Editing Thomas Jefferson (section)

===Autobiography===
In 1821, at the age of 77, Jefferson began writing his ''Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson: 1743–1790'', in which he said he sought to "state some recollections of dates and facts concerning myself".<ref name=Jeffbio>[[#Bio|Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson, 1743–1790]]</ref> He focused on the struggles and achievements he experienced until July 29, 1790, where the narrative stopped short.<ref>[[#Bernstein03|Berstein, 2003]], p. 179.</ref> He excluded his youth, emphasizing the revolutionary era. He related that his ancestors came from Wales to America in the early 17th century and settled in the western frontier of the Virginia colony, which influenced his zeal for individual and state rights. Jefferson described his father as uneducated, but with a "strong mind and sound judgement". He also addressed his enrollment in the [[College of William & Mary]] and his election to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1775.<ref name=Jeffbio/>

He expressed opposition to the idea of a privileged [[aristocracy]] made up of large landowning families partial to the King, and instead promoted "the aristocracy of virtue and talent, which nature has wisely provided for the direction of the interests of society, & scattered with equal hand through all its conditions, was deemed essential to a well-ordered republic".<ref name=Jeffbio/> The work is primarily concerned with the Declaration and reforming the government of Virginia. He used notes, letters, and documents to tell many of the stories. He suggested that this history was so rich that his personal affairs were better overlooked, but he incorporated a self-analysis using the Declaration and other patriotism.<ref>[[#self|Hamelman, 2002, Journal]]</ref>