Thomas Jefferson is a quite confusing
character. In
short summary, Thomas Jefferson is obviously well-known as the draftsman of the most important piece of
writing in American History – the Declaration of Independence of the United
States. For that reason he will always be one of the most important figures of
American history. He is admired for his political skills and literary knowledge
which he proved while being the nation’s first secretary of state (1789–94),
second vice president (1797–1801), and, as the third president. However, he has serious flaws. As it was said, the fact that he was
for example, owning multiple slaves is one of the things that are not really
convenient for Americans to discuss.
Thomas
Jefferson, was born in Virginia and died in the same state. United States has
truly original origins of existence, it not so plain and simple to explain his
nationality but we can say that he was a one proud American citizen. However,
saying that would be underestimation because he was one of the Founding Fathers
of the United States of America and this fact means that his children, the
contemporary American society had inherited a lot from him including flaws.
Nevertheless, all vices and advantages makes that nation as colorful as we see it
today, and they are admired for that.
The
distance between continents however, has caused Europeans to come up with
several stereotypes about people from the New World. Since, they are only
stereotypes they may not apply to everybody, but there is some truth in any of
them. Stereotypes about Americans include such features as: unlimited love for
freedom and democracy, strong patriotic feeling, optimism and generosity. When
it comes to negative associations the list is longer and starts with racism and
ends with obesity. The interesting and
surprising thing is that Thomas Jefferson shares some of them, but to fully
understand it we have to analyze his character.
When
we present ourselves it is most crucial to make the good first impression, and
with that in mind, the best way of introducing Thomas Jefferson’s vibrant
character would be to start with his most appreciated features and the most
important deeds. That in Thomas Jefferson’s case would be the input he made
while writing the Declaration of Independence where he proved his skills and
brilliance. He came up with truly modern and pure statements which perfectly
fitted the Enlightenment Era. The Declaration justified the independence of the
United States by listing colonial grievances against King George III, and by
asserting certain natural and legal rights. The most significant is the second
sentence of it: “We hold these truths to
be self-evident, 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.” This statement is still strongly remembered among American society and the
Declaration of Independence stayed iconic to this day. That freedom – the
strong feeling of independence and separation is really important and
influenced their foreign policy later on, resulting with the not so pleasant
outcome.
Furthermore,
Thomas Jefferson also is remembered as a true patriot. It is obviously connected
with the fact that he was a quite successful president and for all of his
achievements during his presidency. Obviously, Americans would not be patriotic
enough if they would not show it with adequate means. There, we encounter
another significant American symbol, which is Mount Rushmore, surprisingly
again connected with Jefferson. The
national treasure, nestled in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Mount Rushmore
symbolizes freedom and hope for America. The southeastern face of Mount Rushmore in South
Dakota’s Black Hills National Forest is the site of four gigantic carved
sculptures depicting the faces of U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,
Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. Mount Rushmore National Memorial, known
as the “Shrine of Democracy,” has become one of the most iconic images of
America and an international tourist attraction. Thus,
it proves that America’s creations are mostly enormous and incredible. Now,
this “patriotism” and the love for “democracy” is sometimes a cause to joke
about. Another American symbol would be the bald eagle used by internet users
as a reference in internet meme – “One-up America”. One-Up America is series
featuring a photograph of a bald eagle in front of a United States flag with
captions typically depicting American patriotism or hubris.
On
the other hand, there is also a serious flaw, that nobody really wanted and
still want to recognize, which is the matter of racism and slavery. The most
unpleasant chapter from the American history and the main cause of the serious
accusation against Thomas Jefferson. He is known to have a lot of slave workers
and to also be in certain relationship with one of his slaves. This subject is
difficult to analyze and agree to what should be done different. Jefferson’s
times were different, and even if he was a modern thinker, he could not change
his country completely. Abraham Lincoln did, and it didn’t end for him in the
ideal way. Such social matters have to take time, and because of it we still
observe some inequalities between races or nationalities in the USA.
In
the end, it is not debatable that Thomas Jefferson was and still is a really
influential figure in the American culture. It starts from his representation
sculpted on the Mount Rushmore, and ends with his face presented on the nickel,
the 5 cents coin. So he is, and still be important for his nation despite any
“vices” which on the whole do not impair his other achievements.
 |
| Thomas Jefferson on a two dollars note. |
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Thomas Jefferson. Ken Burns. Sky
534 & Virgin Media 243. Film. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vow1URgtfB0>
"Thomas Jefferson". Encyclopædia
Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 25 lis. 2015
<http://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Jefferson>.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 25 lis. 2015
<http://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Jefferson>.
American Stereotypes. (2013, April
2013). Retrieved from http://www.nationalstereotype.com/american-stereotypes/
Forner, Eric. Give me
Liberty!. New York, London: Norton & Company, 2008. Print.
Mount Rushmore. (2009).
Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/mount-rushmore
One-Up America. Retrieved from
http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/one-up-america
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