Thomas Jefferson was an American renaissance man. A wealthy Virginia landowner, Jefferson was a seminal figure in colonial American politics. The author of the Declaration of Independence and third President of the United States was an avid reader and inventor. As a graduate of the College of William and Mary and a founder of the University of Virginia, Jefferson understood the value of education in sowing the seeds of success in the fledgling American democracy. He possessed the largest private library in the colonies and sold his book collection to the federal government to establish the Library of Congress.
Jefferson was the first president to truly be an author in the literary sense. His writing career went from being a pamphleteer, penning Summary View and Causes and Necessities of Taking up Arms to the writing the Declaration of Independence. In these initial works, Jefferson identifies his grievances against the British Crown, especially King George II.
His first complete book, Notes on the State of Virginia, written in 1781, is often regarded as the most important book written in the colonies prior to 1800. There are many facets to this work, which was originally published in Paris. On the one hand, it is a travelogue and atlas of the Virginia colony providing readers with information about the topography of the land, its agricultural products and natural resources, as well as the colony’s inhabitants. But Jefferson decides to use the text to delve into several serious issues- religious freedom and slavery. While he was a slave owner whose men and women toiled at Monticello, Jefferson’s narrative tells a different story. In fact he was concerned that his anti-slavery comments would not sit well with his fellow Virginian landowners. He wrote that he foresaw the possibility of a race war in the newly created United States of America.
An article appeared in a Virginia newspaper in 1787, heralding the publication of book written by His Excellency Thomas Jefferson. It noted: The work will be comprised in a handsome octavo volume, with an elegant type, and good paper, and delivered to the subscribers neatly bound and lettered at the very moderate rate of one dollar.”
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