II.

Early Life

Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, at Shadwell in Albemarle County, Virginia. His father was a plantation owner, and his mother belonged to the Randolph family, which was prominent in colonial Virginia. From his father and from his environment he acquired an intense interest in botany, geology, cartography, and North American exploration, and from a childhood teacher a love of Greek and Latin. As a student at the College of William and Mary in the early 1760s, he studied under William Small, who knew in depth the Scottish Enlightenment, with its highly integrated approach to law, history, philosophy, and science. In George Wythe, he found an equally gifted teacher of the law. Jefferson was admitted to the bar in 1767 and first elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1769. His principal passion during his late 20s was the design and building of his home, Monticello. Despite several desultory courtships, he did not seriously consider marriage until 1770, when he met Martha Wayles Skelton, a wealthy widow of 23. They were married in 1772.