin Medal Royal Society of Arts medal Depicted in The Apotheosis of Washington Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence Treaty of Paris (1783 painting) Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky (1816 painting) Revolutionary War Door Boston statue Chicago statue Columbus, Ohio, statue University of Pennsylvania statue Portland, Oregon, statue San Francisco statue Stanford University statue Washington D.C. statue Jefferson Memorial pediment Refunding Certificate Franklin half dollar One-hundred-dollar bill Franklin silver dollar Washington–Franklin stamps other stamps Cities, counties, schools named for Franklin Benjamin Franklin College Franklin Field Mount Franklin State of Franklin Sons of Ben (Philadelphia Union) Ships named USS Franklin Ben Franklin effect
In popular culture	Ben and Me (1953 short) Ben Franklin in Paris (1964 musical play) 1776 (1969 musical 1972 film) Benjamin Franklin (miniseries) (1972) A More Perfect Union (1989 film) Liberty! (1997 documentary series) Liberty's Kids (2002 animated series) Benjamin Franklin (2002 documentary series) John Adams (2008 miniseries) Sons of Liberty (2015 miniseries) Benjamin Franklin (2022 documentary) Franklin (2024 miniseries)
Related	Age of Enlightenment American Enlightenment The New-England Courant The American Museum magazine American Revolution patriots Syng inkstand
Family	Deborah Read (wife) William Franklin (son) Francis Franklin (son) Sarah Franklin Bache (daughter) William Franklin (grandson) Benjamin F. Bache (grandson) Louis F. Bache (grandson) Richard Bache Jr. (grandson) Andrew Harwood (great-grandson) Alexander Bache (great-grandson) Josiah Franklin (father) James Franklin (brother) Jane Mecom (sister) Mary Morrell Folger (grandmother) Peter Folger (grandfather) Richard Bache (son-in-law) Ann Smith Franklin (sister-in-law)
Category

v t e Robert Livingston
United States founding	Committee of Five (Declaration of Independence) New York Constitution (1777) United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs (1781-1783)
Events	Louisiana Purchase (negotiated) North River Steamboat
Legacy	Jefferson Memorial Committee of Five pediment Robert Livingston (1875 statue) SS Robert R. Livingston
Related	Robert Livingston (father) Edward Livingston (brother) Robert Livingston (grandfather) Clermont State Historic Site First inauguration of George Washington 1776 (1969 musical, 1972 film)

Authority control databases
International	FAST
National	United States
Other	NARA