The selection of responses here about the public Jefferson range from the catalog of hall-of-fame resume items learned in "grade school" or "grammar school" to awareness that he's more complicated than that surface saintly image suggests.

On the one hand, Jefferson is a "good man," the "classic American hero," a "masterpiece of a human being," someone to be revered. On the other, however, he's "onion-like," a "great mystery," a "walking paradox," maybe a "hypocrite."

So here, in no particular order, is an interesting variety of perspectives. No need to read them all. Browse. Let your eyes drift down the page. Or jump around. Find conventional consonances as well as intriguing clashes. Is there one voice here that speaks for you? Or a blend of voices? Or if not, what would you add to a chorus of comments such as this?

Where do you stand on the public Jefferson? At this very early stage of our study, who is "your" Jefferson?

And then let's see what happens when you consider, perhaps for the first time, the possibility of a private Jefferson who might be at odds with the public one.

1) Grade-school history
All I know about Thomas Jefferson is what I learned in history classes in grade school. I know that he was one of the most influential "Founding Fathers," the third U.S President, the honorary father of the modern Democratic Party, and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. He was behind the powerful words of the Declaration that became the foundation for one of the most powerful countries of our lifetimes. I also know about the major accomplishments that occurred during his presidency, including The Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the United States, and the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which significantly advanced geographic and scientific knowledge of North America. The only fact that was ever negatively attributed to him in a history book was that he owned hundreds of slaves--a sign of wealth in the time that he was alive, yet he publicly criticized slavery and claimed it was absolutely evil. However, throughout his lifetime, he was a major political force, who kept his private life under wraps--including his treatment of those slaves.
Samantha Gerstein

2) Not much
I feel as though I've grown up knowing little more about Thomas Jefferson than that he was a US president sometime after George Washington and before Abraham Lincoln.
Mary O'Reilly

3) A negative image
I know Jefferson's considered a great hero, but, besides writing the Declaration of Independence, I cannot pinpoint exact accomplishments or qualities of this revered president. I cannot tell you much more about Jefferson's greatness other than that famous document. On the other hand, through my courses in Africana Studies I have been exposed to Notes of the State of Virginia, which details Jefferson's ideas of African Americans. His racist discourse has created a negative image of this supposed American leader. Thus, the vague notions of greatness that surround this man's legacy fail to take hold in my mind.
Erica Prosser

4) Grammar-school history
My knowledge of Thomas Jefferson has been limited to what I learned in grammar school -- third president of the United States, wrote the Declaration of Independence, and a highly appreciated Renaissance man of his time. Citizens should find comfort in the fact that such an intelligent and polished man helped to create what the United States is today. His accomplishments and inventions are quite remarkable.
Alexandra Neumann

5) Permeating and lasting effects
Thomas Jefferson was and still does remain a distinguished man in the history of America. A Founding Father and the author of the Declaration of Independence, he distinctively exemplified and worked towards a country of freedom in every sense: political, religious, and intellectual. He prevails as a very prominent voice for liberty. In addition to his political beliefs regarding the freedom of America, Jefferson also was a man of intellect and clemency. His many wise decisions and endeavors, such as the Louisiana Purchase, strengthened America on many behalves. His permeating and lasting effects are brilliantly reflected in his lasting estate, Monticello. Monticello is said to be a masterpiece of Jefferson, and it is still visited by many in remembrance of our third president.
Kiersten Moore

6) Permanent revolution
Jefferson advocated "permanent revolution": all governmental institutions and laws should be reviewed and challenged (and then subsequently either abolished or renewed) at least every twenty years. No national debt accrued could outlive that same timescale. If you didn't have this type of constant revolution, you are simply being ruled from the grave by your governmental predecessors who were working under a different set of facts and circumstances. Jefferson also advocated small federal and even state government, but local politics on the "ward" level should be huge. Ideally, every single white, adult male would have a say on how his government is run on a local scale.
Eric Edgerton

7) Perfection tested
Jefferson was a true "man of learning" who had a genuine passion for a variety of subjects aside from politics, including religion, astronomy, and horticulture, just to name a few. He had a humble nature behind the podium, so mild that he was almost inaudible. He wore simple clothing, his top priorities being "neat" and "comfy." But like many men of his time, his perfection is tested when the topic of slavery is brought into the mix. How can a man who publicly declared in one of the nation's most famous documents that "all men are created equal" reconcile the fact that he himself owned slaves? How can a man with such vision simply write off the problem of slavery for the next generation, claiming "as it is, we have the wolf by the ears and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go"?
Jennifer Markham

8) The most influental American
As one of the writers of the Declaration of Independence, the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, is one of the most influential people of his time -- and quite possibly the history of this great country. Outside of structuring the document that created this country, Jefferson also helped establish our nation's banking and currency system and made without a doubt one of America's smartest moves by finalizing the Louisiana purchase and obtaining land that consists of almost one-third of our current national territory. Outside of his work in creating our nation and its backbone, Jefferson also had many other interests that we still know him for today. One of Jefferson's main hobbies and skills was architecture, which we can see from the exquisite Monticello. Along with the monument in Washington D.C., Jefferson's name and legacy is spread throughout our country by schools, streets, and institutions named in his honor. With all Jefferson has done for our country, it is safe to say Thomas Jefferson is one of the most, if not the most influential American since its creation.
Brandon Leonard

9) Revere him
The intellectual founder of a nation born of Revolution, Jefferson's persona lives up to his reputation; the third president was a scientist, architect, philosopher, theologian, agrarian innovator, and collector of exotic curios. Thomas Jefferson just might really be the most interesting man in the world. I have been to his memorial in Washington D.C., visited Monticello and Mount Rushmore, and for sure the greatness of this man echoes from all of his tokens, yet of the accomplishments of this man who wore so many hats, he chose only to have his grave stone acknowledge his writing of the Declaration of Independence, founding the University of Virginia, and his statute on Religious Freedom. But Jefferson's fatal flaw was that he owned slaves. And though his eloquent words have been uttered by every people who have sought independence, he was soft-spoken at the podium. Bottom line, Jefferson was just a man, even though the world has held him in such high esteem. Indeed, we should all revere him if we revere our freedom!
Kiernan McGinnis

10) No one is that honorable
My knowledge of Thomas Jefferson is limited to the fairy tale version. To me he has been just another dead guy who did some very important things a few hundred years ago. I knew he was the man responsible for the Declaration of Independence, but whether this knowledge is a result of my education or watching "National Treasure" a few too many times, I don't know. The Monticello website of course calls him a genius and highlights his greatest accomplishment. If anyone were to stumble onto my website, they could learn about my writing, awards, and work experience -- they won't find information about that party I went to last weekend or the class I dropped. Everyone wants their best self in the public eye. There is a reason private life is called private. Even if one wanted to get a grasp on who Jefferson really was, it would be a difficult task, most of the information presented about him is surface. His interest, hobbies, daily life, etc. are readily available but no deep insight into what drove Jefferson can be found. Who are we kidding? No one is that honorable, not even a president.
Sarah Freeman

11) Calling us to a higher place
Thomas Jefferson was a conflicted man. I'm a conflicted man. I appreciate knowing (or, at least, being able to think) that one of the most intelligent, inquiring, intellectual men in our history was conflicted. As the historian in the Burns film said, he "knew what he was saying" when he wrote the famous opening to the Declaration of Independence." And I believe he knew full well that it "simply cannot be reconciled with the institution of slavery." He was calling us to a higher place. And calling himself along with us.
Greg King

12) The problem of hypocrisy
The only problem now is slavery and viewing Jefferson as hypocritical. Why did he not free the slaves, or at least his slaves, after writing what he did? To me the answer is pretty simple. He had a HUGE plantation, which needed workers, and I believe that his slaves were just that -- workers. I do not believe he treated his slaves any worse than any other person, and I believe he must have provided for them well, and kept them safe from those who would have mistreated them. On the scale of freeing all the slaves, we can reasonably assume that Jefferson wasn't stupid, being such a great leader and everything. To push that drastic of a change on his country would have been like building the gallows himself. Would you have signed your own death warrant?
Kevin Campbell

13) Great on the inside
Any man with enough class to write the words "all men are created equal" surely was a great man on the inside.
Erin Wildeman

14) Every person makes mistakes
It's obvious we all know basic information on Thomas Jefferson -- he wrote the Declaration of Independence and was one of our early presidents -- but through the use of the links and videos provided we learned about the quiet, inventive man that helped build our country into what it is today. His owning of slaves is supposed to detract from this in the eyes of many people, and while, yes, it is horrible act, it does not make his accomplishments any less important. Compare him to Bill Clinton: he made a mistake and committed acts that people thought were unbefitting of a president, but that did not minimize his achievements. Jefferson's actions cannot be excused because of his accomplishments, but his accomplishments cannot come out tarnished because of his actions. He was so many great things; he was compared to a sphinx, Mona Lisa, and Hamlet by the narrator in Ken Burns' introduction. Jefferson possessed some of the qualities of a great man but also some of the evil that lurks within every human. Perhaps he is the best example of the quote, "Practice what I preach, not what I do." Let Jefferson's actions take away from the hero he is seen as, not the differences he made.
Brandi Klotz

15) The great mystery
The United States of America, the nation we love, and the place we call home -- associated with this land are the governing ideals of equality put forward by Thomas Jefferson and our Founding Fathers. I have grown up believing in the principles and ethics resonating from the parchment that has written on it perhaps the most important document in our history, the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson decreed, in one of the most highly regarded sentences of all time, that "All men are created equal." But how could a man who claims to be a lover of freedom own fellow human beings as property? What was running through his mind as he signed the document allegedly providing freedom to all while at the same time denying unalienable rights to persons with more skin pigmentation? This is the great mystery puzzling the minds of Americans.
Raphael Khallouqi

16) Onion-like
To borrow a metaphor from the movie Shrek, I believe that, similar to ogres, Thomas Jefferson is much like an onion; he has many layers to his personality. The outer layer, the one that most people know and judge him by, depicts a strong leader that fits the image of a Founding Father. His most famous achievements include composing the Declaration of Independence and the Louisiana Purchase, both events that helped shape young America. If you begin to peel back the layers, however, Jefferson is much more than what an overview in the history book will tell you.
Keiko Akamine

17) Not dictating but merely inspiring
American culture fosters the image of Thomas Jefferson and the other founding fathers as gods, incapable of immorality or corruption. So how do we then reconcile what the Burns documentary describes as a "gap between his vision and his actual achievement as a human being"? Only when we wipe away our mythic perspective of Jefferson can we evaluate him. Jefferson was calling us all to a higher moral ground, including himself. When we begin to view his vision in this light -- that he was not dictating but merely inspiring a country of people to this common goal -- then the imperfections of his life do not necessarily undermine the power of his vision.
Maxine McCoy

18) A good man
My knowledge about Thomas Jefferson is pretty limited to middle and high school "Social Studies" classes. I think most Americans who aren't particularly well-versed in U.S. history have the same general perception of Jefferson: he was one of the most profound and significant people in the shaping of political America and he was a "good" man.
Samantha Feinberg

19) The classic American hero
I know very little about Jefferson. Freshman year I took "Intro to Political Thought," and we read some of his work. From what I remember, he was incredibly articulate -- not a very good speaker, according to Burns, but a remarkable writer. As a result, he wrote the Declaration of Independence and helped begin the first political party in America. The Monticello website reveals a classic, conservative home and adds to this "persona" that America has created for Jefferson. As we have all seen in our history books, Jefferson has been made out to be this classic "American Hero."
Abigail Harris-Shea

20) They knew what they were doing
I really didn't know much about Thomas Jefferson beyond that he wrote the Declaration of Independence and was the third president of the United States. However, the Burns intro video and the Monticello website revealed more to me about his character and philosophy. I find it surprising that he was a quiet man. The revolution was being spearheaded by boisterous, vocal leaders, but, here, our Founding Fathers decided to put the single most important document for the upcoming nation in the hands of someone who could barely be heard at the conventions. There had to be a certain, almost magical, quality to Jefferson that captured their complete trust.
Greg Jakes

21) The middle child
I can remember visiting Washington as a child and wondering why Jefferson's Memorial seemed so "off to the side." There were Washington and Lincoln right in the middle of everything, but we really had to make a point of walking down to the water's edge to see TJ. He's also on the nickel, of all things -- neither ubiquitous as the penny nor as valuable as the quarter: the middle child among the founding fathers. The question remained on later visits. Here were Washington and Lincoln -- Washington the great phallus, the Father of our Country, and Lincoln, god-like in thoughtful repose in his personal acropolis. And there is Jefferson looking pensive by the water. It seemed like an implicit 1-2-3 ranking of these three greats.
Stephen Molloy

22) A walking paradox
Thomas Jefferson has long been a symbol of American idealism. A well-rounded man, Jefferson was an architect, farmer, inventor, musician, scientist, host, and, most notably, the author of our most beloved American creed: the Declaration of Independence. Though Jefferson contributed greatly to our nation--whether in the form of writing the Declaration of Independence or expanding our land in the Louisiana Purchase--it seems as though Jefferson was contradictory in his actions. Yes, he wrote the Declaration wherein he states that "all men are created equal," but he was also the owner of many slaves. Jefferson's actions are a paradox: while he believed in equality, he owned slaves. As one of our founding fathers, Jefferson is revered as a man of good standing and clear values. Yet, upon further inspection, it seems as though Jefferson is quite the contrary. He is, in fact, a walking paradox.
Michelle Juarez

23) Hypocrisy
Once their education begins it is embedded in the mind of all young scholars in our country that Thomas Jefferson was a prestigious man of politics, science, and philosophy. His uncountable feats during the eighty-three years of his life contributed more to our country than any other man since his time. These students learn of his many accomplishments, from drafting the Declaration of Independence to eight years as the President of the country he helped form. They learn about his famous words "all men are created equal," but they learn about the hypocrisy behind this otherwise sensible line as well. It is widely known that Jefferson was an owner of almost two hundred slaves, yet he believed all men are created equal??? It is difficult to tell whether or not Jefferson holds this line true; he treated his slaves with respect, yet they were simultaneously his property. In other words, the human beings that Thomas Jefferson owned were not his equals but were, in fact, inferior to him.
Adin Greenwald

24) Pining for Martha
In my mid-twenties, I was cast as Jefferson in a production of the musical 1776. In the show, Jefferson is depicted as wanting to get the whole independence thing over with so that he can return to Virginia and his beloved wife, Martha. There are numerous suggestions in the script that TJ's pining for Martha is largely sexual. His work on the Declaration of Independence is stunted by a terrible case of writer's block until Adams and Franklin summon his wife to Philadelphia. Once refreshed, the Declaration is drafted and American History continues
Stephen Molloy

25) Did he believe those words?
Something I find so interesting about American History is the way in which it can be so easily manipulated by historians, teachers, parents, etc. I sometimes feel as though I never know the true story behind our history because I am simply learning history according to some random author or according to my sophomore-year high school history teacher. Jefferson was presented to me as a hero, but who is this man, really? It seems as though there are so many sides to these great actors of history that we could not even begin to see who they truly were and what their true intentions were. Did he really believe those words he spoke about all men being created equal??????
Alexandra Horowitz

26) A masterpiece of a human being
Burns presents Jefferson as a soft-spoken Renaissance man, revered enough by the Founding Fathers to be trusted with writing the Declaration because of his ability to so perfectly interpret the aspirations of the early American citizens. "If he were a painting, he would be the Mona Lisa," said Joseph Ellis, a historian in the video, which accentuates the image of Jefferson as a masterpiece of a human being. Viewing the beautiful diverse gardens and the awe-inspiring architecture of his grand home further highlights his worldly persona. I suppose people view Jefferson as sacred because we find comfort in the fact that a man as well-rounded as he helped structure the country we live in today.
Nelson Calero

27) Seeker of comfort and convenience
As I look at the depiction of Monticello online, I see at once Jefferson's innovative mind and his interest in his own comforts and conveniences. He clearly worked hard at everything he did, but he also devoted considerable effort to saving effort. I wonder if his relationship with Sally Hemings is a symptom of that part of his personality. For all his achievements, it seems he did seek comfort and convenience.
Stephen Molloy