The Thomas Jefferson Project
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Thomas Jefferson is probably the most elusive of all the founding fathers. He is remembered mostly for his authorship of the Declaration of Independence, and for being one of the leading political philosophers of his time. His founding of the University of Virginia is also, by his own account, one of his major achievements.
Interestingly, Jefferson did not especially wish to be remembered for anything that occurred during his presidency, not even the Louisiana purchase, although it was the second-largest land acquisition in American history. Jefferson's legacy is mixed, just as it was even in his own time. The man who penned the words, “all men are created equal,” was himself a slave owner. The man who was the voice of the revolution, worked in many ways that can only be considered at odds with the government that was established following the revolution. Although he initially approved of the Constitution, though he had no direct role in writing it, once it went into effect, Jefferson and James Madison resisted what they came to see as the unawarranted advance of federal authority.
During those post-revolutionary years, Jefferson became estranged from men to whom he had once been very close, especially George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and John Adams. And although his friendship with Adams was renewed after both of them had been out of the White House for some years, both Washington and Hamilton went to their graves without peace having been made between each of them and the sage of Monticello. Later, his conflicts with his Vice President, Aaron Burr, and the great Chief Justice John Marshall, revealed a petulance that belied his famous claim that “We are all Republicans—we are all Federalists.” He was as partisan as any of his contemporaries, possibly excepting Hamilton, even when he was serving as Secretary of State under Washington and Vice President under John Adams.
As one biographer has put it, the real Jefferson is hard to pin down.
For this project I suggest that you fiocus on Jefferson's political philosophy. See if you can determine why both Republicans and Democrats of today claim to be heirs of his political legacy. A trip to Monticello will give you a strong sense of Jefferson the man. The Jefferson Memorial on the Mall in Washington will give you a feel for Jefferson the American icon.
Resources
Writing 121 | Jeffersonian America | Updated January 15, 2009