Jefferson Memorial

Open Daily: 24 Hours a Day

" I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."
Thomas Jefferson - September 23, 1800

These words of Thomas Jefferson, inscribed in his memorial, might be called the heart of his political and social thinking. His opposition to tyranny in all its forms was repeatedly voiced. In the Declaration of Independence it appears in his famous phrase, "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by the Creator with certain inalienable rights..." Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the Nation he helped form. In this capacity he expanded its frontiers to include the Louisiana Territory. He also served as the first Secretary of State and the second Vice President under John Adams. But to Jefferson these were not his most significant contributions. He treasured one other achievement above all: that he founded the University of Virginia and designed the original buildings there. The Jefferson Memorial incorporates Jefferson's own architectural ideas and includes a larger than life statue in the center of the memorial depicting Jefferson wearing a fur collared coat standing as if he is addressing the Continental Congress.