Can't-Miss Facts About Thomas Jefferson

Best known as the third commander-in-chief of the United States, author of the Declaration of Independence, founder of the University of Virginia, and the mastermind behind what was arguably the best real estate deal in the history of the United States – the Louisiana Purchase – Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) is ranked among the greatest U.S. presidents of all time. But many of the decisions Jefferson made throughout his presidency and in his personal life remain a source of controversy to this day.  

For most of my life, I have been an avid U.S. history buff, soaking up information on virtually everything from the American Revolution to World War II like a sponge.  Since so many of our nation’s landmark events have revolved around the 44 men who have taken the presidential oath of office, I’ve always felt compelled to learn as much about them as possible.  I find that most history lovers tend to zero in on our most famous presidents – from Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln to Teddy Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt – and I’m certainly no exception.

From the moment I learned that Thomas Jefferson authored one of the most influential documents in American history – the Declaration of Independence – I instantly became entranced by this man. Over the years I probed deeper into his life and unearthed a wealth of interesting tidbits, including the fact that Jefferson was fluent in six languages and would study roughly 15 hours a day during his formative years. Considering I love to learn new things and always dreamed of being a writer, I can certainly draw parallels between Jefferson and myself.

But for all Jefferson's achievements, it isn’t fair to look at him – or any other historic figure for that matter – through rose-colored glasses. The media and the history books generally paint the Founding Fathers as immaculate heroes, but these men had their fair share of foibles like anyone else.  Jefferson, in particular, has been labeled a hypocrite for taking firm positions on various issues and then making decisions that completely contradicted those positions.  Below are 6 fascinating facts about Thomas Jefferson that might leave you scratching your head and questioning whether schools and the media should reassess how they portray the third president of the United States.

1.    Thomas Jefferson…a shy man?  While Jefferson was masterful with a pen and paper, he was immensely shy and introverted – so much, in fact, that he was always silent in committee meetings leading up to the American Revolution.  It’s no wonder, then, that Jefferson delivered so few speeches throughout his presidency, and that all of his annual messages were delivered in writing rather than in person. However, what Jefferson lacked in social skills he more than made up for in shrewdness, as evidenced by the Louisiana Purchase – what many scholars consider the crowning achievement of his presidency.

2. Jefferson was both for and against big government: Speaking of the Louisiana Purchase, Jefferson espoused his belief in small government and felt that most powers should be reserved for the individual states. He had asserted that the federal government should not assume powers not expressly conferred to it by the U.S. Constitution.  I guess this all went out the window in 1803, when he seized the opportunity to purchase the Louisiana Territory from France.  Though the Constitution said nothing regarding the acquisition of land, Jefferson never looked back and doubled the size of the young country with the stroke of a pen. As another example, he wielded federal power when he pressed Congress to pass the controversial Embargo Act of 1807, which was enacted against France and Great Britain during the Napoleonic Wars. Clearly, Jefferson chose to abandon his staunch stance on limited government when it was most convenient for him.

3. Indulging was wrong – except, of course, when Jefferson himself did it. Jefferson immersed himself completely in the art, food, wine, and architecture of Parisian society.  Yet, he warned all prospective American tourists to remain in America so as to avoid the luxury, greed, and sheer sinfulness of European “fleshpots,” or establishments meant to offer patrons sensual pleasures or entertainment. This is akin to warning someone about the hazards of fast food and then gorging at McDonald’s every weekend.

4. Jefferson did not practice what he preached when it came to race and the question of slavery. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson put forth ever so eloquently that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” But did “all men” include slaves? 

The only book Jefferson ever published in his lifetime, Notes on the State of Virginia, featured an in-depth discussion of slavery, including a graphic description of its terrible effects on blacks and whites, a strong argument that it ran contrary to the principles on which the American Revolution was based, and a dire prediction that failure to end slavery might lead to the extermination of one or the other race. Jefferson, ironically, wound up owning hundreds of slaves in his lifetime. In 1819, during the debate in Congress over the Missouri Compromise, he backed the expansion of slavery into all the western territories, a complete reversal of the position he’d taken in the 1780s. What’s more, he stressed that it was wrong for the federal government to attempt any effort at emancipation.

The aforementioned book echoed public statements Jefferson made in which he denounced blacks as biologically inferior, thus exposing what many historians believe to be deep-seated racism that he, like many Virginians of his day, harbored throughout his life. Jefferson went so far as to characterize sexual relations between the races as “taboo.” I suppose Jefferson neglected to mention that this didn’t apply to him, as he allegedly had a relationship in 1788 with his mulatto slave Sally Hemmings and fathered several of her children.

5. Jefferson hated political parties – that is, until the Federalists drew his ire. Although Jefferson insisted that political parties were evil agents , he and his confidante James Madison ended up organizing one of their own. The Democratic-Republican Party stood in unyielding opposition to the Federalist Party, which they claimed wanted to place too much power in the hands of the federal government. He ostensibly set out to strike a conciliatory tone in his inaugural address, which included the famous line, “We are all republicans, we are all Federalists.” As president, however, Jefferson couldn’t bring himself to agree with the Federalists on, well, almost anything.

6. Supported freedom of the press for all but his opponents.  Jefferson sought to protect individual rights, and he especially championed freedom of the press. But when Federalist newspapers attacked Jefferson’s character and policies, he wasn’t going to stand idly by. He sought indictments against the newspapers, a move that was certainly at odds with his purported commitment to freedom of expression.

In closing, the above facts about Thomas Jefferson shed light on a complex man who seemed to have a love-hate relationship with everything from slavery to political parties. To be fair, this isn’t much different than modern-day politicians who flip flop on issues just to curry the public’s favor and score votes. However, because Jefferson was a Founding Father, I think we tend to hold him to a higher standard, as we do George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and other popular figures whom the media and history books often depict as unblemished super humans. While some people can look past Jefferson’s contradictions and focus only on his accomplishments, there are those who will always label him a hypocrite. Which group do you agree with?

Source:

Levy, Michael. The Founding Fathers. New York: Fall River Press, 2010.  Print. 

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