Thomas Jefferson Memorial

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial, in Washington

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial pays tribute to the third president of the United States and principal author of the Declaration of Independence. The Washington audio-guided tour stops here, with respect, to evoke this majestic domed temple, completed in 1943, which is reflected in the waters of the Tidal Basin.

The temple of the father of the Declaration of Independence

It is yet another president who is honoured thanks to this memorial, which takes us straight back to the American Revolution. It is in 1943 that the Jefferson Memorial was completed to pay tribute to the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, one of the greatest figures among the founding fathers of the nation. He was indeed the principal drafter of the Declaration of Independence of 1776, this founding text that proclaimed the separation of the colonies from the British crown and affirmed the principles of equality, freedom and inalienable rights, laying the foundations of American democracy. A philosopher, man of the Enlightenment, diplomat and architect, Jefferson was a universal mind who profoundly marked the history of the country. The memorial, conceived as a majestic neoclassical temple inspired by the Pantheon of Rome, with its dome and its columns, stands at the edge of the Tidal Basin, in whose waters it is admirably reflected, surrounded by the cherry trees. Inside sits a great bronze statue of the president, surrounded by engraved quotations drawn from his writings. A place of memory and reflection, it honours his heritage. A neoclassical temple and a tribute to a founding father, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial is discovered with respect.

What to see

You admire, with respect, the majestic neoclassical temple inspired by the Pantheon of Rome, completed in 1943 in honour of Thomas Jefferson, third president and principal drafter of the Declaration of Independence of 1776; at the edge of the Tidal Basin, its dome and its columns are reflected in the waters surrounded by cherry trees, and it shelters a great bronze statue of the president and engraved quotations. The Thomas Jefferson Memorial is a tribute to a founding father in Washington. It is a stop to be discovered with respect.

Practical information

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial lies at the edge of the Tidal Basin, on the National Mall, in Washington, reachable on foot. It is an open-air memorial, freely accessible. It is particularly beautiful in spring, surrounded by the cherry trees in bloom, and is reflected in the waters of the basin. It is best to visit it with the respect due to this place of memory.

To whom is the Thomas Jefferson Memorial dedicated in Washington?

To Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States and one of the founding fathers, principal drafter of the Declaration of Independence of 1776 that laid the foundations of American democracy; completed in 1943 at the edge of the Tidal Basin, the memorial is a majestic neoclassical temple inspired by the Pantheon of Rome, sheltering a great bronze statue of the president and engraved quotations.

Where is the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington?

At the edge of the Tidal Basin, on the National Mall, in Washington, in the United States.