Monticello

October 5, 2024: Recently, I spent a day at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s home in Charlottesville, Virginia. I highly recommend the experience. A guided tour of his home, which he designed, sits on top of a hill (Monticello means small mountain), and a few hours at the nearby visitor center and museum provide a fascinating introduction to Jefferson’s widely diverse interests in architecture, farming, music, science, archaeology, public education, political philosophy, and his political career and contributions to the nation. It’s also a look back at early American life and the cultural and intellectual environment of that time.

Since that visit, I have been doing light reading on Jefferson’s remarkable accomplishments and some of his shortcomings. He is one of the most studied figures in American history. There are thousands of books, articles, and essays by historians, scholars, and writers on Jefferson’s role as a founding father, his contributions to American democracy, and his complex personal life, as well as his contradictions, such as his ownership of slaves despite his advocacy for freedom.

Thomas Jefferson was a prolific reader and was heavily influenced by Enlightenment thinkers, particularly John Locke, Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He also drew inspiration from the writings of Voltaire and Adam Smith. Jefferson’s belief in natural rights, limited powers of government, and the separation of church and state can be traced back to these philosophers and their ideas.

When the British burned the U.S. Capitol in 1814, destroying the Library of Congress’s original collection, Thomas Jefferson offered to sell his personal library. A year later, Congress purchased Jefferson’s library, consisting of about 6,500 books, for $23,950, forming the basis for the new Library of Congress.

Thomas Jefferson organized his library according to the three faculties of the human mind: “memory”, “imagination” and “reason”.  Jefferson believed that these three faculties represented the essential components of human knowledge and understanding, and he organized his books accordingly. He categorized his books into sections that corresponded to these faculties, with history representing memory, literature representing imagination, and science and philosophy representing reason. This organizational system reflected Jefferson’s belief in the importance of a well-rounded education and his desire to make knowledge accessible and easily navigable in his library.

I have a modest library of books I’ve collected over the years. I find that the Jeffersonian method of organizing my library works very well. I also feel when I’m browsing around for an evening read, I’m paying homage to a fascinating American individual.