th o m a s j e f f e r s o n i llu m i nat e d A Sele^ion of Documents
THOMAS JEFFERSON I L LU M I NAT E D
A Sele^ion of Documents wend e ll g a rr ett
thornwillow pres s 20 08
ďŹ rst edition copyright Š 20 08 wendell garrett
The texts of the letters and documents printed here are all taken from the papers of thomas jefferson, ed. Julian P. Boyd, et al., the edition in progress at Princeton University, 34 volumes to date, and 4 volumes supplemental retirement texts (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1950-2008), and Merrill D. Peterson, ed., thomas jefferson writings, ( New York: The Library of America, 1984 ). wendell garrett New York City
c o nt e nts Thomas Jefferson Illuminated A Summary View of the Rights of British America The Declaration of Independence Revisal of the Laws of Virginia: Religion Notes on the State of Virginia First Inaugural Address The University of Virginia Correspondence of Thomas Jefferson with John Adams
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13 96 121 131 137 151 161 187
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facs i m i l e s & i llustrati o n s thomas jefferson (edgehill portrait). Gilbert Stuart, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 1805, p. 4 thomas jefferson bust. Marble bust by Jean-Antoine Houdon at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1789. p. 12 poplar forest. Historic American Building Survey drawing, Lynchburg, Virginia. p. 41 capitol of virginia, 1785-1798. Richmond, Virginia. Library of Congress. p. 51 map of philadelphia and view of the state house. Nicholas Scull and George Heap, c. 1750. Gift of the Madison Council, the Phillips Society and J. Thomas Touchton and Mrs. and Mrs. Isadore Scott, Library of Congress. p. 68 monticello, 1769-1809. Thomas Jefferson Foundation. Charlottesville, Virginia. p. 82 epitaph of thomas jefferson. Library of Congress. p. 95 declaration of independence. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C. p. 126 thomas jefferson. Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin, Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts, 1804. p. 155 jefferson’s sketch of the rotunda. Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library. p. 163 the rotunda, 1817-1826. Historic American Building Survey picture, University of Virginia, Charlottesville. p. 180 letter to john adams, july 5, 1814. Library of Congress. p. 193 13
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THOMAS JEFFERS ON ILLUMI NATED
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homas jefferson is the central figure in American history and—if freedom and democracy survive in our generation— he may yet prove to be the central figure in modern history. He was not only one of the Founding Fathers, the source and inspiration of much of American democracy and of American nationalism; he was, too, a world figure. Certainly no other public man contributed so richly to so many chapters of modern history. He was, of all the Founding Fathers, indeed of all the men of the eighteenth century, the most contemporary. Both in his public and his private life he addressed himself continuously to problems of permanent and universal interest. What he wrote and what he did—about the nature of society and of government, the relations of man to government, the meaning of republicanism and democracy, the significance of education, of toleration, and of experimentation to democracy—is as relevant today as it was in the eighteenth century. Nor has any other American revealed himself or illuminated the history of his age more fully in his writings. Even his public writings constitute a record of incomparable importance; imagine our history without the Declaration of Independence, the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, the Ordinance of 1784, the Bill for the Diffusion of Knowledge, the Kentucky Resolutions, the First Inaugural Address, and the Louisiana Treaty. These, however represent only a small part of Jefferson’s total contribution to our history. His writings are essential, too, for an understanding of many things that he did not himself create or sponsor. Thus, for example, the Northwest
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