Thomas Jefferson

By Chie Theresa Fujioka

The life of Thomas Jefferson is an element which has caused cessation of opinion between historians. Despite occasional inconsistency, Jefferson was extremely loyal to what he believed was right. He often acted contradictorily about political issues, in and out of office, the two most prominent contradictions having to do with freedom and power. Jefferson owned slaves, yet he believed in the equality and natural rights of man. He was a strict constructionist of the constitution and desired the states to hold sovereignty, yet stretched an amendment to justify the Louisiana Purchase. Even so, because of his moral philosophy, all that mattered to him was what was accomplished, not how, and therefore in his eyes, the things he did which seemed inconsistent, were justified.

The root of Jefferson’s decisions was religion. His inconsistency can be possibly explained by his moral code, which, simply stated, were that all actions should be based upon the resulting consequences. A follower of the enlightenment, Jefferson strongly believed in reason and man’s ability to determine right and wrong, a gift one was born with, a “moral sense.” Before the Revolutionary War, Jefferson wrote A Summary View of Rights of British America to represent American views. Unfortunately, these beliefs were not reflected or shared completely by his fellow countrymen. In it, he noted his belief that, “the great principles of right and wrong are legible to every reader; […] Only aim to do your duty, and mankind will give you credit where you fail,” (Koch 135). Man, “was a rational animal, […] with an innate sense of justice; and […] could be restrained from wrong and protected in right, by moderate powers, confided to persons of his own choice…” (Koch 139). Therefore, no matter how many times he seemed to contradict himself, it would not matter, as long as he accomplished what was best for those involved. This religion of reasoned morality provided the basis for his choices throughout his public career.

Jefferson was a great advocate, before and after the Revolutionary War, for the freedom and natural rights of man, albeit he was a slave owner. His view of equality led to the banning of primogeniture, although his attempts at emancipation were rejected by the society of that time. He desired the end of the injustice, but was unable to severely impact society because of his seemingly hypocritical views. He believed that all were born, no matter what their status, with, “the right of revolution for victims of oppressive taxation and harsh legislation; the right to trade with any foreign nation; the right to own soil taken and remade by one’s own toil; the right to expect ‘equal and impartial’ treatment for every group within a nation or empire; the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” (Koch 136). In the original Declaration of Independence, Jefferson stated that, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with inherent and inalienable rights…” (”Inherent” was later switched with “certain.”) Later on, another passage, against slavery, was also omitted, calling the institution a “cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred right to life and liberty in the person of a distant people who never offended [the owner…]” (Koch 133-134). Jefferson wrote, when his bill to prevent further importation of slaves to Virginia was passed in ’78, that it, “stopped the increase of evil by importation, leaving to future efforts [the institution of slavery’s] final eradication,” (Mayo 79). He showed he knew that something had to be done to end slavery and prevent bloodshed when he predicted that the, “day is not distant when [the public mind] must bear and adopt [emancipation], or worse will follow,” (Mayo 91). In Jefferson’s mildly Machiavellistic view, he needed slaves to run his plantation, but if treated them well and eventually freed, they would be given what was theirs by right, and Jefferson could compromise between his beliefs and his social status.

Jefferson was also strongly known for his position on the role of the central government. He felt that the States were the people so that if the national government threatens liberty, the state government would be, in Hamilton’s words, the “arms of discontent.” But he also felt that the responsibility and the “art of government consists in the art of being honest,” (Koch 135). As laws were meant to shape the mind and values of the people to right and wrong, the way to run a government would not be to fulfill certain laws technically, but to think like the law, with the same goal and spirit. The ideal would do something for the good of the people, in such a manner as to follow the vague guidelines of the Constitution, the opposite being loose constructionism which can stretch the phrasing in the document to justify any action. In acquiring the Louisiana Territory, among other things, Jefferson felt he was doing this in the country’s best interest, and therefore, justified. Even if Jefferson didn’t exactly follow his own spoken ideals, they were there for the other people. He could determine right from wrong by whether his actions benefited the country, not by technical black and white guidelines, which could be worked around without serving their intended purpose. His inconsistencies simply revealed that he wished to solve problems in an efficient manner, being loyal to those causes and consequences which he felt worthy of being done. As the author of The True Thomas Jefferson stated in his dedication, “A man must sometimes be inconsistent if he is sincere,” (Curtis). Jefferson devotedly did his best for the country, even if not technically correct, and was dedicated to doing what he believed was just.

Bibliography

Bernstein, M. L. Understanding Thomas Jefferson. New York: St. Martin’s Press Inc., 1993.

Curtis, William Eleroy. The True Thomas Jefferson. Philadelphia & London: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1901.

Kennedy, Roger G. Burr, Hamilton, and Jefferson. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Koch, Adrienne. The Philosophy of Thomas Jefferson. New York: Columbia University Press, 1943

Mapp, Alfred. Thomas Jefferson: A Strange Case of Mistaken Identity. (Checked library, still isn’t there.)

Mayo, Bernard. Jefferson Himself. Cambridge, Mass: The Riverside Press,.1942.

Nock, Albert Jay. Jefferson. Maryland: University Press of America, Inc. 1985.

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