Thomas Jefferson

A Lesson Before Dying is a book written by Ernest J. Gaines. The author filled the story with many injustice acts, blaming an innocent person to deal with the consequence. In this paper, I will describe concepts angle of interpretation, how Jefferson, where his lawyer classified him like a hog, was found guilty of a murder he did not commit. And colorism, how the same race gets treated differently by their skin color. I will show how both of these concepts are illustrated in A Lesson Before Dying. In the A Lesson Before Dying, the author depicts Jefferson as a hog within his community and in the court system. The angles of interpretation are defined as the different way one sees the world. In the community, the majority of people were Christians who believe in God. The Christians portrayed Grant as a hog, equivalent to being a devil, because he had poor values in his life. Further, in the story, Jefferson was accused of being a murder when a shooting occurred, and he was the last man standing. In the court trial, Grant’s lawyer attempt to convey the idea of Jefferson being a hog in hopes to the persuade the jury he is not guilty. His method of representing Jefferson as to a hog was to show the Christians-filled jury he is no reasonable human being and a slow-witted person. As a hog. Jefferson would not have the ability nor be capable of planning out shooting. He is least likely to commit a crime. With the community angle of interpretation of Jefferson being a hog, the lawyer used this idea as a tactic to defend the Jefferson from being sentenced, but unfortunately, it was not a success. Colorism is defined as preferential treatment of same-race people based solely on their color.

People are treated differently based on their skin color. For instance, the African Americans during the slavery times had racism amongst each other based on their skin. A person who had a darker skin complexation would receive the hard labor, whereas someone who has a lighter skin complexation would work in a household as a maid. The slave’s owners were privileging of light skin over dark. Also, the same concept goes for the Americans, but in access to privilege. They differentiate from each other by their social status. Regardless of the same skin tone, the people did not have the same opportunity or were not all wealthy. In the A Lesson Before Dying, Antoine is a mulatto, a person whose parent is an enslaved black woman and a white slave owner. Antoine illustrates the problem of colorism because he felt superior to anyone darker than he. However, the blacks believed by having a lighter skin color are most likely to having been conceived in rape and oppression. Antoine had hatred for his people who are unable to protect him from this racism. In this paper, I had described concepts angle of interpretation and colorism and used A Lesson Before Dying to demonstrate them. The lawyer’s angle of interpretation of Grant being a hog was to exemplify the jury that he lacks the common sense to commit a crime. Antoine depicts of the concept of colorism, where he believes he had more privilege than those were darker than him.

Alexander Von Humboldt

“The Last Polymath”

Rhiannon Hewin

Geography 10004/04/2018 Born,

Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander,

Freiherr (baron) von Humboldt (whom from this point I will refer to simply as Humboldt) was born on Sept. 14, 1769 in Berlin, Germany.to Alexander Georg von Humboldt and Marie Elisabeth Colomb. The five years Humboldt spent in South America would later prove his proficiency in multiple disciplines and yielded the most fruit for his efforts.

Mapping the land (maps of mexico they say helped President Jefferson in his decision in making the Louisiana Purchase, suddenly being able to identify with the new neighbors down south) and other illustrations, climbing 19,286 ft up Chimborazo, only to miss the summit by less than 2000 ft, discovering ocean currents, that would later be named after him, climbing peaks-including every volcano, wading rivers, and crossing the Andean Highlands.

Unlike todays extreme outdoorsman, they had no GPS, no inoculations, oxygen was however much or little was in the air around them, not to mention sporting good stores still had about 150 years before making their debut. Despite the odds they conquered South America in 5 years. Returning with a treasure trove of over 60,000 specimens, climate data, cultural observations and electromagnetic experimental data gathered along the way-.

Not including what Humboldt sent home to his brother, Wilhelm, over the years.- which, thanks to the british navy, wasnt much. Humboldt would later find himself in North America (United States,) Europe, Asia and Russia.

Although his trek through Russia and Central Asia would be less of a 5 year trek and more of a 6mth long carriage ride, complete with royal bodyguards/chaperones, Humboldt was still able to work his magic and chart much of central Asia, which would be of great importance to the western world since very little existed prior to Humboldts findings about Central Asia.

Humboldts idea “Unity of nature” was that ” The combination of all physical science of a region determined what organism could live in that region.” He showed the relationships on maps as isothermal lines, comparing climate across countries and continents based on temperature latitude and elevation.

These isothermal maps would be the building blocks for the modern-day disciplines of climate science and meteorology. Humboldt challenged the ideas that man was the focal point of the universe and plants and animals wouldn’t go extinct (nor do they rely on each other,) claiming quite the contrary.

In fact, it was man who faced extinction due to “the destructions of forest, through the distribution of water and through the production of great masses of steam and gas industrial centers” adding “The wants and restless activities of large communities of men gradually despoil the face of the earth.” Ideas like these would’ve added environmentalist to his long list of accomplishments – had the term existed. Humboldt’s work in the field of demography are of enduring value.

He introduced “the examination of the quotient of extremes into population statistics, thus making it possible to supplement the abstract figure of population density by citing the low quotient in countries uniformly densely (or sparsely) settled and the high quotient in countries unevenly settled. He also made allowance for population dynamics, furnishing birth and mortality rates for Mexico. These figures were long unavailable for such regions” Humboldts efforts did not go unnoticed.

Humboldt was admitted to The Royal Swedish Academy of Arts and Sciences, The American Philosophical Society, The New York Historical Society, The American Ethnological Society, The Prussian Academy of Sciences, The American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Royal Society.

With exploration complete he would not only spend the next few decades collecting his thoughts (and data) in order to share his findings with the masses but take a step back to smell the roses and other flora he was so fond. He enjoyed large gatherings and inspire young scientist to push themselves to be more than expected of them and to learn for the sake of learning.

He assisted those he could even if that assistance was using his influence around that particular city to get the scientist what they needed. Unknown scientist were not the only people he inspired. While working on his first works, Charles Darwin corresponded with Humboldt. The man who fought for the creation of Yosemite National Park, John Muir, 70 years after Humboldts death wished he “could be a young humboldt.”

President Jefferson had many conversations with Humboldt and even though Humboldt HATED slavery an couldn’t understand how Jefferson could own slaves while talking about freedom. Other Inspired (through conversation or posthumously) included Henry David Thoreau, Robert Frost and George Perkins Marsh, who followed in Humboldts footsteps by throwing himself into the middle east taking samples and observing as he went..

German chemist Justus von Liebig as well as Swiss born zoologist Louis Agassiz owed Humboldt the means to continue their studies and embark on an academic career.

Humboldt was able to publish his findings in many different forms, but the 23 volumes based on his travels was one of the “most comprehensive ever published by a private individual” That said his final gift to the disciplines he loved so much would be Kosmos referred to by some as the most ambitious scientific works ever published, Kosmas gave a generally comprehensible account of the structure of the universe as then known.

He would see 4 volumes published but the fifth would be published posthumously. Written in a pleasant literary style, his excitement and aesthetic enjoyment at his discoveries are not withheld.Humboldt had taken immense pains to discipline his inclination to discursiveness, which “often gave his writing a certain lack of logical coherence” Hardly diminished, and with an unimpaired memory, Humboldt suffered a stroke in the middle of publishing his 5th volume.

On May 6, 1859, a few months shy of his 90th birthday, Alexander Von Humboldt was dead….but who says just because you died at 90 doesnt mean you can’t have a global 100th birthday party? On September 14 1869, worldwide concerts,parades and gatherings celebrated 100 years since the birth of a much-loved, highly revered scientist.

There were speeches and festivities in Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Moscow and Melbourne. In almost every major US city, thousands attended concerts and parades.25,000 people gathered in central park for the unveiling of a commemorative statue and a torchlight parade. In berlin, where Humboldt was born and died, offices were closed for the day and 80,000 people came out to celebrate in spite of torrential rain.I admit, I had no knowledge of Humboldt whatsoever prior to this assignment.

However after a few weeks of reading everything Humboldt I discovered that my thoughts on his erasure from history is actually shared my many others. The first being that, thanks to him, the world got smarter. As people got smarter, science disciplines got more specific. People mastered those disciplines, and those were the people who we started to admire.

For example, everyone wears clothes, so much so, that most of us cant/couldnt live in a world without clothes. That said, an even bigger majority of us have no idea who invented clothing or when. However, names like Versace, Calvin Klein and Donna Karen-clothing designers, are well known today. The more obvious reason is the world wars and Germany’s role in them.

The hatred of Nazis became a hatred for Germans and the desire to erase them. A symbol of pain, hatred and death, part of the end game became burn all things German. As Schools burned, we cheered. As libraries burned, taking their past with them, we cheered. As the world started to heal, new up and coming Germans were accepted but none were returned to fame.

As stated in the instructions under the navigation link, “Papers/ Projects,” a historical analogy Is to “compare/contrast” two historical events. You should choose two historical events In which you compare and contrast two important historical events such as two battles, two laws, two presidential administrations, etc. You should begin on this assignment as soon as possible. This assignment is very important and is worth 300 points! You must submit your historical analogy no later than October 19th!

This assignment Is worth a total of 300 plants It Is due no later than the last day of class Please submit your Historical Analogy to the instructor, using the ” Here is a detailed description of what a “Historical Analogy” is for the purposes of this course: Historical Analogies are essays that compare/contrast two or more historical events, issues, and/or ideas. Analogies help to increase understanding by dealing with relationships and comparisons – the new to the old, the unknown to the known.

That is, analogies help us to understand unfamiliar Ideas, things, and situations by showing how these matters are similar to something we already know. The instructions below should give you an idea of what the skeleton of a historical analogy essay might look like: You would write a brief Introduction that states your thesis (central Idea, whatever – however you learned It) and previews how your essay will be constructed: Then you would write the body of your paper: You would then tie it all together with a well-written conclusion.

So, the Idea Is to compare/contrast two historical events/issues from the same era, or one historical event/lessee from one era with a scalar historical event/lessee from another era, or a current event with a historical event we have read about or discussed. Thus, Historical Analogy assignment is essentially an essay discussing and analyzing what you have learned In a way that makes history meaningful to us In our present Analogies should be a minimum length of 4 double spaced pages. Remember, this is the minimum. You should go beyond the minimum if you expect to receive higher Han minimum points for this assignment.

You must use at least three sources other your textbook. You should send your analogy to the instructor via the mrssages center (as an attachment). The Dropped can be found under the ” Tools” navigation button. Be sure to cite all sources that you use! You must also provide a list of your sources/ references at the end of your paper. This should be the last page of your paper. This is a must! Use the Epistyle and format. Sample Analogy Essay: This is an example of an Analogy essay from one of my previous classes.

Although his analogy is not as long as four (double spaced typed) pages, this should give you a good idea regarding the style and form your essay should take. I hope it is helpful. In this analogy, I will compare partisan politics of the early United Gastroenteritis to today’s political parties. Prior to 1789 there was basically one party in American politics. In approximately 1792 due to differing opinions on the direction the United Statehood take in terms of commerce, and trade two separate parties began to form. The Federalist party headed by Washington, but whose financial policy was set by

Alexander Hamilton, believed that the economic success of the United States lied in trade, and commercial interests. Their power base was in the New Mistranslated where there was less of an emphasis on agriculture due to poor soil. The Republican party began around 1792. Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison became convinced that Hamiltonians policies favored the wealthy commercial interests at the expense of agriculture. Their belief was that Hamilton and the Federalists were bent on forming an aristocratic government in the United States.

Although the names have changed we still have two main political parties in the United States. Today we have the Republican, and the Democratic parties. As in the late sass’s both of our present day parties claim to be the party of the people. Like early politics both of our parties continually blame the other for the problems that our society experiences. In the assess citizens complained when the United Stateside not remain neutral in European politics, and the same holds true today. Currently we are mired in problems in Bosnia, and most U. S. Citizens would probably rather not see our U. S. Troops involved in something we consider not to be our fight. The last thing that I would compare is how our U. S. Politics were nasty back in early look at Aaron Burr, and Alexander Hamilton. Aaron Burr after being thwarted by Hamiltonian his bid for president challenged Hamilton a duel. Burr was upset at Hamiltonian Hamiltonians comment that Burr was too dangerous, and unfit to hold office. The end result was that Hamiltonian shot and killed by Burr in this duel. While today our politicians do not shoot each other, they do find other ways to kill ACH other politically.

In today’s politics no aspect of a public figures private life is exempt from public scrutiny. Our politicians even go as far as to hire private investigators to dig up dirt on each other. While I do not have a fix for the evils, and divisiveness that our two party system brings about, I do think that it does have its redeeming qualities. Having two parties keeps the ruling party semi-honest. With the threat of losing an election should you go against the will of the people, a two party system allows voters a choice come election time.

Biography of Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, is recognized for his many accomplishments during the 18th century. Not only was he a president, but Jefferson was the author of The Declaration of Independence, a founding father of the United States, and the founder of the University of Virginia. Jefferson was a brilliant political writer who used his writing skills to separate the United States of America from Great Britain and to protect the rights of man.

Jefferson addresses these rights in the declaration when he says, “All men are created equal and there are certain unalienable rights that governments should never violate. These rights include the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” (Jefferson, 1. ) These words are popular and have historical meaning. On April 13th, 1734 in Shadwell, Virginia, Thomas Jefferson was born to the parents Jane and Peter Jefferson. Shadwell is a town just outside of Charlottesville. His mother, Jane Randolph Jefferson, was from a family that claimed to be descended from English and Scottish royalty (“Thomas Jefferson”).

His father, Peter Jefferson, was a skilled surveyor and cartographer, which meant that he studied and practiced making maps as well as accurately determined the three-dimensional position of points. Peter produced the first accurate map of the province of Virginia. Perhaps young Jefferson got inspiration from his father. Jefferson had five siblings. He had two older sisters, two younger sisters, and one younger brother. He lived in a very busy household. As a child, Jefferson spent his free time practicing the violin and reading books. At the age of twenty four, Jefferson married Martha Jefferson.

They were both from plantation families and it is believed that they were introduced to each other by mutual friends. Thomas fell for the young American girl’s education and interest in music (“Thomas Jefferson”). Together they had six children, but only two lived to be adults. After many wonderful years married, illness fell upon Martha and she passed away on September 6th, 1782. Jefferson made a promise to her that he would never remarry. After her death, he spent three weeks mourning in his library. In a period of seclusion, Jefferson explained in his autobiography that he felt like a part of him had died after she passed (Jefferson, 42).

Later on in life, Jefferson had an affair with slave-girl Sally Hemings. There isn’t much information on this story, but there was DNA proof that he fathered her child. (“Jefferson – Hemings”). Thomas Jefferson began his education at a very young age. At the age of five, his father placed him in an English school and he was attending Latin school by age nine. The Latin school was conducted by Reverend William Douglas (Beran, 78). In 1758, Jefferson attended the school of Reverend James Maury. He described Reverend Maury as “a correct, classical scholar” (Jefferson, 29. He later attended the College of William and Mary at the age of seventeen in Williamsburg. It was there that Jefferson began his law studies with George Wythe. Jefferson received and unofficial political and cultural education from him. For two years, Jefferson studied primarily with George Wythe and Dr. William Small. He said that Dr. Small taught him a vast majority what he knew about politics. Over the seven years of study spent at Williamsburg, Jefferson culminated in the practice of law, but without any degree. Thomas Jefferson was also strongly influenced by the political philosophy of the Enlightenment and also from John Locke.

Thomas Jefferson was not a good public speaker, but that didn’t stop him from expressing his opinions of politics. In his early writing years, Jefferson mostly wrote political letters (Skarmeas, 66). His earliest published work is The Declaration of Independence. He began drafting The Declaration of Independence after British troops had attempted to confiscate American ammunition stores and capture patriot leaders in these towns (“Reasons for the Declaration”). The continental congress met in September of 1774 to pick a committee responsible for drafting it. Jefferson was the delegate chosen to write the important document.

The Declaration of Independence was written as a letter to King George III hoping for reconciliation. The committee met several time to discuss ideas and think of what they wanted to be addressed in the document. Like most people who write something, he had to first make a rough draft (“The Declaration of Independence”). Jefferson, by himself, drafted a rough copy of the declaration. He worked on it for two and a half weeks. Only minor changes were made to his draft before it was finalized. The Declaration of Independence became Jefferson’s most popular work.

This was such an important document because it formally declared that the thirteen colonies of North America were free and independent from British control (“Reasons for the Declaration”). It served as the basis for the American Revolution. It began the formation of the federal government and a new United States of America. The Declaration of Independence was released to the public on July 4th, 1776. As time went by, the ideas of Jefferson’s words “all men are created equal” grew in importance. Northern states used them to free slaves in their states. Abraham Lincoln used equal rights to justify the Civil War (Bernstein, 156).

He soon became the governor of Virginia. Jefferson also because the vice President of the United States. To occupy his times during his four years as vice president, Jefferson authored A Manual of Parliamentary. This was one of the most useful guides to legislative proceedings ever written, and served as the president of the American Philosophical Society. After Jefferson’s time as vice president, he became the third President of the United States. As president, Jefferson accomplished many things, including the Louisianna Purchase (Beran, 73). This greatly expanded the size of the country.

After his presidency, Jefferson settled down. His tone of writing remained the same as before though. He was still straight forward political writer who expressed his opinions through letters and documents. Jefferson did, however, write an autobiography describing his accomplishments and life journeys. He began writing this is 1821. The last thing that was written by Thomas Jefferson was a letter addressed to Roger C (“Thomas Jefferson”). In this letter, Jefferson thanks him for inviting him to the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of The Declaration of Independence.

He said that he was happy and hopes that the celebration serves as a reminder of the rights he had originally written about. At the end of the letter, Jefferson apologized for having to reject his invitation because of his health conditions. Thomas Jefferson lived a very eventful and successful life. In 1818, his health began rapidly declining. He was diagnosed with kidney failure and many other age related diseases (“Thomas Jefferson, a Brief Biography”). His death was mainly caused by a combination of a few things. One thing that contributed to his death was exhaustion from diarrhea. Another contributor was toxemia from a kidney infection.

Uremia from kidney damage and orthostatic old-age pneumonia also added to Jefferson’s declining health. He was bed-ridden and eventually died on July 4th, 1826 in Charlottesville, Virginia. The date of his death is ironic because it was the same day as the anniversary of The Declaration of Independence. Jefferson might have lived longer under modern medical care (Bernstein, 187). Jefferson leaves behind a legacy that will always be talked about. He will forever be revered as one of the great American Founding Fathers. He was a spokesman of liberty, but had also been viewed as a racist slave owner.

He was a president who expanded government authority beyond the wildest visions of his predecessors. Jefferson is a symbol for the nation he helped create. After he died, he was buried in the family cemetery at Monticello. The cemetery is located in Virginia and Jefferson’s grave is surrounded by metal fences. Beran, Michael Knox. Jefferson’s Semons: Portrait of a Restless Mind. New York City: Free Press, 2003. Print. Bernstein, R. B. Thomas Jefferson. Oxford: University Press, 2003. Print. Skarmeas, Nancy. Thomas Jefferson. Nashville: Ideals Publications Incorporated, 1998. Print. Jefferson, Thomas.

Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson. New York City: Dover Publications, 2007. Print. “Thomas Jefferson. ” International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. New York City: Macmillan Library Reference, 2008. Print. “Thomas Jefferson. ” The Biography Channel Online. n. p. n. d. Web. 17 May. 2009. “Thomas Jefferson, a Brief Biography. ” Monticello Online. n. p. n. d. Web. 7 September. 1993. “Reasons for the Declaration. ” History King. n. p. n. d. Web. 14 March. 1999. “The Declaration of Independence. ” America’s Library. n. p. n. d. Web. 24 April. 2000. “Jefferson – Hemings. ” Monticello Online. n. p. n. d. Web. 4 August. 1993.

Related Photo This is a picture of the sign at the Monticello Graveyard located in Virginia. The photo relates to Thomas Jefferson because the Monticello Graveyard is also known as the Jefferson Cemetery. The cemetery sits behind and slightly down the mountain, hidden from the plantation’s daily life. Something of a disappointment was the fact that the locked wrought iron fence prohibited visitors from paying homage to the great man and his family. Somehow it felt as if we were being banned from his world. Thomas Jefferson was buried in this cemetery along with many other members of the Jefferson family. Literary Interpretation

One of the most recognized and most popular documents in American history is The Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Second Continental Congress, was the start of a new beginning for the United States of America. The declaration is a letter to the King of Great Britain, George III. The declaration states the reasons for the British colonies wanting independence. It explains why the colonies have overthrown their ruler. Thomas Jefferson addresses specific details for their reasoning as well as expressing his opinions of the governmental structure.

Jefferson uses his strong political writing skills and his knowledge on politics to the colonies’ problems with other nations of the world. Thomas Jefferson’s purpose for writing The Declaration of Independence was to express his ideas for a better society and to help the colonies become free at the same time. “But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security,” (Jefferson 1).

This sentence of The Declaration of Independence shows Jefferson expressing how he feels about being treated wrong. Thomas Jefferson and other members of the Second Continental Congress wanted to use the declaration to expose the abuses to the other nations of the world. They wanted to justify the action of congress by blaming the rapture on King George III. The abuses that Jefferson is discussing are the abuses that King George III has applied to the colonies of Northern America. The abuses were a result of the king’s desire of creating a tyrannical government in America.

The foundation of representative government is the power of the people to make laws for the public good (“Reasons for the Declaration”). King George III interfered with that process by rejecting legislation proposed by the colonies, dissolving colonial bodies or representation, replacing colonial governments with his appointed ministers, and interfering with the naturalization of citizens in new regions. King George III extended his tyrannical control by interfering with the objective judicial processes and the civil rights of the colonies (“The Declaration of Independence”).

Jefferson then uses this to create a list of unalienable rights that should be applied to everyone. “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,” (Jefferson 1). Jefferson addresses that if any form of government becomes destructive of the ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, laying its foundation in the belief of these rights.

Jefferson uses these to lay down a basic structure of the government he want and how the people of this society should be treated. Of the abuses that were mentioned, Jefferson devoted approximately one-fourth of the abuses in his original draft of the Declaration of Independence to the topic of slavery. Jefferson held the King accountable for maintaining and protecting slavery as an institution in the colonies. Not surprisingly, the moderate congress, already fearful of being too radical, removed all references to slavery from the document.

It remains a source of historical debate why a slave-owning man like Jefferson would have devoted so much intellectual energy to criticizing slavery and to attempting to remove it from the colonies. Jefferson thought that slavery was contrary to the laws of nature, which decreed that everyone had a right to personal liberty. These views were radical in a world where unfree labor was the norm. Jefferson spends so much time writing about slavery because he does not approve of it and he does not want to incorporate it in the society and government that he is aiming towards.

It is clear that Thomas Jefferson wrote The Declaration of Independence to help the thirteen original colonies to become free from British control. The Declaration of Independence has much deeper meaning than just that, though. Jefferson uses the document to express exactly how he feels about the political structure of a country. From this point on, people should look at The Declaration of Independence as the guidelines and rules to how a country should be run and how the citizens of that country should be treated. Jefferson, Thomas. “Declaration of Independence,” The American Experience.

New York City: Prentice Hall, 2002. Print. “Reasons for the Declaration. ” History King. n. p. n. d. Web. 14 March. 1999. “The Declaration of Independence. ” America’s Library. n. p. n. d. Web. 24 April. 2000. List of Authors Works 1. A Summary View of the Rights of British America 2. Draft of Constitution for Virginia 3. Original Rough Draft of the Declaration of Independence 4. Draft of Kentucky Resolutions of 1798 5. Wall of Separation Letter 6. Manual of Parliamentary Practice 7. Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson Persuasive Essay Thomas Jefferson is an important figure in American history.

He was one of the American Founding Fathers, the third president of the United States, and an original American politician. Thomas Jefferson is an important American author and should be taught in an English curriculum. Learning about Thomas Jefferson in an English class can teach students about his influence on early American government structures as well as the history of the thirteen original British colonies. It can also teach students about his progress and developments as an American Founding Father. Thomas Jefferson matters in American literature because he is one of America’s original politicians.

Thomas Jefferson is an American forefather. Not only did he write the Declaration of Independence, he was Virginia’s representative to the first Continental Congress, the governor of Virginia and the third president of the United States. As a president, Jefferson accomplished many things. He allowed the Alien and Sedition acts to end without renewal and also had the tax on liquor repealed (“Thomas Jefferson”). In 1803, Jefferson purchased the Louisiana territory from France for $15 million. This is considered the most important act of his administration.

All of these things are important because it teaches the history of our country and Thomas Jefferson contributed to the history. Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence can teach students about how America’s thirteen original British colonies became independent from King George III. If the Declaration of Independence was assigned to students, it would teach them the reasons for America wanting to become free from British rule. They would learn how King George III treated the thirteen colonies and what they wanted for their governmental structure.

It also teaches the unalienable rights the Jefferson included in the declaration (“Reasons for the Declaration”). As a champion of civil liberties, Jefferson valued reason above faith. This is much different from other philosophers during his time because they were the complete opposite. Learning about Jefferson’s political beliefs teaches students how he used politics to make his decisions. He was a strong supporter of the ideals of the Enlightenment. Those ideals are reason, liberty and equality (Bernstein, 98). He believed that these ideals should be used to govern nations.

He put his beliefs into his writings and into the Declaration of Independence. Many people think that Jefferson should not be taught in an English curriculum because he favored slavery and was a slave owner himself. But while Jefferson was vocally opposed to slavery, and even passed the Act to Prohibit the Importation of Slaves during his second term as president, he was a slave owner and believed that black people were inferior to white people. For some, this is cause enough to dismiss Jefferson as someone for whom history has inflated their reputation, but he was a man of his time and was subject to the cultural beliefs of that time.

In truth, Jefferson was instrumental in the America of today, the America that values equality and liberty and freedom. Jefferson’s actions and philosophy shaped the ideals of America. In fact, for America to revisit the teachings of Jefferson might be wise. In conclusion, Thomas Jefferson should be taught in English classes. Jefferson is important to American history and shaped our country. “Thomas Jefferson. ” International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. New York City: Macmillan Library Reference, 2008. Print. Bernstein, R. B. Thomas Jefferson. Oxford: University Press, 2003. Print. “Reasons for the Declaration. History King. n. p. n. d. Web. 14 March. 1999. Annotated Bibliography Beran, Michael Knox. Jefferson’s Semons: Portrait of a Restless Mind. New York City: Free Press, 2003. Print. From this source, I got information about Thomas Jefferson’s education and about his life after becoming a president. I used this information in my biography essay and cited in twice. I found this book to be very helpful and it provided a vast amount of information. Bernstein, R. B. Thomas Jefferson. Oxford: University Press, 2003. Print. From this book, I got information about Thomas Jefferson’s work on The Declaration of Independence and on his death.

I used this information in both my biography essay and in my persuasive essay. It provided a lot of information that I was able to use and I feel like it was a very reliable source. Skarmeas, Nancy. Thomas Jefferson. Nashville: Ideals Publications Incorporated, 1998. Print. From this book, I got information on Jefferson’s early political letters and writing. This book provided examples of his political letters and details explaining them. I used this information on the Early Writing Career portion of the biography essay. This source was very helpful. Jefferson, Thomas.

Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson. New York City: Dover Publications, 2007. Print. From this autobiography, I got information on every aspect of Jefferson’s life. I used this information in all three essays. This source provided the most accurate and reliable information since it was written by Thomas Jefferson himself. “Thomas Jefferson. ” International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. New York City: Macmillan Library Reference, 2008. Print. From this online encyclopedia, I obtained information on Jefferson’s early life. I used this information in my biography essay.

There wasn’t that much information from this source, but what I found was very reliable. “Thomas Jefferson. ” The Biography Channel Online. n. p. n. d. Web. 17 May. 2009. From this source, I found a lot of information on Thomas Jefferson’s early life and his writing of The Declaration of Independence. I used this information in all three essays. This source offered a lot of information that I didn’t find anywhere else. “Thomas Jefferson, a Brief Biography. ” Monticello Online. n. p. n. d. Web. 7 September. 1993. From this source, I got information of Thomas Jefferson’s death.

I used this information in my biography essay. This source offered very little information. “Reasons for the Declaration. ” History King. n. p. n. d. Web. 14 March. 1999. This source offered information about why The Declaration of Independence was written. I found use of this source in all three of my essays. This source offered a lot of detailed a lot of detailed information. It was a very reliable source. “The Declaration of Independence. ” America’s Library. n. p. n. d. Web. 24 April. 2000. This source offered information about the Declaration of Independence.

I used the information from this source on the literary interpretation and biography essays. This source offered very straight forward facts and information that I found to be quite helpful. “Jefferson – Hemings. ” Monticello Online. n. p. n. d. Web. 4 August. 1993. This source gave me information about Thomas Jefferson’s affair with slave-girl Sally Hemings. I used this information on my biography essay when I talked about the affair. This source had the most information about the affair. I found this source to be very useful. Jefferson, Thomas. “Declaration of Independence,” The American Experience. New York City:

Prentice Hall, 2002. Print. This source is what I did my literary interpretation on. I found it to be very easy to interpret and it also provided some information that I could’ve used in my persuasive essay. “Thomas Jefferson Family Cemetery. ” Carol House Online. n. p. n. d. 17 February. 2007. This source is where I got the cemetery picture from. All I got from this source was the picture. It was a good source. “Thomas Jefferson on Politics and Government. ” Faculty Online. n. p. n. d. 7 May. 1996. This source is where I got the cover picture from. All I got from this source was the picture. It was a good source.

At a time when only 12% of the American people possess a positive attitude towards the current job that our representatives in Congress are doing, it would behoove those who believe that government is completely out of touch with the needs of its people and that nothing good ever came out of government. In American history, there are hundreds of examples to the contrary. Out of these many examples comes one of the most underrated of them all: James Madison. Secretary of State under Thomas Jefferson, instrumental in the passage of the Louisiana Purchase, the renewal of the charter for the national bank,  a two term President and intrigue part of the founding of the country, James Madison is one of the most important figures in American history.

James Madison became involved in the formation of a new nation; the United States of America at an early age. At only the age of 24, Madison served in the Virginia state legislature from 1776, until 1779.[1] It was then that Madison became a protégé for Thomas Jefferson and the two would work very close together until Jefferson’s death fifty years later. The two shared similar beliefs on government. Madison was instrumental, along with the help of Jefferson, in drafting the Declaration of Religious Freedom which disestablished the Church of England and broke up any claims towards power that the church attempted to have in state matters.

One of these was Patrick Henry’s push for an involuntary tithe to be paid to the congregation of one’s own choice. Madison and Jefferson believed this to be a violation of the separation of church and state; an idea that is not found in the Constitution but because of the efforts of Madison and Jefferson, many believe to this day is actually in the founding of this country. It was and is a belief that many Americans hold very dear to their hearts.

While in the State legislature, Madison became a strong advocate of a strong central government; a government which was impossible to flourish under the Articles of Confederation which favored the rights’ of states and as a result, left an impotent federal government. This sentiment was shared by a large majority of his countrymen at this time who although many were advocates of states’ rights themselves, knew that the Articles of Confederation could no longer correctly govern the country.

A Constitution was written in 1787 and ratified by all thirteen states in the immediately following years.[2] Although seen as a foregone conclusion by the casual contemporary observer, our current government’s formation was not written in stone. Although a shy man in private, Madison pushed exceedingly hard for the views and beliefs that he felt in his heart, was in the best interest of the country. Madison was a loud and strong advocate for a three branch government as we have today as well as a strong federal government who, if needed, could overrule the actions of the states if it was deemed to be a mistake and contrary to the good of the country as a whole.

Madison made his opinions known in one of his most famous writings, who with Thomas Jefferson advocated their beliefs about where the government should be headed. In doing so, not only was Madison instrumental in forming a new political party with Jefferson: The Republicans, who would later be known as the Democrat Republicans, but his writings would cement him as one of the most important of the Founding Fathers. Madison stated:

“In the first place, it is to be remarked that, however small the republic may be, the representatives must be raised to a certain number, in order to guard against the cabals of a few; and that, however large it may be, they must be limited to a certain number, in order to guard against the confusion of a multitude. Hence, the number of representatives in the two cases not being in proportion to that of the two constituents, and being proportionally greater in the small republic, it follows that, if the proportion of fit characters be not less in the large than in the small republic, the former will present a greater option, and consequently a greater probability of a fit choice.”[3]

Madison was stating how a large country and its many different interests and factions could till represent the people and their needs to a greater degree and support republican values better  than a small country that was dominated by special interests. It would not be until the 20th century that Americans finally got around to recognizing the wisdom of Madison and adapted to a greater degree than ever before, this sentiment within the American government.

Madison would fight hard for the ratification of the new Constitution but was not in favor of a Bill of Rights as he believed that it was not necessary and included roles that, he felt, were not in the best interest of the federal government. Nevertheless, it was Madison who was the author of the Bill of Rights and as a result, forever cemented his legacy in American History. Madison originally advocated the need for twelve amendments but it was later agreed on ten. Despite his initial reluctance towards a Bill of Rights, Madison was tireless in advocating the need for the passage of the amendments once he partook in the task of forming a Bill of Rights.

Such a career would have been more than enough for one man and had Madison’s career ended there, he would still have been talked about to this day. However, when Thomas Jefferson was elected the third president in 1800 and served from 1801 until 1809, he took Madison with him and made him the Secretary of State. As a result, Madison was instrumental in constructing one of the most lopsided international agreements in world history.

The 1803 Louisiana Purchase, who’s 830,000 square miles of land which stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and which cost $15 million, Madison was also instrumental in that coming to pass.[4] In doing so, America doubled the size of its land overnight.

Never in human history had so much land been acquired in so little time. Jefferson had only expected to purchase the city of New Orleans but when Napoleon offered all of Louisiana, Madison jumped on the opportunity and despite the scoffing of the price tag by many members of Congress, made sure to broker the deal. The implications for the country were huge and every day, from then until the end of time, America has and will continue to benefit from the Louisiana Purchase.

After Thomas Jefferson walked away from the Presidency in 1809, Madison won the Presidency and would spend two terms in the White House. During his presidency, Madison would deal with two events which would come to define his presidency. The first was the renewal of the national bank’s charter which was scheduled to expire after twenty years in 1811. Since Madison fought the passage of the first national bank, he again was in opposition to it again in 1811 and fought its renewal in 1811.[5]

This would help to affect Madison’s second mistake; the allowance of another war with Britain. The absence of a national bank made it increasingly difficult to finance a war. Throughout Jefferson’s presidency, America’s Armed Forces, especially the Navy, was dismantled to such a size, that it became a non entity and was not considered a force in the opinion of any of the world’s leaders. When it was recognized that Madison’s impotence during the months leading up to the war and its consequences could not now be avoided, Madison did all that he could to incite as much public support as possible.

Also, in all of American history, no president has lost his bid for reelection during a war; neither did Madison who won reelection. The War of 1812 ended in another American victory and the signing of the treaty of Ghent in 1815; officially put an end to the war. Upon learning his lesson, Madison pushed for the formation of a national bank, although one that was stronger than the previous one. With the help of such nationalist opinion from men such as John Calhoun and Daniel Webster, a second national bank was formed in 1816.[6]

In the last years of the Madison presidency, James Madison continued to push for a strong central government and against state’s rights. In his last act before leaving office, Madison vetoed a bill for internal improvements because it was formed on the grounds of state’s rights. In his veto, Madison commented: “Having considered the bill… I am constrained by the insuperable difficulty I feel in reconciling this bill with the Constitution of the United States.

The powers vested in Congress are specified and it does not appear that the power proposed to be exercised by the bill is among the enumerated powers.”[7]  Madison denied that such legislation was supported by the General Welfare Clause in the Construction when he responded: “Such a view of the Constitution would have the effect of giving to Congress a general power of legislation instead of the defined and limited one hitherto understood to belong to them.”[8]

This would highlight a continued debate which rages today: What is the role of the federal government in the daily lives of its people? The answer continues to change and will most likely change again with the result of the next presidential election.

Madison would retire to Montpelier, his home in Virginia. Madison was sixty five then and would spend the rest of his life, incited by his anxiousness regarding his legacy, began to change the details in his various writings and other forms of evidence which he later began to feel, portrayed a contrary message to the one which he hoped would be judged by history. Madison died on June 28, 1836, anxious about his ability to justify his actions to both himself and to historians.[9] Historians in general have been kind to Madison. Madison was there when the country needed him the most and as a result, contemporary Americans are still enjoying the fruits of his labor and wisdom.

WORKS CITED

Burns, Ken   Thomas Jefferson Los Angeles: Time Warner & PBS Productions 1997

Commanger, Henry Steele Documents of American History New York: Century Publications 1947

Ellis, Joseph  Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation New York: Alfred Knopf Publishers 2000

Kuralt, Charles On the Road: American Heritage New York: CBS Productions 1989

Wills, Gary  James Madison: The American President Series New York: Times Books 2002

[1] Kuralt, Charles On the Road: American Heritage New York: CBS Productions 1989
[2] Ellis, Joseph  Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation New York: Alfred Knopf Publishers 2000 pg. 156
[3] Commanger, Henry Steele Documents of American History New York: Century Publications 1947 section ii. Pg 55
[4] Kuralt, Charles On the Road: American Heritage New York: CBS Productions 1989
[5] Burns, Ken   Thomas Jefferson Los Angeles: Time Warner & PBS Productions 1997
[6] Burns, Ken   Thomas Jefferson Los Angeles: Time Warner & PBS Productions 1997
[7] Commanger, Henry Steele Documents of American History New York: Century Publications 1947 section iii. Pg 57
[8] Kuralt, Charles On the Road: American Heritage New York: CBS Productions 1989
[9] Wills, Gary  James Madison: The American President Series New York: Times Books 2002 pg. 277

A single word can be used to belittle, hurt, and humiliate. One word can cause so much hurt to a person that they burst into tears or spiral down into a damaging hole that they can’t get out of for an extended amount of time. Throughout history, names have been used to keep a population in its place. Insults have been hurled to make a single person understand what another thinks of them. Words are used all the time to cause damage to a person or an entire peoples soul. One word can have a lot of power. In “What’s in a Name? ”, Henry Louis Gates father was a well respected negro in his community.

Maybe the better way to put it is more respected. He worked two jobs, and being more financially successful elevated the family’s status. The Gates family was the only negro allowed into a local drugstore to actually sit down and eat. On one occasion, Mr. Gates and his father went in together for ice cream and his father greeted a white man. The white man, Mr. Wilson, responded, but called his father “George”. George was a disparaging name for black men. Mr. Gates asked his dad to correct the Mr. Wilson, thinking it had been a mistake. When he realized that Mr.

Wilson had deliberately insulted his father, it changed something in him forever. I believe Mr. Gates could not comprehend Mr. Wilson acknowledging and belittling his father at the same time. Why did he say anything back at all? Why would he be rude on purpose? Mr. Gates, up until that moment, had believed that Mr. Wilson was a nice person. After Mr. Gates’ father explained that he called every black man George, his opinion shifted. The white man insulted every black man he knew. This was the first time Mr. Gates could see that people were not always who they seemed.

He was confused about why his father did not correct Mr. Wilson. Surely his father must have been insulted. He must have understood that Mr. Wilson meant to insult him. I believe he became embarrassed for his father and wanted him to correct Mr. Wilson, to stand up for himself. His mother called it “just one of those things” (Gates 6), and he was upset that they accepted that. It was painful that they had so many of those moments. He wanted his father to change something, to correct the wrong. Accepting it was painful and shameful. He wrote that he could never look Mr.

Wilson in the eye again. One word, “George”, made a little boy see clearly a white man, his black father, their positions in society, and the injustice that society tolerated. It changed his view of the world and of his family forever. In A Lesson Before Dying, a black man, Jefferson, is sentenced to be electrocuted for a murder that he did not commit. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time with a couple of boys he had known his whole life, and they were trouble. They robbed a liquor store that was owned by a white man, and during the robbery the white man was killed.

A black man at the scene of the crime never stood any chance of not being convicted. When the sentencing part of his trial came up, his lawyer tried to get him out of a death sentence. The lawyer claimed that he was the equivalent of a hog. “I ask you, I implore, look carefully- do you see a man sitting here? ” (7; pt. 3, ch. 1)… “What justice would there be to take this life? Justice gentlemen? Why, I would just as soon put a hog in electric chair as this. ” (8; pt. 4, ch. 1) Jefferson and his godmother, Aunt Emma, are both deeply affected by the word hog.

She calls on a family friend, Grant, to help Jefferson learn to be a man. She says, “I don’t want them to kill no hog” and “I want a man to go to that chair, on his own two feet. ” (13; pt. 2, ch. 2) She wants him to die with dignity. The first time they see him after the court date, Jefferson has taken being a hog to heart. He’s so hurt that he snuffles and makes hog noises, saying that dignity is for “youmans” (83; pt. 8, ch. 11) and they should only be bringing certain foods that hogs eat, since he was a hog. Grant has no idea how to teach dignity to a man, but over time they start to communicate.

They talk about ice cream, which Jefferson wants for his last meal, and Grant brings him a radio. This reminds Jefferson of his humanity, and he thinks maybe Grant is trying to do him some good. Grant had been struggling with his own demons since he came back to his hometown after college. He no longer believes in God and is bitter and beat down by the way black people are treated. He separates himself from his community because he thinks that he no longer belongs. He thinks that his family and friends don’t understand how white people keep them all in their place, and that they are weak because they just accept it.

He never wanted to help Jefferson and thought he would never be able to make a difference. Breaking through to Jefferson makes him realize that as much as he hates the way life is in their small town, he does belong. He is a part of it and the people. He can finally understand what Jefferson’s aunt wanted him to do, and explains to Jefferson that he can die a man, that Jefferson can go to the chair with so much dignity that he strengthens the whole community. They all owe something to each other, and like it or not, they should all be trying to help each other out.

Jefferson realizes that since he loves his aunt he should learn to “be a man” so she can have peace when he dies. When he finally goes to the chair, he is a man. He dies with dignity and leaves his mark behind. White men know deep in their hearts that his punishment was unjust. He starts a slow change in certain people in that town. Jefferson left behind more than he had brought with him to the world. One word, “hog” changed two men forever. Jefferson found himself and became something for the people to look up to. Grant realized that he was not better than everyone else, and began wanting to make his world a better place.

The word hog took Jefferson down so low that he believed he should be eating slop off the floor and that they should just hurry up and slaughter him. When his time finally came, he was calm and understood that he could actually use this to do some good. He was a man. Females can be horrible to each other. They can be vicious and sneaky, and sometimes that is most evident in sororities. Sororities have intense and sometimes demeaning tasks and initiations to become a member. The older girls will tell their pledges that they are losers, fat, or stupid.

There is one word that seems to be thrown out more often than not, and it should be a word that women don’t use against each other, “bitch”. The girls that pledge to sororities are looking for somewhere to belong when they get to a new school and are away from home for the first time. In a lot of cases, instead of being welcomed and introduced to their new school in a friendly way, they are put through hazing and degrading situations. In Pledged, one of the initiations was putting the new girls in blind folds, stripping them down and laying them face down on the floor.

Boys from a fraternity were then free to move around the room with markers and mark on the girls. The boys would highlight the areas on their bodies that the new girls needed to work on. (Robbins 259-260) Others sororities have branded their new girls with lit cigarettes or metal brands after encouraging the girls to drink heavily and then stripping them down without their consent. (Robbins 258-259) Any girls who objected to this treatment, however, would be called a bitch and kicked out. Women should not be treating each other this way.

It is hard to understand that sororities, which should be lifting their members up, would want to subject their members to even worse treatment than what they already saw at home, in the outside world. They put each other down and are constantly telling them how to do their hair, how to dress, how much to weigh, and how to act. The whole time they are doing this, however, they are telling the new girls that they are not good enough, and probably won’t be able to meet those standards. They are told that all of this is to help improve themselves and it’s all for the greater good.

If a girl decides to stand up for herself, she will have no choice but to leave the sorority for not being able to cut it. Girls that complained were called a bitch and had their rooms ransacked. (Robbins 359) The new girls are told that the sorority is tearing them down in order to build them back up. It destroys their trust in other girls and in a system they thought was going to protect and nurture them. In Born Round, Frank Bruni always had a little trouble with his weight. He came from a big Italian family, where big family dinners and having a lot of food in the house was normal.

He had a personal struggle with food. He knew he should not eat so much and dieted frequently because he was embarrassed of his weight. When he got into adulthood, he gained quite a bit of weight at one point. He realized that he was judged, sometimes just by his weight alone. He liked to eat however, and got a job as a food critic. Starting out as a food writer, he managed to keep his weight down to a manageable level. As time went on, however, his weight started to creep back up. When he saw an old family friend while he was heavier, she judged him and told him he was so fat. Bruni, 35)

This word. “fat” sent him into a slight depression, where he put on even more weight. He dieted again, continuing in his circle of up and down weight. It took him a long time to accept who he was and find his healthy weight, and most of his psychological problems with his weight came from the word fat. A single word can be used to belittle, hurt, and humiliate. One word can cause so much hurt that it makes a person doubt who they are and their self worth. It can, however, make a person stronger. It can put events into motion that change a community. One word can change people forever.