湯瑪斯‧傑弗遜出生，1743年4月13日

傑弗遜33歲那年撰寫獨立宣言，並在1777年，為維吉尼亞州起草保障宗教自由州法提案 (在1786年通過) 。在1800年的選舉，他擊敗他的老朋友約翰亞當斯，成為新美國的總統。兩任總統屆滿，他退休回維吉尼亞的蒙提薩羅，他自己設計的住宅。他藏書甚多，把私人圖書館賣給國會，以充實國會的圖書典藏。這些圖書館藏書在1814年遭祝融全部毀損。看看傑弗遜在政治生涯當中的成就，你猜他對哪一項最感到驕傲？


Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence at the age of 33. He drafted the Virginia State Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom in 1777. (It was finally passed in 1786.) In the election of 1800, Jefferson beat out his old friend John Adams to become the third president of the new United States. After two terms as president, Jefferson retired to his home, Monticello, in Charlottesville, Virginia. A great collector of books, Jefferson sold his personal library to Congress to rebuild the collection of the Library of Congress. The Library's books had been destroyed by fire in 1814. Considering all Jefferson had done during his public life, can you guess what accomplishments he was most proud of?

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