Today we left our nice air-conditioned condo to head back to Washington DC. Grandpa decided to take a detour so we could visit Thomas Jefferson's estate MONTICELLO.
When we arrived we went through the interesting museum and learned a lot about Jefferson and his contributions in writing the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. We admired him for being able to listen to all of the discussion and debate and then write out the ideas in clear, concise language.
However by the time we finished touring Monticello we learned that Jefferson owned slaves and to our respect for him was reduced. It seemed like he was hypocritical for owning slaves.
We took a tour of his mansion. He used a lot of windows and skylights to get light into his house. He also invented some clever ideas to make life easier.
We visited the stables and the brewery and the kitchen. We had a chance to try writing with a quill pen. It was hard and our writing came out kind of blotchy.
We took a tour of Mulberry Row where the slaves lived. They had very small houses with few comforts. They were given a few basic food supplies each month and they were allowed to tend a vegetable patch on their own day off.
It was a long drive back to our house in Takoma Park, Washington DC. We've finally arrived and went right to bed, after turning on all the air-conditioners, of course.
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