My visit to Washington D.C. in 2007 was completely memorable, but learning about Thomas Jefferson is especially unforgettable.
This bronze statue of Jefferson is 19-foot (5.8 m) tall, and weighs 10,000 lb (4336 kg)
It was sculpted by Rudulph Evans, American, 1878-1960
Around the frieze below the memorial dome are his words:
"I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."
|
After my visit to Jefferson's Memorial, I've learned new respect for a man who valued and fought to preserve "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.". Jefferson also defended religious liberty, saying that it was according to "every man and his God" to determine. Just this phrasing shows he's honoring that we will each have individual interpretations of who that primordial God is. As he advised his nephew Peter Carr in 1787: "Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear." Source - http://wiki.monticello.org/ |
Scholars figure Jefferson wrote over 18,000 letters in his lifetime!
"When angry, count ten before you speak; if very angry, an hundred."
Thomas Jefferson to Thomas Jefferson Smith, February 21, 1825
This is view of the memorial after we went on our way to the Washington Monument...
Photos ©Joan Ann Lansberry, 2007-2011 (except letter excerpts of Jefferson)
Photos for "Photo Friday" Themes
Photo index
Home