Thomas Jefferson in US History - Essay Example

TERM ESSAY Confucius once said, “it is not the way that makes the man great, but the man that makes the way great”. vf  Your task is to weigh in on this proposition by Confucius. Please identify two figures in United States (Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln) and history who you met through the course video lessons or the text reading during the period from 1607 to 1877 and who you feel made a significant impact on the growth and development of the United States. Walk each through the following guidelines in an essay designed to serve as the writing assignment for this course.  Begin your paper with a thesis statement about the individual you will choose with the guidelines below. Entitle this section THESIS.  In a section entitled BIOGRPAHICAL SKETCH, provide a summary paragraph identifying your chosen individual.  In a section to be entitled CONTRIBUTION, describe three important ways she/he contributed to U.S. history.  In a section entitled ANALYSIS, explain why you feel each of the individual’s contributions (3) are important in shaping the course of U.S. history.  Finally, in a section entitled, On Confucius, discuss why you agree or disagree with his statement above. Note the Confucius section is the last section of your paper and incorporates your experience from the two individual studies. There is only one Confucius section, not one for each individual  Essay must be typed in 12-point font in the double-space format. THESIS – Jefferson Thomas Jefferson was one of the most significant figures in U.S. History. He played a central role in the revolution; however, his most important contribution to the development of the new nation was his work on the Declaration of Independence. Indeed, Jefferson could be described as the most important of the Founding Fathers. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH – Jefferson Jefferson was born in1743 to a prominent Virginian farming family. Like most children from well-to-do families in the South he was well educated, studying Latin, Greek and eventually Law and philosophy at the College of William and Mary (Whitehouse.org). It is here that Jefferson was introduced to the British Enlightenment thinking of John Locke, Francis Bacon and Newton – three figures who were to have an enormous impact on Jefferson’s own political views (Peterson 1236). Upon graduating Jefferson practised law and entered Virginian political life. It was here that Jefferson began his more radical writing, protesting against the introduction of what he considered the implementation of unfair laws by the British Parliament (Remini 34). Jefferson was involved in the Second Continental Congress which produced his most famous and enduring document; the Declaration of Independence. After the Revolutionary War Jefferson entered re-entered politics serving as Governor of Virginia, a member of the new Congress, Ambassador to France, Secretary of State, and ultimately, the third President of the United States (McPherson 2000: 28-29). CONTRIBUTION – Jefferson Jefferson made tremendous contributions to the evolutions and development of the Untied States. The three most important were, however, the creation of the Declaration if Independence, his co-founding of what was to become the Democratic-Republican party, and his actions during his Presidency – namely the Louisiana purchase, for example. ANALYSIS – Jefferson These three contributions are significant to the development of the United States because their impact is still being felt over two hundred years later. Essentially, the Declaration of Independence was a specifically defined set of rights that more than any other influence helped craft the social, political and even economic life of the country. The statement ‘… that all men are created equal’, for example, was a direct affront to monarchy at the time and it certainly inspired many to consider revolution. Moreover, the sentiments expressed in the document were used throughout U.S. history as an expression of what it was to be an American – indeed the document inspired people right through to the advent of the Civil rights movement in the 1950’s and 1960’s; Martin Luther King Jnr’s ‘I have a Dream’ speech was heavily influenced by the promises made by Jefferson almost two hundred years earlier; King called it ‘promissory note’ for black America. The formation of the Democratic Republican Party and the Louisiana Purchase made while in his Presidency were also important contributions. The Democratic Republican Party went on to become two of the most important organisations in U.S. History. The Purchase in 1803 from France of what has become almost twenty-three percent of modern America is also an obvious highlight of Jefferson’s career. Not only did he significantly increase the holding of the young republic but the power of the Federal Government was also enhanced by the sale – something quite ironic considering Jefferson was a strong advocate for ‘State’s Rights’. Overall, Jefferson’s contributions had a significant impact on the development and evolution of the United States. THESIS – Lincoln Abraham Lincoln made an enormous impact on the development and evolution of the United States. His handling of the American Civil war alone merits him status among those most important individuals in U.S. History. The war itself ended slavery and established the power of the Federal Government over the rights of individual States to act in any way they saw fit. Ultimately, Lincoln was one of the most important figures in U.S. History. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH – Lincoln Lincoln was born in 1809 to modest beginnings in southeast Kentucky (Donald 20-22). Lincoln had his first real encounter with the issues of slavery in 1816 when his father, Tomas Lincoln, moved the family to Indiana partly because Thomas’s strict Baptist beliefs opposed slavery (Donald 22-24). Unlike Jefferson, Lincoln’s educational background was short and uninspiring. With just over eighteen months of formal education Lincoln started a career in business upon leaving the family home now in Illinios (White 25, 34). A self-taught legal career was followed by political appointment to the Illinios State legislature after 1834. Fame followed in the years leading up to the Civil War as Lincoln’s oratory skills achieved some level of public attention. The debates with Stephen Douglas, one of the most powerful men in the U.S. Congress, led to Lincoln being heralded as a pro-Union anti-slavery advocate – even though his stance on slavery was not based particularly on ethical grounds (McPherson 1993: 182). In 1860 Lincoln was President and within 6 months the Union was rent by Civil War. CONTRIBUTION – Lincoln Lincoln contributed to the evolution and development of the United States in three main ways. Firstly, although he certainly did not do it single-handedly, he was an important factor in why the North won the Civil War. Secondly, his stance on slavery, while not radical, was radical enough that with victory in 1865 slavery was banned throughout the United States. Finally, Lincoln redefined republicanism making it more about freedom and liberty than the Constitution. ANALYSIS – Lincoln Lincoln’s most important contribution to the development of the United States was his successful leadership during the Civil War. While the war was a fierce and bloody one the divisions between the two sides were not often clear cut. There were sympathies for both sides, especially as the South were ostensibly fighting to defend their rights under the Constitution – Jefferson himself would have supported the right of each individual state to choose the manner in which it was governed without Federal interference. Consequently, it was up to Lincoln to define exactly what the North was fighting for. In doing so he help re-define what it was to be an American, and he also succeeded in banning slavery. Slavery, while always an important issue, was not the only issue separating the two sides. The rights of the individual states over the rights on the collective were also central to the division that rent the North and South. For Lincoln, it was simple – a ‘house divided’ can not stand – or in other words, the preservation of the Union was more important than the rights of any one member state. This message, encapsulated in the Gettysburg address, returned to the ideals bound in the Declaration of Independence; and they remain as important today as they did in 1863 (Jaffa 399). However, the Emancipation Declaration was also critical in that it added a clear cut moral reason for the North to fight. In the end, it was Lincoln’s overall political acumen that helped the North beat the South, and this is why Lincoln is an important figure in U.S. History. ON CONFUCIUS – “it is not the way that makes the man great, but the man that makes the way great”.vf  Both Jefferson and Lincoln could be described as ‘great men’ who made the ‘way great’. Each was accomplished and successful in their chosen careers and they both made extremely important contributions to the growth and development of the United States. Moreover, each is remembered for different reasons. Just as Washington is remembered for his military accomplishments during the Revolutionary War, Jefferson, his contemporary, is remembered for his accomplishments with the pen. Lincoln too is remembered not because he was the President during the Civil War but because of his leadership during the crisis. Consequently, at least as far as Jefferson and Lincoln are concerned, Confucius is accurate in his assessment. Bibliography Donald, David Herbert, Lincoln. New York, Simon and Schuster. 1996. Jaffa, Harry V., A New Birth of Freedom: Abraham Lincoln and the Coming of the Civil War, Lanham, Rowman & Littlefield, 2000. McPherson, James M., Battle Cry of Freedom: the Civil War Era, NY, Oxford University Press, 1993. McPherson, James, “To the Best of my Ability”: The American Presidents, NY, Dorling, 2000. Peterson, Merrill, Writings, NY, Library of America, 1984. Remini, Robert, A Short History of the United States, NY, Harper Collins, 2008. White, Jr., Ronald C., A. Lincoln: A Biography. NY, Random House, 2009. Read More