Political Theory of Thomas Jefferson, Essay Example

Introduction and Biography

Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the USA, a newly born country in the creation of which he took an active part. A well-educated lawyer from a decent, rich family, Jefferson had all clues to success in the political arena. He received high-quality law education and was certified as a lawyer from early years in his career, which helped him enter the politics correctly and wisely and to achieve profound success becoming the US president in the end. Jefferson had very strong political attitudes and contributed much to the creation and early years of the USA, including the Declaration of Independence that became a historically vital document for the whole nation. Thus, it goes without saying that the place of one of the Founding Fathers in the American history is well-earned and reasonable – it is hard to exaggerate the role this outstanding thinker, politician and activist played in the establishment of American sovereignty.

Thomas Jefferson was born in Shadwell (Albemarle county, Virginia) on April 13, 1743. His parents came from the most honorable Virginian families, so Jefferson got good up-bringing and education in the College of William and Mary where George Wythe, one of Virginia’s best law teachers, taught him law. Afterwards Jefferson was admitted to the bar and practiced there for seven years, from 1767 to 1774 (Albers 1). In addition, he was elected to the House of Burgesses in 1769 and served there until 1774 as well. This period of time in his life was also marked by a happy event, his marriage to Martha Wayles Skelton in 1772 (Albers 1).

As soon as the need to take a side in the struggle for independence from the British Crown rose, Jefferson decided to stand for the US Patriots, thus showing his progressive and strategically correct views on the future of the USA. Jefferson produced his first political writings dedicated to the rights of emigrants from Britain and emphasized the natural rights for independence acquired on leaving the country and, what is more important, the European continent (Albers 1). Jefferson was a member of the Continental Congress from 1775 to 1776 and wrote the Declaration of Independence that was afterwards amended by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. From 1779 to 1781 Jefferson was the governor of Virginia (Albers 2).

1783-1784 were marked for Jefferson as a member of the Continental Congress again, with the further travel to France as a Minister, where he spent five years, from 1784 to 1789. During his stay in France Jefferson actively objected to the means by which the French Revolution was conducted and argued that Napoleon’s methods were a direct threat to the national autonomy and civil rights of the French. Consequently, being far from the USA and taking no part in the composition of the US Constitution, Jefferson was also afraid that it would impair the rights of Americans. Only the Bill of Rights assured him that the democracy would be ensured and the USA were safe from the establishment of monarchy (Albers 2).

Jefferson became the Vice President of the US in 1796, with the further victory for the Presidency in 1800. The first term was highly successful for Jefferson with much progress in national affairs and no serious problems in the domestic and foreign affairs. Jefferson introduced the policy of economy and tax reduction, restored the party balance in the civil service and purchased Louisiana for $15 million from France. The only unsuccessful attempt for Jefferson was his struggle against judiciary partisans of Republicans resisting his decisions (Albers 3). The second term was less successful, with the devastating effect of Embargo of 1807 that Jefferson repealed only in 1812 (Albers 3).

Upon finishing his Presidential career, Jefferson remained in his estate in Virginia and did not participate in the political affairs anymore. The last public event in which he took part was opening the University of Virginia in 1819. Jefferson died on the 4^th of July 1826, on the 50^th anniversary from the creation of the Declaration of Independence (Albers 3).

Summary of Writings

In general, the majority of works preserved from Jefferson are his inaugural address and political speeches, works in fine arts (as he had agile interests in gardening and architecture), philosophy and sciences. The most famous works of his are surely the Declaration of Independence and the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom (Thomas Jefferson Papers). The correspondence he held with Adams at the end of his life is also a vast category of writings worth attention (Boorstin).

One more particular work of Jefferson that attracted serious attention was the Jefferson Bible – it was a compilation of quotations about Jesus from the Bible that Jefferson considered of utmost importance (Boorstin). Among the official matters of Jefferson one can note such works A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom, The Different Religions Received Into That State?, To the Danbury Baptist Association and a Report of the Commissioners for the University of Virginia. Surely, the personal correspondence and scientific works constitute the major part of Jefferson’s writings (Thomas Jefferson Papers).

Contribution of Jefferson to Political Theory

Thomas Jefferson is still recognized as a deeply thinking politician who contributed much to the US and world political theory. His main difference from other activists of his time was the ability to take a more detached and objective view on the situation in the country, on the path that the USA should pursue in terms of domestic politics, foreign affairs and civil rights. There are generally several reasons that allowed him to become such a valuable politician and to remain in the US history and politics as an example of a strategic thinker and wise governor.

First of all, the high-quality education in law produced by Wythe resulted in his diverse skills as a lawyer. Thus, even being the US President, Jefferson remained a lawyer in his deepest essence. For this reason he produced laws that would help the peer generation and would give the firm ground for successive generations, not only to follow but to alter according to their changing needs. Jefferson was one of the strongest proponents of the idea that laws should not serve as dogmas and that every successive generation should have rights and opportunities to create their own laws and to introduce their own changes to legislation according to their needs and wants. As he posed it, every nation and every generation had the right for its own revolution, which was rather unusual in his time (Boorstin).

Jefferson recognized the necessity for law traditions to serve the needs of future generations, which was not typical at the verge of the 18^th and 19^th centuries when the USA was a young country going through the process of formation. Jefferson was an agile protector of democracy in any form, which could be seen from his attempts to secure the newly-born American country from the creation of a monarchy according to the British pattern (Boorstin). His contribution in the promotion of freedom of choice, of religion, and provision of civil rights for all US citizens can hardly be compared to any other politician’s one.

Jefferson’s contribution to the political theory was also evident in the sphere of racial research – some of his works were dedicated to finding out racial differences and peculiarities. The result was astounding for the slavery period of the USA – Jefferson assumed no inferiority of African Americans or Indians living in the territory of the US, laying the foundation for racial equality that would reveal itself only more than a century later. Though Jefferson could hardly be called an abolitionist (he had slaves and was not involved in active anti-slavery struggle), still he wrote much on the condemnation of the issue of slavery on the whole and can also be considered a humanitarian in this respect.

One more advantage of Jeffersonian views on politics is that that he was not an eager politician, but was more a scientist and philosopher. Thus, he employed other laws that governed his politics, and advised the same approach for other politicians. For example, it is a fact that Jefferson did not aspire strongly for the position of the US President, so he governed the country according to more rational and objective guidelines than politicians traditionally do. He conducted in-depth research in philosophy, sponsored education and disapproved of dogmatic principles that governed religion in the USA in his times, hence showing that his dedication was more to the people than to the state (Boorstin). However, these efforts brought him much more fame in the field of politics and assured his firm position in the world’s political theory and philosophy.

Review of the Work “On Slavery”

The work “On Slavery” was produced by Jefferson in the framework of his discussion of racial inferiority and equality of white, black people and Indians living on the US territory and being subject to persecution. In this work Jefferson ponders over the differences existing between black and white people and reasons that white people employ to justify their unwillingness to set their slaves and to incorporate them into the US state as equal citizens. At first Jefferson describes the physical difference evident in black and white people – some facial traits and surely the skin color, exploring the physiological reasons for the difference. Then he proceeds to the examination of behavioral differences, the character traits of black people and the peculiarities they show in relationships with one another:

“In general, their existence appears to participate more of sensation than reflection. To this must be ascribed their disposition to sleep when abstracted from their diversions, and unemployed in labor” (Jefferson).

Proceeding with his analysis, Jefferson finds out that Indians are very capable in arts and oratory, while black people do not show any inclination to visual arts or elevated speaking. However, he points out that Negros have much better skills in music than even whites, though they show no skills in poetry. Jefferson tries to find the reasons for such inclinations and skills but finally assumes that both genetics and social environment may be the influential factors the ultimate effect of which is still under-examined.

One more focus he takes is the Antiquity slavery where slaves were educated and showed all traits of civilized people. Nonetheless, slaves were white at those times, he argues. So the consensus on the true reasons for low aesthetic capabilities of Negros remains a subject of genetics for him. Finally, Jefferson voices the most valuable point of view included in this work – no matter what the reasons for relative inferiority are, there is no excuse for rudeness and cruelty showed by Americans in treatment of their slaves. He argues that cruelty gives birth to cruelty, when children watch their parents beat an torture their slaves, they adopt those patterns of behavior and become beasts, which is very unhealthy for the nation and for people in general. Hence, Jefferson concludes with very inspiring predictions as to the future of slavery:

“I think a change already perceptible, since the origin of the present revolution. The spirit of the master is abating, that of the slave rising from the dust, his condition mollifying…and that this is disposed, in the order of events, to be with the consent of the masters, rather than by their extirpation” (Jefferson).

From this work one can see that Jefferson surely was the man of his time who could hardly have been called an abolitionist. However, Jefferson recognized the problem and worked on the possible ways of solving it. He was a slave owner and did not feel bad about it; nonetheless, as an objective lawyer he saw the growing restraints of injuries and sufferings of slaves and understood that the end to such exploitation was approaching, taking into consideration the free spirit of the US nation.

Works Cited

Albers, Harrie Sholte. The Biography of Thomas Jefferson. 2005. 26 April 2010. <http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/P/tj3/about/jeffersonxx.htm>

Boorstin, Daniel. Thomas Jefferson. 2010. 26 April 2010. <http://www.pbs.org/ jefferson/archives/interviews/Boorstin.htm>

Jefferson, Thomas. “On Slavery”. 1784. 26 April 2010. <http://odur.let.rug.nl/ ~usa/P/tj3/writings/slavery.htm>

Thomas Jefferson Papers: An Electronic Archive. Massachusetts Historical Society. 2010. 26 April 2010. <http://www.masshist.org/thomasjeffersonpapers/catal og1789/#phys>