StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Thomas Jefferson - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The third President of the United States, the main propounder of the Declaration of Independence, and one of America’s greatest founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson had a vision of America that was thought to be idealist in his lifetime. But though a few of his ideas about how…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER93.5% of users find it useful
Thomas Jefferson
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Thomas Jefferson"

The third President of the United s, the main propounder of the Declaration of Independence, and one of America’s greatest founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson had a vision of America that was thought to be idealist in his lifetime. But though a few of his ideas about how America should be and how it should be seen by the world were not implemented, the essentially free-thinking, liberal image of today’s America is actually the result of Jefferson’s vision.Jefferson was greatly influenced by one of the most popular thinkers of his time, John Locke, who believed in the “natural” rights of human beings.

In 1698, much before the birth of Jefferson, Locke wrote in the second chapter of his famous Second Treatise on Government: “All men by nature are equal…in that equal right that every man hath to his natural freedom, without being subjected to the will or authority of any other man; … being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions…” Jefferson understood these natural rights to be the most significant for the preservation of human dignity and happiness.

He said: “Perhaps it will be found that to obtain a just republic (and it is to secure our just rights that we resort to government at all) it must be so extensive as that local egoisms may never reach its greater part; that on every particular question, a majority may be found in its councils free from particular interests, and giving, therefore, an uniform prevalence to the principles of justice”.For him the ideal political system for America was one which respected and upheld these rights, the rights which were a man’s by birth, which could not be created by a government but could of course be violated by it.

To this end, Jefferson’s contribution to the constitution were the first ten amendments which together constitute the “The Bill of Rights”. These were put in place to ensure that the American government could never supersede the natural, God-given rights of the American citizen.Jefferson’s vision for America saw a nation where the people were the first priority, not the institutions and organizations. He never wanted institutions to have the power to manipulate people, and saw governments, organized religions and commercial monopolies as threats to the people.

He opposed the formation of banks, commercial monopolies and a standing military. To Jefferson, the agrestic ideal of a farming community seemed ideal, where the the people were not dependent on external agencies for their subsistence. He believed that self-government was the best ideal for America, on the lines of the American Indians: he supported an American government only if the people gave their consent to be governed. Jefferson respected the people’s right to resistance to the government, saying, “What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that this people preserve the spirit of resistance?

Let them take arms”. This is one of the reasons why many of his contemporaries dubbed him a philosophical anarchist. A standing military and extensive taxation was thought to be indispensable by the other minds of the times like Hamilton and Adams’ Federalists, who held the notion that a government could not be entirely chosen and run by its people. They feared that a weak government without military, commercial monopolies and financial strength could not cope with internal and external threats.

Today’s America may have flourished with the ability of commercial monopolies to exist, and on the strength of its powerful fiscal and military institutions. But what makes it a truly great nation is the freedoms of its people which were only made possible through the powerful if idealistic American vision of one man: Thomas Jefferson.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Thomas Jefferson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1543312-thomas-jefferson
(Thomas Jefferson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1543312-thomas-jefferson.
“Thomas Jefferson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1543312-thomas-jefferson.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson and slavery

Module title: Module ID: Submission date: Thomas Jefferson and Slavery The name as well as the great services rendered by renowned US politician and reformer Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) are not dependent of any introduction altogether.... In addition, being an arch supporter of human rights and individual freedom of thought and action, jefferson always demonstrated his abhorrence for the black community serving their white counterparts as slaves....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase

From the discussion in this essay, it is clear that Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase is a concept that represents a major historical decision in various perspectives since it has effectively served to influence the shape and history of the world.... hellip; The Louisiana Purchase by Thomas Jefferson is one of the major occurrences that have completely changed the course of the world history.... However, the occurrence is also a major influence in the shift of the previous stance held by President Thomas Jefferson, who was initially an anti-federalist, thus opposed to the unification of the different State under one federal government (Cerami, 108)....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

The Quintessential Conflicted American

Thomas Jefferson is well-known for penning The Declaration of Independence.... This short paper will attempt to account for such inconsistencies, although it is clear that a more scholarly and lengthy treatise will give justice to Jefferson than this paper. Unit 8 Project Thomas Jefferson: "The Quintessential Conflicted American" The Founding Fathers History Travis Fields Kaplan Introduction Thomas Jefferson is well-known for penning The Declaration of Independence....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

PRESIDENCY OF THOMAS JEFFERSON

An erudite scholar, Jefferson was one of the few people who could boast of in depth knowledge of a wide range of subjects from… It is no wonder then that when President Kennedy welcomed forty-nine Nobel laureates 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 er at the White House – with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.... (Wikipedia jefferson....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Contrast of John Adams to Thomas Jefferson

The " Contrast of John Adams to Thomas Jefferson" paper provides a comparison of these Presidents of the United States of America.... Just like John Adams, Thomas Jefferson is also considered as one of the most influential Founder Fathers of the United States of America....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Thomas Jefferson and the New American Nation

Thomas Jefferson, as its writer, had such proficiency beyond doubt that he was a very learned and skilled person.... It can be said that jefferson's Declaration of Independence wills not only the freedom but the establishment of an equal footing within the American soil once the colonial powers are put to rest.... jefferson had created some of the most messianic, heroic and memorable lines contained.... t can be said that jefferson's Declaration of Independence wills not only the freedom but the establishment of an equal footing within the American soil once the colonial powers are put to rest....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Thomas Jefferson and the 7 Doctrines

This paper "Thomas Jefferson and the 7 Doctrines" focuses on the history of America that has been shaped by ideas and dreams of several people.... Thomas Jefferson ideas have influenced America.... nbsp; Thomas Jefferson and the DoctrinesThe history of America has been shaped by ideas and dreams of several people.... Thomas Jefferson ideas have influenced America for a long period.... This paper seeks to use four doctrines in explaining the philosophy of Thomas Jefferson....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Thomas Jefferson Building

This report "Thomas Jefferson Building" argues that the building not only offers formal solutions in terms of methods of design, style and construction but also provides programmatic solutions in terms of use, plan, type and client.... President Thomas Jefferson, who played a key role in the establishment of the library in the 1800s.... he elaborate design of Thomas Jefferson building was intended to address a number of areas of human achievement without necessarily getting into the controversial areas such as religion and politics....
5 Pages (1250 words) Report
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us