At Monticello, the central Virginia home of Thomas Jefferson, the phrase Our Guy Wrote It is emblazoned on banners and T-shirts hailing the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson's estate is also the home to "1776: Road to the Declaration," a compact new exhibition tracing the Declaration's origins.
The exhibit greets visitors with a 1795 quotation from Jefferson: "This ball of liberty, I believe most piously, is now so well in motion that it will roll around the globe." A highlight of the exhibition is the commemorative copy of the Declaration owned by Jefferson's friend, the fourth president of the United States, James Madison. There is also a handy timeline intertwining significant events in Jefferson's life with the history of America.
