On the Rise of Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson - few men throughout the annals of history have had a greater impact upon the rise and development of Republicanism than the Intellectual, Philosopher, and Founding Father who can rightly be proclaimed “America’s Greatest Visionary”. The Ideological and Historical Accomplishments of Thomas Jefferson reign far and wide; the Declaration of Independence, the Resolute Defense of Civil Liberties in the American Character, Championing the Bill of Rights and Individual Liberties throughout his life, the earliest incarnations of the Popular Mandate, Freedom of Speech and Religion, Defending the Absolute Separation of Church and State, the American Duty to advance Republicanism the world over, and serving as a leading figure in both American and French Republicanism. For Thomas Jefferson may not have been our nation’s single greatest President - but given the near Feudal Realm from which he hailed - his ideals, his principles, and his missions have undoubtedly secured him the title of our nation’s Greatest Visionary, whose vision of Noble, True Republicanism has characterized our nation since it’s inception. However, despite his lofty accomplishments in nearly every realm of state - besides the occasional charming antics surrounding his youth activities: his personal experiences, early convictions, the moments that shaped him, and his rise to national prominence are so often overlooked: yet without it, we can very easily fail to understand the complexity of our Third President.

For Thomas Jefferson was born on a Warm April day in 1743, the eldest son of Virginia Planter, Landowner, and dedicated Cartographer (Map-Maker) Peter Jefferson. Born into the upper echelon of Virginia’s Colonial Aristocracy, Jefferson’s family had owned expansive Tobacco Farms and Plantations, on which many of the family’s other activities were funded. Although his father had been noted for being the first man to effectively map the topography of the Allegheny Mountains in Western Virginia - and his paternal side of the family had been fairly prominent landowners in early Virginia, it was ultimately Jefferson’s maternal side of the family that provided the most significant Aristocratic Credo - for his mother Jane had been a member of the illustrious Randolph Family, the most powerful family in Virginia and arguably the entire colonies. The Randolphs had been in Virginia for well over a century by the time of Thomas Jefferson and had gained the close patronage and support of the British Crown following the families’ loyal support for the Cavaliers (Monarchists) in the English Civil War - earning them various trade rights and enabling them to rise to prominence, becoming the most powerful, prestigious family in Virginia. Their prominence and ties to fellow aristocratic families were so strong that the 17th Century Randolph family Patriarch William Randolph, along with his wife, were often proclaimed the “Adam and Eve of Virginia”, due to most preeminent families tracing their lineage and heritage back to Randolph. Therefore, from birth Jefferson was almost guaranteed a moderate degree of prominence (which ought not to diminish the immense natural talent and intellect of Jefferson). Thomas Jefferson’s early life was characterized by thorough education, receiving private tutorship alongside his Randolph cousins in a true Medieval fashion. Due to his father’s death when Thomas was only 13, Jefferson was primarily looked after and raised by family friend and legal guardian John Harvie - who sought to ensure that Jefferson received the finest education. As a young man, Jefferson’s life was almost entirely defined by a search for knowledge, scouring through every book in his father’s Library, and becoming fluent in Latin, Greek, French - and the various languages of the arts and sciences.

Furthermore, due to the unique crossroads of Virginia society which Jefferson was privy to due to his family status - he would as a teenager become incredibly social, coming in contact with and fraternizing with various elite Landowners, members of the Clergy, Native Chieftans who were in trade deals with the Jeffersons/Randolphs’, and developing a close, lifelong friendship with fellow future Founding Father Patrick Henry (they practiced the Violin together). Jefferson would eventually be admitted to the College of William and Mary (the main College of Colonial Virginia), in 1761, after routinely pestering Harvie to allow him to attend. It was at William and Mary, where Jefferson truly seemed to have grown from the bright young man to the iconic Enlightenment Idealist that we know today - encountering and growing infatuated with Enlightenment Philosophy (particularly the early Liberal Philosopher John Locke), alongside various realms of art, history, and science - beginning a lifelong habit of inventing multiple gadgets and tools. Jefferson would also grow well-acquainted with the social circles of the school - forming a close circle of Intellectuals with Professors, Colleagues, and future founding father George Wythe (who would hold Friday night Dinner and Debate Parties). It was during his stint in college that Jefferson truly grew a devotion to the principles of the Rights of Man and Republicanism, and the duties of a civically engaged populace governing their own destiny in the face of tyranny - drawing from John Locke’s Social Contract and extensive philosophical discussions with Wythe, the latter of which instilled in him a unique sense of duty and a passion to defend ones’ fellow man. Although prominent in the course of his life, Jefferson would only spend a year in college, primarily characterized by parties, lavish spending on Alcohol, fraternizing with local women, and what can euphemistically be called “extra-curricular activities” - before later convincing his friend and mentor Wythe (who had been a practicing lawyer and member of the Virginia Colonial Assembly representing the College) to take him under his wing as his protege and Law Clerk. While studying Law, Jefferson began to write his own assessments and thoughts on the various legal concepts he encountered - which would eventually develop into a lifelong passion for philosophy - largely impacted by the ideas of Locke, and a growing belief in the inalienable rights of man. Jefferson later earned prominence in the scholarly community for publishing many of his observations on law, history, sciences, and various other matters, with a classical emphasis on empirical evidence in his findings.

Following his admission to the bar at the age of 24, Jefferson would earn a minor reputation as a Reformist in representing various fellow landowners in cases against the British Colonial Administration - supporting the right of the landowners to be masters of their own domain and affairs - without Tyrannical British interference, while also representing various Slaves in suits for their freedom; often utilizing the principle of inalienable rights to pursue such goals. Two years later, in 1769, Jefferson - with the aid of the increasingly prominent Wythe - was elected to the Virginia Colonial Assembly (as most members of prominent families held office, to represent family interests in Colonial times). While in the assembly, Jefferson would often align with radicals George Mason and Patrick Henry, while also developing a close friendship with George Washington (based on a mutual love for the theatre). Jefferson would rise to prominence in the assembly pursuing legislation to reform slavery and establish a clearer path to Emancipation for Slaves - an act that earned him strong opposition from many of the more Conservative landowners and began to alienate him from his relatives in the Randolph Family while increasing his support amongst more radical members of the assembly. Unfortunately, like many of the founding fathers with an initial dislike towards Slavery - Jefferson was largely forced to adopt an awkward avoidance of the issue in national politics for the sake of national unity, despite continuing to push for the Abolition of the Slave Trade and Gradual Emancipation in the face of opposition from his fellow Southern Landowners.

During this time, Jefferson would evolve politically to more actively oppose British Tyranny, and become a lead spokesman in the Virginia Assembly for Colonial Autonomy, being unique for his utilization of romantic philosophical ideals and principles as opposed to the more tactical, analytical direction of legal principles used by fellow Proto-Patriots. Thomas Jefferson rose to national prominence, however, in the midst of the Intolerable Acts of 1774, passed in the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party. Jefferson, outraged by these Tyrannical Edicts, Published a Resolution to the Virginia Colonial Assembly in which he called for a boycott of British goods, and called for the delegates to the newly summoned First Continental Congress to push for outright independence and a natural right for the Colonies to govern themselves under the popular Republican mandate. Ultimately, although popular, many of these ideals were too radical for the First Congress, and were not adopted - yet Jefferson reorganized them in A Summary View on the Rights of British America, in 1774 - whose philosophical arguments for the inalienable rights of man, opposition to tyranny, and national independence earned Jefferson a reputation as a leading voice in the movement for Independence and the Rights of the Colonies. Following this rise to national prominence as a thinker, Jefferson was selected by the Virginia Assembly to be a delegate to the Second Continental Congress in 1775, where he quickly became known for his passionate arguments, and befriended the rising star and champion of compromise John Adams. This would begin a lifelong friendship between the two men (alongside their uneasy political alliance), who bonded on philosophy, the arts, and a shared mission for Independence. Adams would ultimately champion and secure Jefferson’s appointment to the committee tasked with writing the Declaration of Independence due to his noted prior advocacy, and Jefferson would quickly commandeer the committee to become the primary author of the Declaration, where he introduced his idealist, philosophical arguments of inalienable rights of man, consent of the governed civil liberties, and a Republican spirit that would come to be the bedrock of our national character and identity defined in the democratic tradition - stating the revolutionary new concept that “All men are Created Equal”.

In writing the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson secured a reputation as the lead voice of the American Revolution - and following a brief stint as Commander of a Local Virginia Militia, Jefferson would once again be elected to the Virginia Assembly, where he was tasked with writing the State Constitution. It was during this task that Jefferson encountered and befriended the young James Madison, who had just been elected to the assembly - collaborating together to characterize the Virginia Constitution around Enlightenment Principles, inalienable rights of man, and a notable (albeit unsuccessful) effort to guarantee Secular Government - for Jefferson had grown heavily weary of Religious interference in government, and any centralized power of the clergy - in part due to the Anglican Church’s opposition towards the Revolution.

Shortly thereafter, Jefferson would serve as a lead figure in the management of Revolutionary Virginia, while making it his aim to combat the Landowning Aristocracy - which he believed to be "feudal and unnatural”, a relic of British rule and a threat to Republican Government. It is here that we see much of the principles that seem commonplace in Republican society nowadays, but were ultimately championed by Jefferson during the Revolution, and were often seen as ‘Radical’ even by his fellow Revolutionaries - even pursuing some of the first attempts to tax the inheritance of the wealthy. Jefferson was elected governor of Virginia in 1779, with the support of his term-limited predecessor and lifelong friend Patrick Henry - where Jefferson was tasked with leading Virginia’s efforts in the Revolutionary War. Despite successfully championing Freedom of Religion, and early policies surrounding Public Education, Jefferson’s tenure was characterized by a mass British Offensive - in which Jefferson was forced to go into hiding to avoid capture - an act that ultimately cost him re-election by the Assembly in 1781. Following his departure from office, Jefferson would aid the war effort financially, and after the war, became Virginia’s Delegate to the Congress of the Confederation (the closest thing to a Legislature under the new Articles of Confederation, the initial, highly weak and ineffective system of American Government), yet due to the limited responsibilities of the job, Jefferson would spend most of his time turning his home in Monticello into an active forum for intellectual gatherings with fellow Virginia intellectuals and future-Presidents James Madison and member of the Virginia Assembly James Monroe. Jefferson also began to actively push for Westward Expansion during this time as a part of the adventurous, free spirit that characterized much of the Colonial sentiments (as advised by his friend George Washington, who as we know had a soft spot for adventure), in a search for a better life.

As Jefferson once again rose to the national spotlight, for his critiques of the Articles of Confederation, Jefferson was sent away from the new nation as Ambassador to France in 1786 (a job that served the fluent, highly social Jefferson well). While Ambassador, Jefferson followed the footsteps of his scandalous predecessor Benjamin Franklin, having multiple affairs with members of the Court, while also taking a keen interest in the growing push for Revolution in France. Jefferson actively sought to acquaint himself with the lead figures of the French Revolution, including Marquis de Lafayette (who would become a lifelong friend), and Emmanuel Sieyes - co-authoring the Declaration of the Rights of the Man and Citizen (the primary document of the French Revolution) in 1789, and continuing to support and champion the Revolution from abroad in the following years. Unfortunately, due to his presence in France at the time, Jefferson was unable to attend the Constitutional Convention of 1787, yet sought to introduce his input through letters to his close friend James Madison - who would become the primary craftsman of the Constitution, with a keen emphasis on Civil Liberties and Separation of Powers - while becoming an active leader of the movement for a Bill of Rights - believing that without it, the rights of the citizenry could very well be abridged and the government, although Republican in design, would descend into tyranny. Here I believe that he was heavily justified in his push for not only the defense of checks and balances, but also in encouraging the passage of a Bill of Rights, which fundamentally altered and defined the American Identity as one of Resolute Republicanism, Freedom, and Civil Liberties. Interestingly, during his time in France, Jefferson would rapidly grow to become the preeminent voice in America’s Foreign Affairs, representing the New Republic in France - arguably her greatest ally, and partially due to his role in the Revolution, he would become a vocal proponent of an “Empire of Liberty”, promoting Republicanism and civil liberties the world over in the face of Tyranny, as the worlds foremost Republic. Jefferson also grew an innate hatred for pirates at this time, as he was charged with overseeing and negotiating much of America’s overseas trade, disrupted by these lawless criminals, and ultimately, he would get America involved in her first overseas war, in a mission to eradicate the Pirates of North Africa while President.

Following the ratification of the Constitution and the ascension of longtime friend George Washington to the Presidency in 1789 - Thomas Jefferson was appointed the First Secretary of State - the newly created post overseeing all matters of Foreign Affairs for the new country due to his extensive background as Ambassador. Jefferson’s appointment also served as an olive branch to many of those, more hesitant about a Strong National Government who may have felt alienated by the dominating presence of supporters of strong government action in Washington’s cabinet. Jefferson, now tasked with managing American diplomacy and presence on the world stage - had become not only immortalized in history through his pivotal role in the American and French Revolutions, but also in the realms of philosophy and Republicanism - having been the primary voice in favor of Republicanism, the Popular Mandate, the Social Contract in practice, combatting the Aristocracy, individual liberties, and the Strong Separation of Church and State (with Jefferson even growing openly Anti-Clerical in his later years) - all pivotal cornerstones of Democratic Governance in the modern age: earning Jefferson his rightful place in the annals of history, one as a gentleman and a scholar, as his entire life had been constructed upon. Jefferson would go on to serve an eventful tenure as Secretary of State, mostly clashing with the Treasury Secretary - Washington’s close personal protege Alexander Hamilton - who began to exercise a dominant role in government policy in a push for internal improvements. Their clashes were apparently so bitter that Washington threatened to have Jefferson dismissed multiple times for undermining national unity - and the two rival philosophies of Jefferson and Hamilton would ultimately grow to dominate American politics for the next several decades. In my opinion - the two actually complement one another - keeping each other in balance - a yin and yang of government.

Hamilton had believed in a strong national bank, an active Federal Government, internal improvements, an industrial economy, and an expansive interpretation of Constitutional power (alongside questionable elitism) - believing it was practically the best way to aid national progress. Jefferson meanwhile believed in a distinctly Republican philosophy, widespread trust in the popular mandate, opposing the Bank - due to his belief that it would become a tool for the wealthy. While preferring a smaller Federal Government (winning him support from Southern Landowners and Aristocrats), an Agrarian Economy, and a strict interpretation of Constitutional Rules - which he hoped would facilitate a safeguarded and free Republic. Much of Jefferson’s skepticism of a strong government however, was fundamentally different than most Small Government advocates today and was based on a distrust stemming from experiences with the Tyrannical and Corrupted British Rule (which lacked any popular mandate, purely because their might and wealth enabled them to) - believing from this moment that any power could, if not safeguarded, become easily corrupted. These two men’s philosophies would ultimately evolve into the doctrines of the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties, headed by Hamilton and Jefferson respectively - and following the retirement of George Washington, the two-party system would rapidly envelop politics, and Thomas Jefferson, the Sage of Monticello - would go on to become Vice President and later President, before going on to achieve what he believed to be his crowning achievement in founding the University of Virginia in 1817. Jefferson would die in 1826, 50 years after he wrote his fateful declaration - one derived from principles of enlightenment, and his legacy has often stood amongst the titans of history the world over; utilized as a patron saint of Democracy across the ages - yet it is important to understand the moments and the lifelong dedication to learning and the Rights of the Populace that characterized Jefferson, from his earliest encounter with knowledge - as a mission to enlighten the world, just as he worked to enlighten himself - all while earning his place in the Pantheon of Republicanism, and our Third President.