Write a 4 page essay (typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman font, one-inch margins all around) that addresses the following issues and questions. 1) How did Jefferson define liberty and self-government? What connection did he see between rural life and freedom? Do Americans today see freedom as Jefferson did? How has the idea of freedom evolved? 2) How did Jefferson feel about slavery? Was he anti-slavery? 3) Examine Jefferson’s attitude about race. Examine his attitude toward African-Americans and Native Americans? Should we judge and condemn Jefferson’s attitude about race using contemporary standards? 4) Why did Jefferson write so much about the trees, plants, and animals of Virginia? Was he defending America’s reputation? From what attacks? 5) Given Jefferson’s association with slavery, should Jefferson be viewed as a great “founding father?” Should the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. be taken down or relocated? 6) Explain how Jefferson personifies the early American paradox of freedom and slavery.
