rson left to study law. Thomas still studied French, Italian, and English history andliterature. In 1767, Jefferson was chosen to the practice of law in Virginia. Jefferson'smain source of income was his land. That’s because most lawyers didn’t make enoughmoney back then. On New Year's Day, 1772, Jefferson married Martha Wayles Skelton, a24-year-old widow. Patty (That’s Jefferson called her) shared her husband's love of musicand played the harpsichord and piano. The marriage was happy, except Mrs. Jefferson's illhealth. Of their six children, only two, both of them girls, lived to maturity. MarthaJefferson died in 1782. The death of his wife had a profound effect on Jefferson andprobably influenced his return to politics, which Thomas Jefferson had considered leaving.On June 21, 1775, Jefferson took his seat in Congress. The following summer,Jefferson sat in Congress as an elected delegate, not as an alternate. It was at this sessionthat Thomas Jefferson wrote his most famous document, the Declaration ofIndependence.On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was formally adopted. Theconnections with America with Great Britain were broken. Within a few days thedeclaration was being read to people throughout the colonies, and it was received withgreat pride.Jefferson managed to spend considerable time with his family. Thomas took upbuilding projects at Monticello and continued to develop his land. Jefferson was aphilosopher a architect, and an inventor. Thomas invented the dumbwaiter, a swivel chair,a lamp-heater, and an improved plow.In May, 1784, Congress appointed Jefferson a diplomat. Jefferson was to go toFrance. There Thomas Jefferson was to help the other ministers, Benjamin Franklin andJohn Adams, in arranging commercial treaties with various European countries. WhenFranklin retired in 1785, Jefferson replaced him as the U.S. diplomatic representative toFrance.One of Jefferson's most important functions in ...
