Show a 01 The Sage of o Mont DIt D o D- D D n nIt DIt It was at Monticello that Jefferson prepared the draught of instructions for Cor Virginias Virginia's delegation to the congress congress con eon gress which met at Philadelphia His activity In the cause of or the colonies brought him into special disfavor with the British and it was planned I to capture Jefferson at Monticello through Tarleton's raiders Jefferson was warned that the enemy was comIng coming coming com com- ing to Monticello and he sent his famIly family fam fam- ily awa away and he himself escaped on c Where Jefferson Wrote the Declaration Declara Declara- tl tion n of of Independence horseback The mansion at Monticello lo thanks to orders escaped escaped escaped es es- es- es serious s pillage or damage Though th the house itself was not plundered plundered plundered dered or burned the rest of at Jeffersons Jefferson's property suffered severely at t the tho hands bands of or the enem enemy All the stock and farm ann products that might be of oC service were carried off oct tho the rest being beIng be be- ing wantonly destroyed When Jefferson resigned from the Washington cabinet in 1704 he returned returned returned re re- re- re turned to Monticello to enjoy a a. retirement retire retire- ment which he intended should last many years ears But Dut this was was not to be Ho lIo w v as s elected vice-president vice In 1796 and In 1800 he be was chosen president pres pres- ident IdeaL in In March 1809 Jefferson after aCter a a nearly continuous public service service- of ot four forty years retired to Monticello l lo 10 and to private life lite but ho was so seriously Impoverished that he was not sure of being allowed to leave Washington without arrest by br his creditors but this fortunately he ho was able ible to prevent pre Toward the close of df t his life however he became distressIngly distressingly distress distress- embarrassed in his bis circum circum- stances In 1814 he sold his library to but hut through IndorsIng Indorsing In In- for friend a-friend be he was dorsing doming a a. no note to for a a. completely ruined and was in danger of Dr being compelled to surrender Monticello Monticello Monticello Mon Mon- and seek shelter for tor his last flay days In another abode But Dut wealthy wealth friends came to his bis assistance with witha a a. considerable sum of or mane money No cent of or this he wrote wrung from Crom the tho taxpayer It Is the pure lure and unsolicited offering of ot love lore In the thelast thelast thelast last severa seventeen teen years of at his life lIfo Jetterson Jetter- Jetter Jefferson son BOB lived like a a. patriarch among his admiring friends friends- The sage of or Monticello Mon Mon- was the tho most prominent man manIn manIn manin In private life lICe in tho the country Even Evento to the year of at his bis death ho he was a the land As s great cat moral force In I WWW the former ormer president the tIle purchaser of Louisiana the chaJ chastiser tiser of the Barbary Barbary Barbary Bar- Bar bary pirates the founder of ot the Univ University Uni Uni- v of Virginia as the scholar the philosopher and the savant he was was was' known the tIle world over OYer Every day for at least eight months in the year brought its contingent o guests to Monticello People of wealth ta fashion hion men of office professional men military and civil lawyers doctors doctors doctors doc doc- tors Protestant clergy Catholic priests members of or congress foreign ministers missionaries Indian agents tourists artists strangers friends Some came from affection and respect some from curiosity some to give or receive advise or instruction some from idleness some because others others' set the example And everybody who could not visit the sage of of Monticello Monticello Monticello Monti Monti- cello at least gave thought to the great retired man of the na nation ion Jefferson retained his health nearly to his last days das and had the happiness of living to the fiftieth anniversary of ot the Declaration of Independence He died at Monticello at 12 1240 40 p. p m. m on July 4 1826 He was burled in his hia own graveyard at Monticello beneath beneatha a stone upon which was engraved ved an Inscription prepared by his own hand Here Is burled buried Thomas Jefferson author of the Declaration of Independence ence of or the Statute of Virginia for Religious Liberty and Father of the University of Virginia The sage of Monticello stands today today to to- day next to the father of or his country country country coun coun- try in the esteem of the United States And this is as it should be for his wise counsel helped to establish establish establish lish this nation as firmly as did the arms and statesmanship of George Washington |