The primary author of the United States Declaration of Independence is immortalized at the Jefferson Memorial. Before he became Governor, Foreign Minister, Secretary of State, or two-term President, Thomas Jefferson wrote the bulk of the USA’s founding document at the ripe age of 33.

The monument sits on 19.2 acres of land on the shore of the Tidal Basin and was designed to match the Classical style of Jefferson’s home. At its center is a 19-foot tall bronze statue of Jefferson holding the Declaration of Independence.