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Thomas Jefferson

What’s so unique about Thomas Jefferson’s handwriting is that the text of the Declaration of Independence is written in one style, while the other sample containing only his signature is another completely. “It makes less of an impression when you see the signature separate from the text, but we know that this is how he did it and that he did have this dramatic difference between the two writing styles,” Poizner says. The discrepancies in the style and size of the writing in the two samples could point to a duality, or the idea that he is being pulled in two different directions, she explains. While the handwriting of the text appears to be that of a person who is careful, organized, and intelligent, the signature utilizes the large, unusual letterforms of someone who enjoys being the center of attention and well-regarded.

Though Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, according to his White House biography, he was not skilled at public speaking and was a “silent” member of Congress. As a reluctant candidate for president, Jefferson had to reconcile his desire for privacy with the task of running a newly founded country. By the way, this is the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.