This presentation is about Thomas Jefferson
who lived from 17943-1826 and the Declaration
of Independence and Notes on the State of
Virginia.
Who is Thomas Jefferson?
Thomas Jefferson was born into a wealthy family
in central Virginia where he was raised on
a plantation.
At 17 he went to the College of William and
Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he collected
10,000 volumes of books that became the beginning
of the Library of Congress.
Before he was 20, he was one of the best-read
men in Virginia.
After he graduated from William and Mary,
he studied law and in 1769 was elected to
the Virginia Colonial legislature that was
called the House of Burgesses.
When the Revolutionary War began he was sent
as a delegate for Virginia to serve on the
Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia
where, due to his knowledge of political philosophy
and excellent writing ability, he was chosen
to draft the Declaration of Independence.
In addition to serving on the Second Continental
Congress from 1775-1776, he held an impressive
resume of political positions including the
following:
Governor of Virginia (1779-1781)
American Minster to France (1784-1789)
Secretary of State (1790-1793)
Vice President of the United States (1797-1801)
Third President of the United States (1801-1809)
He died on July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years
after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence
and the same day John Adams died.
Thomas Jefferson's Accomplishments
Thomas Jefferson was an egalitarian who opposed
pretentious practices of high office.
As president he wore shoes with laces rather
than buckles, believing buckles were undemocratic
and classist.
He also forbade the national celebration of
his birthday or the printing of his face on
coins.
He felt the aristocracy should be based on
virtue and talent (merit) rather than on wealth
and birth.
Jefferson has many accomplishments including
establishing public schools; developing the
decimal system for American currency with
pennies, dimes and dollars; commissioning
the Lewis and Clark Expedition; founding the
University of Virginia; doubling the size
of the United States and gaining control of
the Mississippi River with the Louisiana Purchase;
and founding the modern Democratic Party.
Jefferson was also an accomplished architect,
designing the Virginia State House, his home
at Montecello, and the initial buildings at
the University of Virginia.
Jefferson also worked to establish religious
freedom, to end slavery, and weaken the power
of the aristocracy and assert the idea of
man's inalienable rights.
Slavery and Hypocrisy
Upon the discovery that Thomas Jefferson owned
approximately 600 slaves over the course of
his lifetime and that genetic testing confirmed
rumors that he fathered at least one of six
children his slave Sally Hemings bore has
caused many to declare that Jefferson was
a hypocrite for speaking and writing out against
the institution of slavery and for freedom
and equality of all men.
His defenders argue that freeing his slaves
at this time of legalized slavery would have
left them jobless and destitute with nowhere
to live.
What is your opinion on this controversy surrounding
one of the most acclaimed founding fathers
of the United States?
Declaration of Independence
Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, signed
by 56 delegates to the Continental Congress
and ratified on July 4, 1776, the Declaration
of Independence was how the thirteen Colonies
declared their independence from Great Britain
and became the United States of America.
It outlines the philosophical and tangible
reasons why the United States was declaring
its independence from Great Britain.
It can be divided into five parts: (1) Introduction
- One long sentence that states that out of
respect for Great Britain this document will
explain why the U.S. is declaring their independence.
(2) Preamble - gives the philosophical reasons
behind the Declaration which are heavily influenced
by John Locke, including the inalienable rights
of all people for life, liberty and pursuit
of happiness, and that it is the government's
sole purpose to protect these rights.
It also declares that Great Britain has denied
the colonists these rights; thus, they have
the right to overthrow Great Britain.(3) List
of Grievances - specific lists of grievances
against King George III and Britain.(4) Declaration
that the colonists' efforts to appeal some
of the decisions of King George III were met
in vain.(5) Conclusion - Since the founders
of the Declaration of Independence were committing
treason against Great Britain, they are careful
to state that they are absolved from all allegiance
to the British Crown and that all political
connection between them and the State of Great
Britain should be completely dissolved.
They also state that they have all of the
rights of any independent state such as the
rights to wage war, make peace, contract alliances,
and establish trade.
Notes on the State of Virginia
This document has been called the most important
American political and scientific book of
the age.
As wartime governor of Virginia, Jefferson
wrote the Notes on the State of Virginia in
response to inquiries made in 1780 by a French
diplomat gathering data on America.
It is a statistical survey of Virginia but
became an encyclopedic commentary on America
and the ideals of American Enlightenment.
It reveals Jefferson ideas on art and education,
attitudes towards slavery, devotion to science
and nature, faith in the small farmer and
the idea that "those who labor in the earth
are the chosen people of God."
It is a patriotic defense against criticism
by French naturalist Buffon who suggested
that all species including man degenerate
in the New World, and Buffon ended up apologizing
for his disparaging comments about America
after reading the Notes on the State of Virginia.
