Thomas Jefferson has a special place in American history as a proponent of democracy, a founding father, and the third president. Jefferson played a crucial role in shaping America into what it is today (Boyd & Jefferson, 2018). He drafted the Declaration of Independence at 33 and worked extensively to make it a reality in his home state of Virginia. Jefferson held various positions in the government, championing various ideals and goals. He navigated various conflicts and disagreements before taking his place as president. Jefferson was a very religious individual that believed in the inalienable fundamental rights every human being has. This stern belief in rightful conduct can be seen in the various movements and conflicts he was involved in, most notably the abolishment of slavery.
The abolishment of slavery was one of the main themes in Jefferson’s political career. His various beliefs made him see slavery as one of the main ills the country was involved in that would lead to significant consequences. As such, it was imperative that America refrained from the practice (Oberg & Jefferson, 2018). The push for the abolishment of slavery was embodied in Jefferson’s proposed federal law looking to ban slavery in the new territories of the North and South. Slavery was a capital sin to Jefferson, and America could only be saved by refraining from the same. He presented his opposition to slavery as an ethical challenge based on the theory of moral sentiments, indicating an in-depth study of morality and what is right.
Above everything, Jefferson was a stout upholder of fundamental human rights, as shown by his proclamation of the independence of the United States. It then emerges that he saw all human beings as truly equal, and no one should have dominion over others (Boyd & Jefferson, 2018). it turns out that Jefferson was also very interested in the French revolution and only took a step away from it momentarily as he handled internal matters. Jefferson’s works live to this day, although total racial harmony is yet to be achieved. America is in good global standing on racial matters largely because of Jefferson’s vision.
The completion of this portfolio was wrought by several challenges. The main obstacle standing in the way of a successful project was the necessity of sifting through a huge amount of data. Creating a successful portfolio necessitated using search engines to get to the requisite information, which needed extensive work to be narrowed down to what was needed. Further, I had to compare data from multiple reputable sources to ensure I had the correct information. This meant extra work as I had to be sure that the information presented could be verified by different parties.
Another big problem I had to contend with was coming up with the correct structure that would serve the purposes of the assignment. There is a wealth of information available on such an important American idol and finding the right approach that would touch on all important elements was challenging. Coming up with an introduction was the hardest part as there are several ways one could attack such a rich topic. The last obstacle encountered was selecting the final list of sources that would make the response to the assignment. The research yielded several texts and articles that gave an in-depth account of Jefferson’s life and career, and it was difficult to pick those that would get listed in the references. Jefferson worked extensively and was involved in several activities that are well-covered in many sources, so it was hard to choose which ones to go with. These challenges were tackled by conducting patient and extensive research. The researcher was able to come up with a text that covered all essentials by taking the needed time to complete the assignment.
References
Bickford, J., & Hendrickson, R. (2020). An inquiry into liberty, slavery, and Thomas Jefferson’s place in American memory. The Social Studies, 111(1), 1–10. Web.
Boyd, J. P., & Jefferson, T. (2018). The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 1: 1760 to 1776. Princeton University Press.
Branch, B. (2018). Could Thomas Jefferson have ended slavery: An economic analysis. Business Quest, 1, 1–25.
Gordon-Reed, A. (2018). America’s original sin: Slavery and the legacy of white supremacy. Foreign Affairs, 97, 2–12. Web.
Jefferson, T. (2018). The autobiography of Thomas Jefferson. Musaicum Books.
Kern, S. (2020). Restoration and slavery: Two new exhibits. Buildings & Landscapes: Journal of the Vernacular Architecture Forum University of Minnesota Press, 27(2), 106–110. Web.
Oberg, B. B., & Jefferson, T. (2018). The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 39: 13 November 1802 to 3 March 1803. Princeton University Press