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Thomas Jefferson By: Chie Theresa Fujioka on 10/21/2001; 5:50 PM 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 Jeffersons 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 mans 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 ones 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 slaverys] 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 Jeffersons 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 Hamiltons 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 countrys best interest, and therefore, justified. Even if Jefferson didnt 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. Martins 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 isnt there.) Mayo, Bernard. Jefferson Himself. Cambridge, Mass: The Riverside Press,.1942. Nock, Albert Jay. Jefferson. Maryland: University Press of America, Inc. 1985.
RE: Thomas Jefferson By: Jenna Hayes on 4/21/2003; 1:30 PM My name is Jenna Hayes and I am a junior in High School. I am doing a term paper on Thomas Jefferson and whether or not he was who he appeared to be. I was wondering if you would be willing to answer a few questions for me, kind of like a quick interview, and allow me to include your comments and opinions in my paper. My e-mail is scrbrat16@hotmail.com. Please e-mail me if you would like to help me. Jenna Hayes
RE: Thomas Jefferson By: Richard Davidson on 4/21/2003; 11:38 PM Now let us speak of Jefferson's younger brother, Bill. Bill wasn't like Thomas at all. While Thomas was seven foot four, and could kill a bear just by telling him a dirty joke, Bill was short, ugly, and afraid of cats. He had a nose the size of a cantalope, and spent most of his life as the Village Idiot for a small Massachusetts town that was too embarrassed to be named in this biography. Unlike Thomas, who invented the Elevator, the Electric Spoon, and Light, Bill was known for rolling around in mud, pretending to be on fire. Karl Jefferson, Bill's older, heavier cousin, moved to Russia, and started an early form of Communism, derived from berries and small herbs. And we've already heard quite a bit about Ghengis Jefferson, who traveled back in time to Ancient Mongolia, and developed a nation based on the number 12. George Jefferson, on the other hand, started his own drycleaning business, and subsequently could afford to move out of Archie Bunker's neighborhood. Weezy came with him, and so did Lionel, but Lionel's girlfriend's parents ended up being played by different actors than they were on "All in the Family." No one knows why. Some say the first set of parents simply weren't funny enough. While you're pondering that, you might also want to consider that if it weren't for Thomas Jefferson, we'd still be writing with quills. Jefferson perfected an early version of the ball point pen, and was able to write upside down centuries before the astronauts could. Everyone else would merely get covered in ink, which is kind of funny, when you consider the quality of cleaners they had back then. And that's how he wrote the Declaration of Independence.
RE: Thomas Jefferson By: Ben C on 4/24/2003; 8:11 PM I laughed when I read that. "nose the size of a cantalope" - haha, although I probably would've went with antelope, just for a funny sounding sentence.
RE: Thomas Jefferson By: Chie Theresa Fujioka on 7/4/2003; 9:28 AM Jenna, I am just graduated from High school myself... But I suppose your paper is long overdue! I don't even remember what I said in the paper, to show you how much I know about Thomas Jefferson. Talk about effective learning~!~
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