Literature Essay

ThomasJefferson1743-1826ENG272.ppt

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

“We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal . . .”

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson

When President John F. Kennedy welcomed forty-nine Nobel Prize winners to the White House in 1962 he said, "I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent and of human knowledge that has ever been gathered together at the White House — with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."

Rudolph Evans' statue of Jefferson with the Declaration of Independence preamble to the right.

Thomas Jefferson

Of all of his accomplishments, Jefferson was most proud of The University of Virginia, which he founded in 1819 (it opened in 1825)

Monticello

Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson died on the Fourth of July, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

Jefferson's gravesite.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America

The United States Declaration of Independence was an act of the Second Continental Congress, adopted on July 4, 1776, which declared that the Thirteen Colonies in North America were "Free and Independent States" and that "all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved."
Explained the justifications for separation from the British crown, and was an expansion of Richard Henry Lee's Resolution (passed by Congress on July 2), which first proclaimed independence

The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration is considered to be the founding document of the United States of America, where July 4 is celebrated as Independence Day and the nation's birthday. At the time the Declaration was issued, the American colonies were "united" in declaring their independence from Great Britain. John Hancock, as the elected President of Congress, was the only person to sign the Declaration of Independence on July 4th. It was not until the following month on August 2nd that the remaining 55 other delegates began to sign the document

Inspirations

John Locke's Second Treatise of Government is probably the predominant source from which Jefferson drew inspiration
John Locke: The Social Contract
The Declaration of Independence may have also been influenced by Thomas Paine's pamphlet, Common Sense and from the Enlightenment. It even borrowed one of the sentences; the line "life, liberty, and the pursuit of property" from Common Sense was changed to "among these are Life Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness". "The pursuit of Happiness" was also a line from Common Sense, that was used in a different part of the pamphlet
Republicanism
The conclusion contains, at its core, the Lee Resolution that had been passed on July 2.

Social Contract

people give up some rights to a government in order to receive social order
legitimate state authority must be derived from the consent of the governed
members within a society implicitly agree to the terms of the social contract by their choice to stay within the society

John Locke (1632-1704)

Republicanism

Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic, with an emphasis on liberty, rule of law, popular sovereignty and the civic virtue practiced by citizens
As John Adams put it, “They define a republic to be a government of laws, and not of men.”
Advocates of republicanism argue that it demands a citizenry that puts a premium on civil virtue and opposes corruption.
Most authors argue that republicanism is incompatible with office holders using public power for personal gain.

The Committee of Five

The Committee of Five charged with drafting the Declaration of Independence: John Adams (Massachusetts), Roger Sherman (Connecticut), Benjamin Franklin (Pennsylvania), Robert R. Livingston (New York) and Thomas Jefferson (Virginia).