10/25/08 Our nickel up close and personal

If you look at a nickel you will see our destination today. Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. He was quite a remarkable man as you know - an avid reader, reading in 6 languages besides English, a scientist, an architect, and a politician. His home is beautiful. Unfortunately it had to be sold after his death due to the large debt he had. The great irony of his life (as with several Founding Fathers) is that though he penned the Declaration of Independence he did not apply those same freedoms to his slaves. Even Lafayette, a strong abolitionist, told him so. He wrote his own epitaph – the 3 things he most wanted to be remembered for – author of the Declaration of Independence, author of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and founder of the University of Virginia. Of his many accomplishments, including President of the USA, these are what he was most proud of.