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Henry Louis Gates
George Orwell
Stephen Jay Gould
Margaret Atwood
Russell Baker
Judy Brady
Thomas Jefferson
Judith Ortiz Cofer
Gloria Naylor
Richard Rodriguez
Brent Staples
Shelby Steele
Dave Barry
Frederick Douglass
Benjamin Franklin
Niccolo Machiavelli
Scott Russell Sand...
Bell Hooks
Jamaica Kincaid
Ursula Le Guin
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Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was born at Shadwell, in Albemarle County into a prominent Virginia family. He graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1762, and he studied law from 1762 until 1767, at which time he was admitted to the Virginia bar. Jefferson served in both the Virginia House of Burgesses and in the Continental Congress, where he drafted "The Declaration of Independence" at the age of thirty-three. Jefferson also would serve in the Virginia Legislature and as Governor there from 1779 to 1781. After an unsuccessful bid in 1796, Jefferson became the third U.S. President in 1801 and served two terms. An extraordinarily skilled writer, Jefferson wrote several books including Notes on the State of Virginia (1781-1782), an Autobiography (1821), and compiled many of his letters, papers, and addresses. He also founded the Library of Congress and the University of Virginia. Jefferson died on July 4th at his Virginia home, Monticello.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

CONTENT

  1. Which truths are presented as self-evident here?
  2. What is the stated purpose of this document?
  3. Who was the King of England at the time of this writing?
  4. What role do Native Americans play in this document?
  5. Describe the things that Jefferson says that a free state ought to have a right to do.
  6. Summarize the grievances the U.S. Representatives had against the British government.

STRATEGY AND STYLE

  1. What audience did Jefferson have in mind for this declaration? Where in the document can you point to support your answer? How has the nature of the audience changed over time?
  2. How would you describe this piece in terms of rhetorical mode? Does the author structure it by means of showing cause and effect, by providing examples, or by illustrating comparisons and contrasts? Support your answer with specifics from your reading.
  3. As you know, "The Declaration of Independence" was written in 1776. Review your reading to find some words, phrases, and references that gave you trouble due to this time difference. If you already haven't done so, look up the difficult ones. How might you bridge this gap in time and learning in the future?
  4. "The Declaration of Independence" can be broken into five clear parts: an introduction, a preamble, a body with two parts, and a conclusion. Determine where each of these parts starts and ends, noting structural signals and transitions along the way.

ENGAGING THE TEXT

  1. Did any images of the founders of the U.S. run through your head as you read this piece? If so, which ones? How did your answers here affect your relationship with your reading?
  2. Think of a difficult, or intolerable, situation from which you worked to free yourself. What was the situation and what did you do? How can you link your experience to this reading?

SUGGESTIONS FOR SUSTAINED WRITING

  1. A syllogism is a three-part argument that contains a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. Here's an example: major premise—All living people need oxygen; minor premise—Sasha is a living person; conclusion—Sasha needs oxygen. Find the syllogism in this piece and write it out as precisely as you can.
  2. Read or review Machiavelli's "The Qualities of a Prince." Compare and contrast Jefferson's and Machiavelli's ideas about the role of government and their views of human nature.

FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

Do some research to find a foreign country that made formal mention of the American Declaration of Independence when declaring its own independence. What country did you research? Under what circumstances did it declare its independence? What use was made of the U.S. document?

WEB CONNECTION

This "Life Portrait" of Jefferson offers links to multimedia presentations, some other related links, and even a bit of Presidential trivia.

LINKS

Biographical

Straight from the White House, here's a biography and a portrait of Jefferson. How comfortable would you feel using some of this material in a paper? What makes sources reliable?

The Thomas Jefferson Digital Archive from the University of Virginia Library contains a host of biographical information about Jefferson. It's a great place to start your online research of the third U.S. President.

This is the homepage of a site devoted to Monticello, Jefferson's longtime home. There, you'll find a biography of Jefferson and lots of related links.

Bibliographical

Want to peruse a searchable database of Jefferson's work? Try The Thomas Jefferson Papers at the Library of Congress. This magnificent collection also includes about 83,000 images.

How about a searchable, annotated Jefferson bibliography? Visit this one, covering the years 1826 to 1997.

Here is The Declaration of Independence in etext. Do you feel comfortable using etext in your studies? Have you found mostly drawbacks or benefits when using this format? Does it depend upon the nature of your research?

Cultural

Interested in doing some research about Jefferson, but not sure how to narrow your topic? This directory from Google.com will give you plenty of ideas.

Read this discussion of Jefferson's views of copyright law. Why do you think he argued for such limitations? Would you feel comfortable using this work in a paper? Why or why not?

Interested in a personal touch? Here's a close up of Jefferson's signature on The Bill of Rights.