Monticello | Jefferson's Three Greatest Achievements

“ "because by these, as testimonials that I have lived, I wish most to be remembered."”

—Thomas Jefferson, Design for Tombstone and Inscription, undated

Jefferson's drawing for his obelisk gravestone with his epitaph that includes the three things his wished most to be remembered for: the Declaration of Independence; the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and the University of Virginia.

What were Thomas Jefferson's greatest achievements? What did he most want to be remembered for?

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The Declaration of Independence

Learn how the Declaration of Independence went from the tip of Thomas Jefferson's quill to become one of the most influential documents in world history.
Encyclopedia
Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom

Thomas Jefferson wrote the Statue of Virginia for Religious Freedom and considered it one of his three greatest achievements.
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The University of Virginia

The "hobby" of Jefferson's old age