The Declaration of Independence and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia

Tall, skinny, and shy, Thomas Jefferson was not a good speaker. He was, however, a great writer, and it is Thomas Jefferson whom John Adams insisted should write the Declaration of Independence, telling the young Virginian, "You are ten times better a writer than I am." Jefferson complied with Adams' request, and the result was a document that shook the world with its radical views of freedom and equality.