I am Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was portrayed accurately for the most part in the movie. The film portrayed Jefferson as a prominent figure in both the First and Second Continental Congress. This was a very accurate representation as he was very influential. He was also chosen as the main writer of the Declaration of Independence. This was also accurate because Jefferson was well-known as a competent writer. After reading Jefferson's biography, I found that he was an outspoken patriot. Some even refer to his ideas as radical. I thought the film distorted this somewhat. Jefferson seemed very soft-spoken in the movie. His vote was always weighed heavily, but he never really voiced his opinion to the Congress. This seemed to contradict the background I read about him. As previously mentioned, Jefferson was the primary writer of the Declaration of Independence. His approval of the Declaration also acted to sway many of the questionable votes such as South Carolina and Delaware. Some interesting things I learned surround the death of Jefferson. He died on July 4, 1826, fifty years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. He also died hours before John Adams, one of his close friends and also a prominent figure in the signing of the Declaration of Independence.