Biography of the Philosopher Thomas Jefferson was born in Virginia on April 13, 1743 (Gutek, 2011). Both his mother and father came from wealthy families (Gutek, 2011). He grew up on the Shadwell plantation estate where his family owned approximately 40 slaves and were among the wealthiest and most prestigious families in Virginia (Gutek, 2011). His formal education began at age five with private tutelage, as was the custom of Southern plantation owners of the time (Gutek, 2011). Later, at the age of nine, he attended a Latin grammar boarding school run by an Anglican priest named William Douglas (Gutek, 2011). Jefferson learned Greek, Latin, and French and after learning these languages, he was able to read the classics in their original language, without needing translations (Gutek, 2011). The death of Jefferson's father, when he was fourteen, did not keep him from continuing his education in Fredericksburg, Virginia, under the Rev. James Maury, also an Anglican minister (Gutek, 2011). While Maury emphasized the traditional classical Latin and Greek curriculum, Jefferson also studied English literature and history (Gutek, 2011). He received instruction in Church of England doctrine from both the Anglican Reverend Douglas and the Reverend Maury, but later as an adult; expressed doubts about the divine inspiration of Christian doctrines (Gutek, 2011). Jefferson attended William and Mary College at seventeen where he enrolled in the school of philosophy because he had no need for further “classical” education (Gutek, 2011). Six out of seven professors at William and Mary were Anglican ministers and the seventh professor was Dr. William Small. Jefferson spoke well of Dr. Small, his counselor to whom he was fond and who taught him... mid-paper... the daily activities of man. He had a deistic belief in God and rejected belief in divinely inspired texts. Personal Observation All of Jefferson's early education came from Anglican ministers and from them he learned the doctrine of the Church of England. I think his observation of the behaviors displayed by the Crown of England towards others while proclaiming Christianity may have turned him away from organized religion. I am ashamed to admit how surprised I was to learn just now that Thomas Jefferson was not the Christian I had been taught he was. This entire chapter made a significant dent in my most important argument about some of the founding fathers' positions on religion and education. Reference Gutek, G.L. (2011). Historical and philosophical foundations of education: A biographical introduction (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.