Introduction
In many cases, a person’s childhood, ideas, and views identify his or her future input in a professional area. The author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, was the third president of the United States. This paper aims to analyze Jefferson’s early years and adulthood to determine how they influenced his personality. In addition, the paper focuses on his ideas and career to better understand his views regarding liberty.
Early Years and Adulthood
The review of a person’s legacy cannot be properly analyzed without focusing on his or her family. Thomas Jefferson was born as the third child in the family of Jane Randolph and Peter Jefferson in Virginia in 1743 (Mullin, 2007). His mother was from an aristocratic family that provided her with household, education, and traditions, which were then translated to her children. Jefferson’s father was a successful surveyor and planter, which contributed to raising their children comfortably and with authority. The documents and correspondence show that Jefferson’s relationships with his mother were close and trustful (Mullin, 2007). The childhood of this prominent American leader is marked by entering an English school at the age of five, studying the natural world, learning to ride horses, and being interested in various sciences.
From the very childhood, Jefferson interacted with people and effectively built relationships. Mastering communication skills, he befriended with American Indians and even the local Cherokee chief (Meacham, 2013). Accordingly, he began to consider that personal relationships are critical in building one’s professional career. In adulthood, Jefferson talents included playing the violin, architecture, gardening, and so on. After the death of his father, Jefferson inherited the Shadwell property and designed Monticello as the place to live with his future wife, Martha Wayles (Bickford et al., 2019). The observation of Jefferson’s childhood illustrates that he was a talented and promising young man, whose background and personal qualities were beneficial for his successful career.
Career and Revolutionary Views
To understand Jefferson’s career directions and actions, it is significant to refer to his philosophical views. According to Professor Julian Boyd, Jefferson absorbed the liberal traditions of contemporary Western European and ancient literature (Bickford et al., 2019). He was attracted by the works of the ancient philosophers, such as Epicurus and Democritus, thinking about the happiness of people as the goal of philosophy. In his socio-political views, one can detect the influence of Montesquieu, Voltaire, Rousseau, Bacon, and Locke (Thompson, 2019). The philosophy of Locke, with his doctrine of the natural right to life and property, had a particularly great influence on the formation of Jefferson’s views. It allowed this Founding Father to develop and substantiate the idea of the right to revolution.
It should be stressed that Jefferson earned a reputation as the so-called silent politician since he had an influence through written documents. After the beginning of the Revolution, Jefferson was elected to the Second Continental Congress, which subsequently made the historic decision to separate the North American colonies from England (Bickford et al., 2019). For example, the Declarations on the Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms was a document that the Second Continental Congress issued to explain why the Thirteen Colonies wanted to separate. The main issue in this document was the question of the purpose of the struggle against the mother country and its colonies. Jefferson saw it as uniting Americans and winning independence by creating a free and democratic state (Meacham, 2013). He considered that no American territory would achieve anything acting alone, and that one could resist the dictates of London only by joint efforts.
Speaking about Jefferson’s enigma, it is critical to note that he kept written records of his life, which helps modern people to better recognize his personality. Although he traced incomes and expenses, Jefferson was often in debt (Mullin, 2007). Despite being highly involved in politics and leaving his house for long periods, he also focused on luxury items for his properties. Among other paradoxes, Mullin (2007) notes a solid sympathy for the ideals of Enlightenment, but their doubtful practical implementation. Accordingly, Jefferson’s personality seems to be a vivid example of a complex nature of an outstanding politician and an ordinary person with daily needs and obligations.
Intertwining Liberty and Slavery
The ideal of liberty and a strong government were the two elements in the worldview practiced by Jefferson. He brought together the reality and his ideals, transforming principles into policies. Namely, he wrote the Declaration of Independence, clarifying that liberty is an unalienable right of every person. Ideological flexibility is probably the most characteristic feature of Jefferson’s understanding of liberty. Jefferson believed that “politics is kaleidoscopic, constantly shifting, and the morning’s foe may well be the afternoon’s friend” (Meacham, 2013, p. 112). He considered that the key reason for progress is the discovery of the undiscovered and constant movement towards the unknown. For example, when James Madison, Jefferson’s friend and ideological soul mate, tried to reject the power to tax, it came against the ex-president’s opinion. However, he focused on “meeting of the principals out of the public eye”, and a compromise was achieved (Meacham, 2013, p. 244). This example shows that Jefferson successfully managed to combine personal and political issues.
The issues of slavery and liberty are interrelated, but Jefferson’s life and career included both of these seemingly contradictory notions. On the one hand, this Founding Father of America wrote the Declaration of Independence, in which he confidently argued that all people are created equal. On the other hand, Jefferson enslaved about 600 Afro-Americans and freed only some of them (Bickford et al., 2019). In his point, the White and African-American races could not coexist peacefully due to the biological inferiority of the former. At the same time, he prepared a plan for granting freedom to enslaved people in a gradual manner. Meacham (2013) states that Jefferson protected individual liberty and pressed limits regarding presidential power. Even though this ex-president ruthlessly handled American Indians and Afro-Americans, the author views him as one of the most effective leaders of the US. Probably, the ability to intertwine such contradictory views makes Jefferson one of the most enigmatic presidents of America.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Thomas Jefferson was one of the Founding Fathers of the US and the author of the Declaration of Independence. Grown in a prosperous and aristocratic family, he received excellent education and inheritance to start and succeed in his own career. Jefferson’s personal qualities included communication skills, interest in various sciences, playing musical instruments, diligence in learning, and a strong desire to achieve democracy. He was a person of paradoxes, which made his personality complex to discover, while it is evident that his contribution to the history of the US cannot be overestimated.
References
Bickford, J. H., Lindsay, M., & Hendrickson, R. C. (2019). Trade books’ evolving depictions of Thomas Jefferson, America’s third President. Social Studies Research and Practice, 14(1), 40-63.
Meacham, J. (2013). Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power. Random House.
Mullin, R. T. (2007). Thomas Jefferson: Architect of freedom. Sterling Publishing Company.
Thompson, C. B. (2019). John Locke and the American mind. American Political Thought, 8(4), 575-593.