The Man Of The People By Thomas Jefferson - 925 Words

From the moment Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, the United States of America established itself as a nation built upon the foundation of equality. In the legendary document, Jefferson proclaimed, â€Å"all men... are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights... life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (Declaration).† Contradictorily, when the separatists fled England for an auspicious future in North America, their treatment of the Native American and Spanish occupants was inhumane, barbaric, and not becoming of a civilization ingrained with the principles of equality. Moreover, the pioneers of the â€Å"free† world marginalized, ostracized, and chimerically represented the African race more than any other minority. Paradoxically dubbed the â€Å"man of the people†, Thomas Jefferson illuminated his true interpretation of equality in Notes on the State of Virginia. â€Å"We have had under our eyes the races of black and o f red men, they have never yet been viewed by us as subjects of natural history,† he wrote. â€Å"I advance it... that the blacks... are inferior to the whites in the endowments both of body and mind (history).† Despite what the media conveys, this belief system lingered and particularly exists in the Department of Justice. For years, our government controlled the amount of accessible, viable, and financially rewarding opportunities for impoverished African Americans through the surreptitious agendas of law enforcement. However, Los AngelesShow MoreRelatedThomas Jefferson And The Declaration Of Independence1560 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.† He should believe so, as Thomas Jefferson’s actions clearly characterize his individual self, while also inducing the question, Does Thomas Jefferson deserve the honor he possesses, through these eminent actions? Many people bel ieve that Thomas Jefferson is a powerful individual who helped form our country, and was a great leader through his presidential career. He made the best out of difficult situations, whenRead MoreThomas Jefferson: One of Americas Most Inspirational Men Essay964 Words   |  4 PagesThomas Jefferson was not only our nations third president, but one of the most inspirational men in our United States history. His life from birth to death will be explained in the following content, and will give you a better understanding of his contributions to the United States and his accomplishments throughout his very interesting life. Thomas was born in Goachland County, Virginia on April 13th, 1743. He lived in his family’s estate called Shadwell that was owned and built by Thomas’Read MoreThomas Jefferson And His Influence On American History967 Words   |  4 Pagessocieties. Thomas Jefferson, an early American founding father, is credited to have had much influence on what shaped our early American society, and what would go on to eventually become the bases of our modern American way of life. â€Å"Jefferson is best known as the leading classical liberal in American history. As the author of the Declaration of Independence, he outlined the political principles that launched the new nation.† (James Thomas Jefferson, Life Centered Philosophy) Thomas Jefferson was notRead MoreEssay Thomas Jefferson and Slavery994 Words   |  4 PagesThomas Jefferson is a man who really needs no introduction. He was recognized as a luminous writer who was appointed to draft the Declaration of Indepe ndence. Congress formally approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Jefferson owned many slaves that worked for him. He would often even sell his slaves to buy others. Why then would he write in the Declaration of Independence, â€Å"all men are created equal†? Is it possible that Thomas Jefferson was a hypocrite and only wrote what theRead MoreCompare and contrast Thomas Jeffersons first Inaugural address and Hope and heritage: Myth and Thomas Jefferson1026 Words   |  5 Pages 23 September 2013 Essay: Topic: Compare and Contrast â€Å"Thomas Jefferson’s first inaugural address† (Chapter 15 in Readings in United States History) and â€Å"Hope and Heritage: Myth and Thomas Jefferson†, (Chapter 14 in Readings in United States History) â€Å"Do you want to know who you are? Dont ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.† (By Thomas Jefferson). Thomas Jefferson, who was born on April 13 1743 and died on July 4 1826, was the son of a wealthy uneducatedRead MoreWho Is Thomas Jefferson?993 Words   |  4 Pages Who is Thomas Jefferson? Matthew Backlin United States History 1 A CP October 18, 2015 Who was Thomas Jefferson? Most people just think of him as the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence or just one of our many presidents. That’s not the case. Jefferson was more than that, He was a very intelligent man and a loving father and grandfather. Thomas Jefferson was also an inventor and one of the most significant men in the history of makingRead MoreThe Author Of The Declaration Of Independence By Thomas Jefferson1133 Words   |  5 PagesThomas Jefferson was one of the best authors and Presidents in United States history. Jefferson becoming an author impacted his life greatly. Jefferson was the main author in the â€Å"Declaration of Independence† and that alone changed his life. Jefferson was also one of the best Presidents the world had ever seen. Jefferson’s work mentioned above impacted his life more than you will ever know. Jefferson was born in Shadwell, Virginia. Jefferson had eight kids; Martha Jefferson Randolph, EstonRead MoreThe Historical Perspectives Of The Columbus Day Became A National Holiday Essay1747 Words   |  7 Pagesthe treatment of the Native Americans during this expedition (Hitchmough). Thus, illustrating a different man than the heroic like figure history perceived and has continued to perceive him as. Interesting enough, the excerpt from Letter to Luis de Santangel Regarding the First Voyage and Letter to Ferdinand and Isabella Regarding the Fourth Voyage helped shine light on the actual man people know today as Christopher Columbus. The first letter, helping set this argument, written on February 15, 1493Read MoreThomas Jefferson Was The Second President Of The United States Of America1671 Words   |  7 PagesThomas Jefferson was the third president of The United States of America and one of the most influential founding fathers in American history. Thomas was born in Shadwell in Albemarle County, Virginia in 1743. His father Peter Jefferson was a well respected planter in Virginia. Not much is said about Jefferson s early life due to the Shadwell fire. The Shadwell fire destroyed many of Jefferson s person recollections in 1770 leaving much of his early history and his development into an AmericanRead MoreThe Enlightenment Theory Of John Locke1627 Words   |  7 Pageschange government, economic and social ideals. Thomas Jefferson borrowed liberally from the enlightenment theory from John Locke, specifically focusing on Locks theories of the equality of men, natural rights, and that people should have a say on how the government treated people. Jefferson created a draft document created a bold experiment, America. The enlightenment philosophy of John Locke theorized that that men were inherently equal, and Jefferson sought to prove this point. In the seventeenth